Mt. Yakedake Hike

Kenji brought me to his favorite hiking area near Nagano to hike Mt. Yakedake. It was a beautiful day, which matched the equally beautiful scenery.

A bit chilly at the trailhead in Chubusangaku National Park.

Started with a nice walk along the crystal clear Azusegawa River.

Once we entered the forest trail, it was mostly uphill, with plenty of challenging sections, including several ladder climbs.

Incredible views on the way up.

The summit area is full of geothermic vents. This one was spewing sulfur continuously.

At the summit.

A couple from on the way down, as the clouds roll in. 

Finished at Kappabashi Bridge

Thanks to Kenji and the other hikers who took some of these photos.

Mt. Kumotori Hike

Derek, Brent, and I tackled Tokyo's highest peak, Mt. Kumotori, on Saturday. It's just over 2,000 meters. Long trails in and out to reach it. Many people stay the night at a lodge below the summit. We had planned to do a loop, but the trail we wanted to take in had been closed for 3 years due to a massive landslide. It has been left in disrepair since then. They also posted that a man had died trying to cross the washed out section. So yeah, we forged ahead anyway.

The trailhead. I believe Derek is pointing to the sign saying the trail is closed.

Just a short ways down is a beautiful camp spot with a stream running through. We spent 20-30 minutes trying to figure out where the trail continued from here.

Derek crossing the stream

It was rough going after that point. Many miles of traversing a thin trail cut into the side of the mountain. There were a lot of these rotting wood ladders placed across portions of the trail that had been washed out. And then there were simply washed away sections that we had to find our own way across.

Eventually we reached the section that was clearly the reason for the trail closure. A good potion of the mountainside had suffered a landslide. We couldn't see to where the trail picked up again from where we were. It would be a lateral rock climb/scramble across a steep face that ended with a long vertical drop to the canyon below if we were to slip. Since it was a landslide, many of the rocks and gravel were loose, which made for treacherous hand and foot holds.

Derek and Brent had a much easier time of it than I did. I'm afraid of heights and made my way across very slowly. It was not a pleasant experience. Derek took this shot from the other side, after I was nearly finished.

And here's one Brent took after we are all across. It's a shame we didn't get a shot of the drop below, which is what made it way more scary than it looks.

These trees had recently fallen across the trail.

Brent making his way across another rundown ladder.

Eventually reached the summit

A very tame deer near the top

Evergreens

I love a good cairn

We hiked through a lot of clouds

and flowers

I love this shot of a birch forest Derek took

The trail we took off the mountain was gorgeous, as you can see from these photos.

This suspended bridge hangs at the confluence of several rivers with some amazing waterfalls. 

Showa Park

I spent this Saturday exploring Showa Park in Tachikawa. It's a sprawling green space filled with sites and activities for all ages. The most impressive park I've seen in Japan so far.

View from Tachikawa Gate

This is something you don't see very often in Japan: a random speedo clad Japanese man tanning openly in a public park.

Spiral pathway as you enter the Children's Forest area.

I love bamboo forests

Rainbow Hammock

Bouncing Dome

Pyramid

Misty Forest

Dragon Dunes

They also have nature trails with gorgeous flowers blooming throughout the seasons.

The Japanese Garden area

These dragonflies were tougher to photograph than the tame ones inside the butterfly garden. I moved really slow to get close. 

Open Field with a 100+ year old Zelkova Tree. Hard to find a bigger open space than this in the Tokyo area.