Winter hike to Kawanori-san

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… Continue reading Winter hike to Kawanori-san

Shinkansen day trip

If the weather is clear, the view of Mt Fuji from the Tokaido shinkansen can be very good.  I recently had a day trip from Tokyo to Gifu, and caught some snaps as we whizzed through Shizuoka.

Traffic jam to the mountaintop

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… Continue reading Traffic jam to the mountaintop

Fuji-san & the cosmos

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… Continue reading Fuji-san & the cosmos

Typhoon #13 means Yatsugadake not Kitadake

Typhoon #13 came through Tokyo on Friday night and Saturday morning, and stole our trip to Kita-dake.  The original plan was to take the bikes on the train to Kofu, ride up to the base of the mountain, then hike to the top at around 3,100 metres.  It was to be a 4 day trip, but the… Continue reading Typhoon #13 means Yatsugadake not Kitadake

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