19/01/2023 / Last updated : 29/01/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Climbing Kurikoma Mountain on an Autumn weekend　栗駒山

Early October ’22 A good night at Genbikei michi no eki. The rain eased by midnight and the morning was bright and clear. The michi no eki has rubbish bins and reasonable if not flashy facilities. As the weather is fine and the forecast for tomorrow is less good, we decide to climb Kurikoma mountain though we had planned to put it off for a day. This was a good decision as the day proved fine until late afternoon. Parking and Shuttle Bus The mountain has 6 different hiking courses originating in three separate prefectures. We decided on the central course which is said to be the easiest. The starting […]

04/12/2022 / Last updated : 29/01/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Diasetsuzan Kurodake　大雪山黒岳

Kurodake Ropeway　黒岳ロープウェイ A cool, cloudy morning. Most people have left by the time we emerge to surprise the deer browsing nearby. We set off to hike Daisetsuzan Kurodake. Sounkyo Onsen is where we board the ropeway to whisk us up to the chair-lift station so we can begin our ascent. One ticket will cover a round trip for both. The ropeway ride is a brief 7 minutes but affords some splendid views of yellowing beech trees and the Sounkyo gorge. Then the chair-lift to the 7th. station of Kurodake (about 1500m) this doubles as a ski lift in winter. It skims you along close to the ground and is a […]

13/07/2022 / Last updated : 30/01/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Cape Izumo-Hinomisaki　出雲日御碕

April 2022, Izumo-Hinomisaki Lighthouse　出雲日御碕灯台 The morning is bright and clear as we wander the beach at michi no eki Kirara Taki before taking the coast road up towards Izumo Taisha. Having visited this major shrine before we have no intention of going there again. We do make a second visit to Izumo Hino Misaki lighthouse on Cape Izumo-Hinomisaki. This place has been upgraded since we were last here. There are flashy new toilets in the car park. Already appropriated by enterprising swallows. The red rumped variety. There are helpful signposts and a new concrete footpath around the cape, past the lighthouse and down to the Hinomisaki shrine. The cape and […]

02/06/2022 / Last updated : 30/01/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Climbing Yahiko-san 　弥彦山

11th. April, 2022 Michi no eki Kugami　道の駅国上 Michi no eki Kugami is an excellent place for an overnight stay. When we visited it was basically closed for renovation. Major building work was in progress. This explained the absence of light in the car park. The new building looked almost complete but there was no sign of work underway. The toilets were open and splendid they are. The fine mirrors are, apparently, metal, to reflect the predominant industry of these parts (Tsubamesanjo). This explains why the other michi no eki hereabouts all have displays of scissors, knives and garden shears. Yahiko-san　弥彦山 Our target today is Yahiko-san (Mt.Yahiko). A small mountain only […]

30/03/2022 / Last updated : 30/03/2022 d.d Kyushu 2020-21

Mt. Aso, Kijima-dake and Hourei no yu　阿蘇杵島岳、豊礼の湯

Dec ’21 Minami Aso, Kugino michi no eki Waking in Minami Aso on a frosty, misty morning that promises a fine day, we walk around the large, flat area that comprises this michi no eki. We note the dog run and the large Christmas illuminations that are unilluminated at this time of the morning. There is also an artificial, rectangular pond. It reflects the mountains and a series of cartoon figures in silhouette so I conclude it is for Instagram purposes. Nevertheless, the soft morning light, the mist and the hazy blue mountains are an absolute delight. Mt. Aso From the road station we set off for Mt. Aso. As […]

26/03/2022 / Last updated : 26/03/2022 d.d Kyushu 2020-21

Ebino Plateau and the 3 Lake Course　えびの高原

December, ’21 A bright full moon and a very cold night. Ebino Plateau We set off on a beautiful morning for the Ebino Plateau, making sure to buy supplies on the way before getting into the mountains. It is often difficult to buy food in very rural areas. Around midday, we arrived at a large car park of Ebino Eco Museum Centre. From here we could see the snow on Mount Io and Karakunidake glistening in the bright sunshine, there was, however, a bitterly cold wind whipping across the open space. The 3 Lakes Course　池めぐりコース We had planned to hike around the three crater lakes, but part of the route […]

09/01/2021 / Last updated : 10/10/2021 d.d Kyushu 2020-21

Chimachibou to Ikitsuki Island　乳待房、生月島

November. 2020 Yamabushi The middle of a pandemic, despite the government’s urging “Go To Travel” is not the ideal time to set out on a trip. The government’s campaign may be an economic success in the short term but, perhaps, also a super spreader event. Shachuhaku, we reason, is different in that you can almost completely isolate yourself traveling in your own bubble. So we set off on a short trip to explore Chimachibou. This is a small but rugged mountain in Saga Prefecture. It features perpendicular crags – like those in Chinese sumi-e paintings – that are much sought after by Yamabushi. This religious sect venerate mountains and favour […]

21/05/2020 / Last updated : 31/01/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Norikuradake Hiking and Hirayu Onsen　　乗鞍岳と平湯温泉

June 2019, Wake earlier than usual as we plan to climb, well hike a bit, on Norikuradake Mt. Norikura. We drive to the Honoki-daira free parking area to take the bus to Tatamidaira by way of the Norikura Skyline. Tatami-daira is the highest bus stop in Japan, which was certainly news to me. The bus fare is 2,300 yen return and the shuttle bus runs every 30 minutes. Norikura Skyline is open from May 15th. to Oct. 31st. Tatami-daira　　畳平 From Tatami-daira there are various hiking routes, from the gentle stroll round the flower meadow, Ohanabatake, to the hike to the top of Mt. Kengamine, the highest peak of the […]