Tokyo's Only Village

This weekend was spent in Hinohara-mura, Tokyo's only village, further out in the west. Our lodgings were in a disused elementary school, which had been converted when the village no longer had any children left to attend it; most folk who live in the village are the elderly or retirees who just want a slower pace of life from the city.

It was a lovely weekend filled with chat, Othello, football, walks, wine, a BBQ and too much food. The friend with the motorbike had thoughtfully brought his spare helmet - I had arrived the previous evening by bus - and for the last time, before he was to leave the country, we biked it back to Tokyo.

Bike, Hike & Fuji

One afternoon, we headed to the mountains on motorbike, and found a place to set up the tent after midnight. It was an ill-maintained, decrepit-looking campsite, but whether it was still in business or not, we never got to find out, as we took down camp at the crack of dawn the next morning.

Thirty minutes down the mountain road, we arrived at the trailhead, downed some canned coffee and riceballs, before setting off up the trail to Mt. Mizukagaki (2230m). We couldn't have asked for better weather, clear blue skies and mild temperatures made for a great day of hiking, and offered up some fantastic views of Mt. Fuji.

After getting down, we stopped to grab some ice-cream and freshly-made mochi (rice cakes) before taking a lovely autumny scenic route back to Tokyo.

Buko & Ryogami

The plan was to hit some mountains in the Seibu-Chichibu area in Saitama:
Buko-san (1304m) and Izugatake (851m) on Day 1 (10-hours map time)
(Wild-camping at a Michi-no-Eki service area for the night)
Ryokami-san (1723m) on Day 2 (8-hours map time).

We managed Day 1 in 8-hours, and were all bathed, suppered up and comfy on benches, ready for bed, but unfortunately, the weather wasn't with us; with rain the next morning, we decided to postpone Day 2 for another day. Shaving map time on a wet day in the mountains is not a sane thing to do.

Aomori's In the Middle of Nowhere

After finally getting back home to Tokyo in the early hours of Friday, I was off again that night for a long 9-hour drive up to Aomori. The plan was to enter the heart of Shirakami Sanchi, a UNESCO site, to camp, hike, wade through the streams, and to do some shower-climbing (climbing up waterfalls) for three days and two nights.

The waterfalls were beautiful, and the surroundings pristine. To enter the heart, a permit is required, and throughout our stay in the restricted area, we did not meet or see a single soul. It was a wonderful experience. After the trek, we spent two days sightseeing the area and enjoying the local food before hitting the road back to Tokyo.

FoE Forest Conservation

Friends of the Earth own a bit of forest land in my city, which is about a thirty minute bike ride from where I live, and today I signed up to help out with moving logs, cutting grass, and chopping wood. It was a first for me to wield a wood axe, and it was sweaty work, but there's just something so therapeutic about swinging an axe and splitting wood...

[One of the volunteers had brought in some taro, konjac and homemade sansho (Japanese pricklyash) miso to share.]

Jimba-Takao Hike

There were some delays on the JR that morning, a train had apparently hit an animal, but the train company had considerately shifted the schedules of the rest of the trains to suit.

Conditions were perfect for hiking, with lovely sunny weather, warm, mild temperatures and a refreshing breeze. The route wasn’t crowded at all. And with a relaxed lunch break, as well as regular rest stops, we still managed to complete the 21-km route faster than the suggested 7.5-hours map time by one hour.

Fujino Station > Jimba-san (854.8m) > Takao-san > Takaosanguchi Station

[Sansai Tempura aka. Fried Wild Plants]

 [Some sort of long-nosed beetle.]

Bike n' Hike

After getting back from crossing two prefectures yesterday, I went to hike in Tanzawa in Kanagawa. It was my first time riding on a motorbike, albeit in the passenger's seat, but it was quite the exhilarating experience. After a 2-hour bike ride, we got to the trailhead near Tosawa Sansou (mountain hut) before embarking on a 5-hour return hike to Mt. Tonodake (1491m). We could have done it in less time, but my legs were sore from the weekend. It was a bit of a sadistic decision for me to go ahead with this hike, but a good time was had, and we ended the day with dinner by Lake Miyagase before heading back up north.

The Crossing of Two Prefectures

This was a hike that I had been wanting to do for a long time, crossing over the ridge from Chichibu, Saitama to Okutama, Tokyo. The weather was gorgeous, and it was Golden Week, so I was kind of expecting the crowds to be pouring into the mountains, but thankfully my companions and I met only a few people at the beginning, then didn't see anyone until we got to the hut. Apparently, from what the locals say, it's a rarely used route, since it's not so well-signposted, which was great for us!

All in all, we covered a distance of about 36.5km. The route was scenic, and the hut, clean and well-maintained with a water source just in front of the entrance. A highly recommended hike!

The route we was as follows:
Day 1 (2nd May): Shiroku Station 白久駅 >(Toridaniyama 酉谷山 1718.3m)> Toridani emergency hut 酉谷避難小屋
Day 2 (3rd May): Hut 酉谷避難小屋> Sobatsubuyama 蕎麦粒山 (1472.9m) > Hatonosu Station　鳩ノ巣駅

Flowers Galore Hike

For my hiking club, I had organised a hike in the Chichibu area in Saitama to check out the spring flowers, namely the moss pinks, that had come into bloom. It was about a 6-hour hike, with the following itinerary:

Ashigakubo Station - Mountain Flower Road - Mt. Hinata - Bokuunji Temple - Gokadou Hall - Daijiji Temple - Hitsujiyama Park - Chichibu Station.

The sun was blazing, but everyone was in good spirits with the lovely company we were in and the fresh and vibrant scenery we were seeing as we going along the trail. We also got to experience "osettai", hospitality of the local people towards pilgrims and travellers. We were pleasantly surprised to see an old lady, a complete stranger, coming over to us, and pressing homemade sakuramochi and kashiwamochi, traditional Japanese sweets, into our hands. Later on, an old couple invited us into their patio for refreshments and a friendly chat; it was even of a surprise to our Japanese companions to experience such kindness and generosity in Japan.

Hanami on Mt. Takao

From Takaosanguchi Station, my hiking clubmates and I took the Inariyama Course, past the summit of Mt. Takao, to Itchodaira, where we had a lovely time eating, drinking and appreciating the (not quite fully bloomed) mountain sakura in each others' company in the outdoors.

Hanami

Did hanami (cherry blossom viewing party) at Kinuta Park this year. The weather wasn't all that great, but we managed to tuck into most of the food and wine before the rain came pouring down.

Murky Diamond Fuji

A friend from Hong Kong had come to visit, so after a lunch of conveyor belt sushi, I took her up to Mt. Takao to enjoy a taste of the Japanese mountains. It was the time of the year where the movement of the setting sun catches the top of Mt. Fuji, if viewed from the west. The skies weren't all that clear unfortunately, but the scenery that we witnessed wasn't half bad either.

Okutama Weekend Hike at Mito-san

What's better than a day hike in winter? A two day hike in winter with an overnight stay at a mountain hut, that's what! During the evening and early in the morning, we had the whole mountain, hut and sunset to ourselves.