31/03/2020 / Last updated : 21/03/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Urabandai hiking – Goshikinuma, Nakasenuma　五色沼、中瀬沼

June 2019, Intermittent rain during the night at Ura Bandai michi no eki. The morning is overcast and threatening. Ominous clouds hang over the mountains. Goshikinuma We plan a short walk by the coloured ponds of Goshikinuma. Rain is forecast from 11am. but we hope we can manage a brief hike before then. After we set off, the weather improves and we are walking in intermittent sunshine. The weather remains changeable and the wonderful coloured ponds are frequently dimmed by cloud cover. This Goshikinuma hike is an excellent, easy walk (3.6km) for almost everyone. The path is mainly flat, the woods open and airy and the ponds a startling range […]

04/03/2020 / Last updated : 19/02/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Oguni Panorama Hiking course and Seseragi course at Urabandai　裏磐梯　雄国

June 2019, Ura Bandai michi no eki was very quiet, but the sun has us up before 7am. The other 3 overnight vehicles have already left. Today we plan a long walk, so set off, early-ish, for Laviespa Ura Bandai. This is an onsen, gym and swimming pool complex not far from the michi no eki. We park at the onsen car park and find the Oguni Panorama hiking course west side entrance behind the onsen building with the notice said ‘Beware the Bear’. Oguni Panorama Hiking course This is a fairly easy climb, the trail being clear well marked and a steady rather than a steep incline. At times […]

22/02/2020 / Last updated : 19/03/2023 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Fukidashi Koen and Nakayama Pass, Ferry from Hokkaido 　ふきだし公園、中山峠

June 2019, Fukidashi Koen Michi no eki Meisui no Sato provides a quiet night but, by 8.30 am the tour buses are arriving. I was surprised to meet a lady cleaning the toilet at 5am but, sadly, by 9 her work has been undone. We walk around Fukidashi Koen, the small ponds below the springs and the dinky waterfall. I am surprised when a tiny fledgling comes straight at me, in tenuous, wobbling flight, to land on my shoulder. It perches there for a while, as D. struggles getting out her camera, then flutters off into the bushes before she succeeds. Later, by the largest pond, we disturb a mother […]

07/02/2020 / Last updated : 19/03/2023 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Lake Mashu, Mt.Io and Kami no ko Ike　摩周湖、硫黄山、神の子池

June 2019, Lake Mashu A peaceful night at Mashu Onsen michi no eki but it becomes noisy around 5am., as the various shachuhaku (sleep in the car) vehicles prepare to leave. We sleep later, have a leisurely breakfast, and leave around 9. First, we make for Mashuko or Lake Mashu. This lake is famous for its magnificent blue and, equally famous, obscuring fog. On a previous visit, we were lucky to catch it on a day of serene blue sky so arrive with limited expectations as the day is overcast and grey. In fact, the lake is still a sight to behold. It is neither a piercing blue nor a […]

20/12/2019 / Last updated : 22/03/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Tsuta 7 Ponds Walk　蔦七沼ウォーク

May 2019, Sukayu to Tsuta Onsen Futasui michi no eki proved to be a good place to stay. Good facilities and a tatami space inside for bikers or cyclists to sleep. No rubbish bins are provided though. Our goal for the day is Tsuta onsen. This involves a pleasant drive with views of Mt.Iwaki still capped with patches of snow. As we pass Sukayu onsen there are large areas of grubby snow around and the road (R.103) is running with snow melt. We also spot the skunk cabbage flowers that appear through the melting snow. I say spot, they were everywhere. Tsuta 7 Ponds walk　　蔦七沼 From Sukayu we drop down […]

18/12/2018 / Last updated : 16/03/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Ura-Bandai Nakasenuma hiking　裏磐梯中瀬沼

Day 59, November 2016, Michi no eki Bandai The locals are early, preparing for Mochitsuki (rice cake making) on a bright chilly morning at michi-no-eki Bandai. As we breakfast, the mist comes rolling in and we can see almost nothing. We wait around, delaying our departure. When the sun shows signs of breaking through the mists, we set off for some small lakes. Nakasenuma There is a walking trail around these lakes. It is not very long, but we make sure we have a picnic with us. The walk is very easy, mostly flat with broad paths but it affords a view that, I felt, was unprecedented – just […]

16/12/2018 / Last updated : 09/02/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Urabandai Goshikinuma　裏磐梯五色沼

Day 58, November 2016, Morning in Michi-no-eki Kita no Sato Intermittent rain during the night but the morning is sunny, if cold, and very wet underfoot. There are dark clouds hanging on the mountains and a few short showers. Sometimes the clouds lift and we get glimpses of the higher peaks sprinkled with early snow. We drive to Goshikinuma, to walk the trail by the ponds. The skyline we drove in the rain –the Gold Line- is closed today as the temperature is low about 4 degrees. The weather seems uncertain, so we put on lots of layers and rain suits. As we start to walk, the sunny patches become […]

10/12/2018 / Last updated : 22/03/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Akita Komagatake hiking　秋田駒ケ岳

Summer 2018, The night, at michi-no-eki ‘Shizukuishi Anekko‘, was much cooler than expected. I found it necessary to put on a sweater around 4 am. The morning is bright and clear as we arrive at Alpa Komakusa. Here we leave the car and take the bus to Mt. Komagatake Eighth Station, to begin our walk. Our plan is to walk to Amidaike, a small pond/lake between two fairly accessible peaks. Amidaike pond The climb to this point is quite steep, the path bordered by thick bushes and sasa grasses. It is like walking through jungle especially as the day is hot and oppressive. There is relief from this as, every […]