On those crisp and clear winter days that Tokyo puts on so well, there’s no better place to be than up a mountain. I was keen to head out and get some snow on my hiking boots and experience the cold fresh air. My day took me out to Kawanori-san, a 1,363 mountain in the Okutama area (fast becoming one of my favourite areas).
» More: Winter hike to Kawanori-san
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I’m sure many people could smugly tell me that a sunny Sunday in the peak of autumn is NOT the right day to visit Hakone for solitude. I should have known that I’d spend the entire day in one form of traffic jam or another. But I nonetheless made the mistake of choosing Kintokiyama (金時山), a mountain in the Hakone area, as the destination for a walk and opportunity for my friends to test out their new camera.
» More: Traffic jam to the mountaintop
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Ever wanted a falcon’s view of Mt Fuji and the surrounding ranges? Takanosu-yama (鷹ノ巣山) – translated as Falcon’s Nest Mountain – offers just a commanding view, good enough for a falcon. On an unseasonably cold, but clear and crisp autumn day, the contrast between snow, bright coloured foliage, clear blue skies and the vista beyond was a perfect way to spend a public holiday.
» More: Through the snow to the Falcon’s Nest
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Mitake-san is a mountain in western Tokyo Prefecture with a grand, old Shinto shrine on top. It’s become sort of the place in the hills that I head towards when I’m not imaginative to head anywhere else. Tried and trusted, there is a network of pathways through the forest, taking in a few mountain tops, and leading down the valley to the Tama River. I headed up with my Swedish friends for a day of autumn in the hills.
» More: Autumn at Mitake-san again
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The cosmos were blooming on the shores of Kawaguchi-ko, and the late afternoon sun was shining on Fuji-san. I bought a new guidebook recently, which describes hikes near Tokyo that end at onsens. The cosmos was kind to us yesterday, by providing sunshine, good views of Mt Fuji across Kawaguchi-ko, and a nearly empty rotenburo (outdoor onsen).
Sphere: Related ContentTakao-san is a popular mountain to the west of Tokyo with a number of hiking tracks and Yakuoin temple, and I’d never been out there. This is surprising given that it’s only an hour from Tokyo and easy to get to, quick to climb, and (supposedly) has views across to Fuji-san. I think what had deterred me from visiting previously was rumours of large crowds and queues of people lining up to get to the summit.
» More: A morning mission to Takao-san
Sphere: Related ContentJapanese mountains can have some unusual names. Apparently, Sobatsubu-san (蕎麦粒山 – literally translated as Mt Buckwheat Grain) may have been given its name based on its small isosceles triangular shape that resembles a grain of soba. Last weekend, up on the mountaintops, the mist had rolled in and created a mystical atmosphere that was far better than running around in the humidity back in Tokyo, and making it too foggy up there to tell the shape of the mountain peak.
» More: Sobatsubu-san (Mt Buckwheat Grain)
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Wednesday night running
Quick melt
Shibuya in the snow
Snowing in TokyoWinter hike to Kawanori-san
Akemashite omedeto gozaimasu
Advertising cacophony
Hakuba
Ear wax
Yakiniku
