mountains | Japanese Countryside Travel Notes

2023-11-202023-11-26

A ray of light in the pouring rain in Aso

When traveling to enjoy the scenery, the weather is crucial. The scenery shines with the reflection of light, and the wind with just the right amount of humidity makes you feel refreshed. The sun is great! But this time, it’s the complete opposite. The rain was pouring down so hard that I couldn’t even step out of the car in Kusasenri, so I turned on the heater inside the car max to stay warm.

Still, the eruption alert level for Mt. Aso is at its lowest level, so this is a great opportunity to get up close. As we braved the wind and rain, a shelter covered with thick concrete suddenly appeared in front of us. I am reminded of the recent incident on Mt. Ontake in Kiso where climbers were caught in volcanic bombs. Then, for a moment, an emerald blue volcanic lake could be seen through the gap between the clouds and volcanic smoke. The weather was terrible, but it was an unforgettable sight, even though it was only for a short time.

aso crater2

aso crater1

aso crater3

After lunch at an herb farm* in Minami-oguni town, I went to Daikanbo, which has an observation deck for Aso mountain range, without high expectations. Although the clouds were not clear, I could see the Aso mountain range, which has been compared to the reclining statue of Buddha, and the somma with deep valleys surrounding it. It’s not all that the weather is bad. It seemed like a ray of light was shining.

aso statute of nirvana left

aso statute of nirvana right

aso somma2 water vapor

aso somma4 burnt remains

aso somma1

aso somma3

Detour (an herb farm* in Minami-oguni town)

wind forest 2 café

wind forest 1

wind forest 3

wind forest 4 lunch plate

wind forest 5

wind forest 6 dessert

wind forest 7 terrace

Overnight at Kurokawa Onsen ”Sanga”

The garden is well-maintained while retaining the atmosphere of deep in the mountain, but I was surprised to learn that it was all planted by hand. I fell in love with the richness of the ingredients and the delicious taste, and now I stay here regularly. It seems that all the accommodations in Kurokawa Onsen are wonderful, but I hope that the regular accommodations do not suffer from the negative effects of overtourism.

sanga1

sanga2

sanga3

sanga4 bath inner

sanga5 bath outer

sanga6 dinner mon appetit

sanga7 dinner

sanga8 dinner

sanga9 dinner

sanga10 dinner

sanga11 dinner

sanga12 dinner

sanga13 dinner

sanga14 dinner

sanga15 dinner

sanga16 dinner

sanga17 dinner merci

sanga18 morning walk

sanga19 morning walk

sanga20 morning walk

sanga21 morning walk

sanga22 breakfast

sanga23 breakfast

sanga24 breakfast

2023-10-252023-10-29

Moss Forest, a gathering place for people who love the world of Ghibli

As soon as you step inside, you will be greeted by a ”moss forest” that covers everything from the ground to the roots of the primeval forest. This scenery has been used in various TV commercials, so you may have seen it somewhere at least once. It is said that 485 types of moss live there, so I went in with a magnifying glass, but I couldn’t really observe each one individually.

Anyway, as I climbed up to the Takami-ishi Hut enjoying the scenery I had never seen before, I suddenly saw a mountain piled up with large rocks that looked like they had been piled up by giants. If you drop something into a crevice between rocks, you will never be able to get it out, so be careful when climbing. When you reach the top of the rocky mountain, you can see the round Shirakoma Pond floating just below, and beyond that you can see a vast panoramic view of the Saku and Karuizawa basins, and even Mt. Asama with its volcanic smoke behind them.

shirakoma forest10 top left mt.asamayama

shirakoma forest11 top center saku karuizawa

shirakoma forest12 top right

We crawled down the rocky mountain, passed the mirror-like shores of Shirakoma Pond, and returned to the parking lot through ”Mononoke Forest”, which is also reminiscent of the world of Ghibli. It’s a different world for three hours above the clouds, but it’s a beauty that no amount of words can express.

shirakoma forest1 entrance

shirakoma forest2

shirakoma forest4 baby mushroom

shirakoma forest5 takamiishi hut

shirakoma forest7

shirakoma forest8

shirakoma forest9 shirakoma pond

shirakoma forest14 moss

shirakoma forest13

shirakoma forest15 butterfly

shirakoma forest16 shirakoma pond

shirakoma forest16 walking pass

shirakoma forest18

shirakoma forest17

shirakoma forest19

shirakoma forest20 mononoke forest

shirakoma forest22

shirakoma forest23

shirakoma forest24

shirakoma forest26

The largest lake above the clouds, “Shirakoma Pond”

shirakoma pond1 left

shirakoma pond2 center left

shirakoma pond3 center

shirakoma pond4 center right

Detour (View Point)

Midway through the winding descent on the way back, at a point where my fellow passengers were beginning to feel uncomfortable, we came to the Hinata-Koba Observation Deck. A resting place, not a detour. You can see the Yatsugatake Mountains to the east, the Southern Alps and Kiso Mountains to the south, the Northern Alps to the west, and Mt. Tateshina at the northern tip of Yatsugatake. I have never seen so many mountains in Japan in one direction. The weather was so nice that day that I could see the summit of Mt. Yarigatake and was very impressed.

hinatakoba viewpoint1 left yatsugatake

hinatakoba viewpoint2 south alps

hinatakoba viewpoint3 kiso mountains

hinatakoba viewpoint4

hinatakoba viewpoint6 right mt.tateshina

hinatakoba viewpoint7 front left kirigamine center back mt.yarigatake

shirakoma pond0 cover photo — go back to itinerary

2021-10-312021-10-31

Yokokawa Valley with calm and peaceful Chourou Lake was a true discovery !

Ordinary people will go to Miyagi Zao Fox Village near here, but countryside lovers can’t pass Yokokawa Valley and Chourou Lake which are located on the foot of Mt.Zao.

The name of Zao comes from the fact that Zao Gongen, mountain religion, was separated from the Kinpusenji Temple in Yoshino, Nara, where cherry blossoms bloom all over the mountain. Before then, a part of the predecessor of this Zao name was called Mt. Fubousan, now which can be seen well from Yokokawa Valley and Chourou Lake. It is a mountain that has appeared in Japanese classics, and it means a mountain that you never forget in literary.

The idyllic view of Chourou Lake and the view of Mt. Fubousan from the longest suspension bridge in Tohoku will be a memory you will never forget.

Gallery (click photos)

yokokawa valley suspension bridge

yokokawa valley and mt.fubou

yokokawa valley damm lake

chourou lake2

yokokawa valley jizo

chourou lake3

2020-09-262020-09-24

Autumn Leaves in Hachimantai

Main tourist area is the flat top of Hachimantai mountains with alpine plants and panoramic view around the tourist road named Hachimantai Aspite Line. The mountains are volcano formed by lava with low viscosity. That is why the top is flat. > > read more about volcano story

The origin of the name is told to come from God of battle luck ‘Hachiman-sama’. ‘Hachiman’ is a symbolic icon related to ‘Genji’ that created the first samurai society in Japan.

There are many hot springs in Machimantai volcano. Matsukawa hot spring village, very attractive one of them, is located in the south of Hachimantai and it seems to be floating on the forest sea, especially autumn colors sea. The big truss structure bridge, 5 mins abover the village, has been left due to the cancelation of the traverse road construction plan reflecting natural environment movement and now it fortunately became a great view point !

Panorama View from the bridge (click photo)

panorama left

panorama center

panorama right

Left: toward the flat peak of Mt.Hachimantai
Center: Matsukawa valley (Matsukawa Hot Spring)
Right: toward Mt.Iwate

Others (click photo)

geothermal power generation

Matsukawa Bridge

Mt.Gentagatake

autumn colors sea in hachimantai

Geothermal generator

swamp

2020-09-132020-09-13

Shirakami mountains (World Heritage)

It is easy to approach the entrance to World Heritage, but places inside where a tourist could reach by himself were limited. Furthermore ‘Anmon Fall’* was closed due to typhoon damages. You should chose between to be satisfied with a glance or to spend all day. Next time I would like to challenge with a guide.

*)There are many approach routes to the heart of Shirakami mountains. ’Twenty ponds walking course’ is easily accessible　from the sea side with public transportation and you can feel variety of nature.

Galley(click photo)

shirakami mountains entrance

shirakami mountains walking 1

shirakami mountains walking 2

bear scratches

shirakami mountains walking 3

kumagera tapping the tree

shirakami mountains walking 4

shirakami mountains walking 5

shirakami mountains walking 6

2020-08-142020-09-08

High-speed railway suddenly appears at the lonely station building in deep mountains

On the way to Namegawa Hot Spring in Yamagata prefecture, I have been searching mobile radio wave to book an event ticket that starts from that day through the Internet. There was poor wave among deep mountains between Fukushima prefecture and Yamagata prefecture and I found a route sign of ‘Mountain Pass Station’ when the intensity of radio wave became strong. I recognized that mobile phone access point should be located at this station because passengers getting on or off the station can use mobile phone.

Mountain Pass Station1

The unmanned station, the name of which is ‘Mountain Pass’, looked like a storage yard surely as a measure against deep snow but nobody seemed to use it. I heard the chirping of wild birds and felt the presence of wildlife outside the yard. A place left behind in the real world. Suddenly an alarm sounded in the yard and the Yamagata Shinkansen(High Speed Railway)* ran through the yard in a moment. And it returned to the original silence.

I felt a mysterious feeling that I could slip through the world of reality and fantasy in an instant.

*)Shinkansen transit times and local timetables are displayed in unmanned stations. It is rare for this station to meet a local line. There are rarely any places where you can see the Shinkansen passing by at the height of the tracks up close.

Mountain Pass Station3 plate

Mountain Pass Station4 and Highspeed railway

Before the Shinkansen passed, the local line seemed to switch back here and climb the mountain pass. The trace of the switchback can be seen from the photo below. You can also find the railroad crossing when the Shinkansen passes !

switch-back trace

Detour (Namegawa Hot Spring and Waterfall)

Please be careful when driving until you reach the hot spring. About one hour from the retro hot spring, there is a large waterfall that runs down onto a monolith 80 meters high. The suspension bridge on the side of the inn has collapsed, so you need to wear boots and cross the river yourself. I missed the chance due to no boots at that time, so photos in gallery are not Namegawa Waterfall.

Namegawa Hot Spring1

Namegawa Hot Spring2

Namegawa Hot Spring3

Namegawa Hot Spring4

Namegawa Hot Spring5

Mountain Pass Station0 — Go back to itinerary

2020-08-052020-08-05

Mt.Akita-Komagatake with rich alpine plants, Moomin valley and bears that occasionally appear in the fog

Horses and humans have a long history. It is said that in early spring, a horse is seen in the shape of the remaining snow on the mountain and cultivation is started after the shape appears. Therefore, there are many mountains in Japan with horses ‘Koma’ as their names. Similarly, there are mountains all over Japan with Mt. Fuji as a part of the name, but all of them are called ‘the area name + Fuji’, which is similar to the shape of original Mt.Fuji. However, ‘Komagatake’ has no originator, so each ‘Komagatake’ is an originator and the locals call it only ‘Komagatake’ without ‘the area name’.

alpine plant4 akita

alpine plant6 akita

alpine plant7 akita

alpine plant8 akita

Akita Komagatake is composed of two calderas, with a milky-white Nyuto hot spring in the north, a colorless Mizusawa hot spring in the west, and an emerald green Kunimi hot spring in the south. It is a treasure trove of alpine plants because the airflow from the Sea of Japan hits the mountains and clouds easily form. Therefore, even if the lower world is sunny, fog will be applied around the top and the temperature will be quite low even in the midsummer.

Akita-Komagatake in fog

Akita-Komagatake pond

There seems to be a Moomin valley in the flower field, but recently it was described on the website that there was a personal injury due to a bear. It’s something I don’t want to encounter in the fog. Certainly there was a metal rod that made a sound of a bear repellent, but I wondered how effective it was and gave up on going to Moomin Valley.

On the way down the mountain by shuttle bus

Lake Tazawa looks like a hand mirror. I was convinced that it might be the remains of the caldera volcano.

Lake Tazawa from Akita Komagatake

2020-08-01

Mt.Hachimantai trekking searching the peak of the flat mountain

I learned in high school that Hachimantai was a mountain with the shield of a medieval knight lying beside it. Therefore, I remembered it as Aspite (shield) volcano, but recent volcanic studies have called it Konide volcano (stratovolcano) because of its formation process rather than its appearance. The tourist road that crosses the summit was named Hachimantai Aspite Line, but it might be difficult for locals to accept the results of this research and it has not been renamed.

In any case, it is a gentle mountain, and the vast sea of trees spreads below you, making it comfortable to drive. It is also ideal for trekking because the road is not steep. However, the only drawback is that there is no clear peak, so you cannot get a sense of accomplishment. For that reason, a half-timbered observatory suddenly appears among the Todomatsu(pine) and bamboo forest, telling us that this is the peak!

There are ponds around the flat summit, but they became ponds after the steam explosion. Among them is an emerald green ‘Dragon Eye’ that appears in the snow thaw for only two weeks at the end of May. I want to see it even once.

Gallery (click photos)

Buckwheat flower and Mt.Hachimantai

Mt.Hachimantai Aspite Line

Sea of trees

pine1

pine2

pine3

alpine plant1 iwate

alpine plant2 iwate

alpine plant3 iwate

Hachiman pond

gama pond

sea of trees and Mt.Iwate

2020-07-272020-09-21

Ohtakamori viewpoint of Matsushima at sunset

You can’t see the beauty of Matsushima sufficiently unless you look at it from a high place.
Near the Oku-Matsushima(Sagakei) sightseeing boarding place there was a signpost which indicated a 15-minute walk to the Ohtakamori observatory (106 m above sea level). This was ridiculous mountain climbing and hell especially in the summer season. When I got to the observatory, I was out of breath and sweaty. Matsushima Bay can be seen to the west from Otakamori, but unfortunately it was too early in the sunset. Nobi district on the right hand view remains reddish wasteland due to the tsunami.

Ohtakamori Panoramic View

ohtakamori1 left

ohtakamori2 middle-left

ohtakamori3 middle

ohtakamori4 middle-right

ohtakamori5 right

Saigyo Modoshino Matsu View

This observatory (122m above sea level) is a 20-minute walk from JR Matsushima Kaigan Station. However, mainly coming to the famous tourist spots from that station, few people walk up to this point. If you come, in the cherry blossom season, take a picture of small islands in Matsushima Bay that shines east and the cherry blossoms in the foreground in the afternoon.
After being sweaty due to climbing, how about taking a public bath at the hot spring below viewpoint!

saigyo modoshino matsu after cherry blossoms season

saigyo modoshino matsu

ohtakamori from saigyo modoshino matsu

2020-07-122020-07-26

Heavenly Paradise: Mt.Gassan surrounded by alpine plants and ponds (Gassan 8th station)

There is Mt.Gassan 8th station at the end of the winding uphill. The Midagahara Marsh, ‘Heavenly paradise’, is spreading there. I feel like jumping into the Shonai plain overlooking the Sea of Japan. It takes 3 hours from here to the mountaintop shrine