So I like to hike, you already know that, but what you don’t know is what propels me to climb the next mountain.
The challenge, of course!
Now, in America this challenge is not very challenging as there are maps, blogs, pictures, and road signs aplenty. The only hard part is getting out of bed before 8am and deciding if you want grape or strawberry jam on your peanut butter sandwich. Sure, some mountains have a higher or faster rate of elevation gain, some trails are better maintained than others, and some require a 4-wheel drive vehicle to access the trailhead. These things are chump change compared to what I deal with in Japan. The language barrier kills you. Then try not owning a vehicle and all of a sudden you can't do ANYTHING without a ton of preparation. I pretty much felt like Mighty Mouse after this trip just for completing it with no major complications or calls to the rescue squad. (Not that we could...more on that later).
Hiking in Japan as a foreigner who knows little Japanese requires preparation, planning, studying, and a little luck. I wrote a bit about it from my Adatara experience but this one was a little more involved as it required a two-night stay on the mountain. Since being stranded on a mountain was not how I wanted to start my vacation I asked Okubo sensei to call the mountain hut for me and make the reservation just in case I missed something in translation. I found someone crazy enough to go with me: Rachel.
We started out easily enough on the 8am train, walking to the station with our friends who were headed to Tokyo and Thailand for break. Parting ways we skipped up north on the world’s slowest bullet train ever. It stopped at everyone’s lemonade stand and garage sale on the way to Shinjo, a grueling 2-hour ride through the otherwise beautiful mountains. It was so slow that it cost LESS to ride up there than the short 1 hr train south to Tokyo. We transferred trains at the station only to realize that Rachel had left her cellphone in the seat pocket of the train! We talked to the station staff and they agreed to hold it for the next two days until we came back on our return route home.
The challenge, of course!
Now, in America this challenge is not very challenging as there are maps, blogs, pictures, and road signs aplenty. The only hard part is getting out of bed before 8am and deciding if you want grape or strawberry jam on your peanut butter sandwich. Sure, some mountains have a higher or faster rate of elevation gain, some trails are better maintained than others, and some require a 4-wheel drive vehicle to access the trailhead. These things are chump change compared to what I deal with in Japan. The language barrier kills you. Then try not owning a vehicle and all of a sudden you can't do ANYTHING without a ton of preparation. I pretty much felt like Mighty Mouse after this trip just for completing it with no major complications or calls to the rescue squad. (Not that we could...more on that later).
Hiking in Japan as a foreigner who knows little Japanese requires preparation, planning, studying, and a little luck. I wrote a bit about it from my Adatara experience but this one was a little more involved as it required a two-night stay on the mountain. Since being stranded on a mountain was not how I wanted to start my vacation I asked Okubo sensei to call the mountain hut for me and make the reservation just in case I missed something in translation. I found someone crazy enough to go with me: Rachel.
We started out easily enough on the 8am train, walking to the station with our friends who were headed to Tokyo and Thailand for break. Parting ways we skipped up north on the world’s slowest bullet train ever. It stopped at everyone’s lemonade stand and garage sale on the way to Shinjo, a grueling 2-hour ride through the otherwise beautiful mountains. It was so slow that it cost LESS to ride up there than the short 1 hr train south to Tokyo. We transferred trains at the station only to realize that Rachel had left her cellphone in the seat pocket of the train! We talked to the station staff and they agreed to hold it for the next two days until we came back on our return route home.
Taking two local trains we finally arrived at the quaint town of Nikaho or “Kisakata.” We bee lined to the beach and changed into our swimsuits in the wash building. On every dedicated swimming beach there is a changing building with men’s and women’s sections, toilets, and a foot wash station. American music featuring “Call Me Maybe,” the summer’s popular selection, was blasting through the loudspeaker. It was gonna be a great day.
Already p.m. we didn’t waste time getting in the water. We ended up running into a group of high school girls participating in an exchange program with their Japanese sister school in that village. The Americans were from Anacortes, WA! It’s a small world, after all.
We ran to the water’s edge and I gingerly dipped my toes in the next wave to lap on shore. It was warm! Why, hello Sea of Japan!
We brought a beach ball and enjoyed chasing and hitting it across the waves as we swam in the salty sea. After two hours of leisurely activity we changed and headed back to the station to catch our only bus up the mountain at 3:30. We met some fellow hikers on the bus. One man lent me his book written by an ancient samurai who had visited the area hundreds of years ago and wrote haiku about the flora and fauna. It had been translated into English.
After 45 minutes of switchbacks we arrived at the trailhead, two large parking lots with a few cars, vans, and campers. Three buildings were situated on the side of the mountain: The cafeteria/omiage building, visitor center, and sleeping lodge. We went to the lodge and checked in with the friendly manager. He brought out a huge bowl of fresh cherry tomatoes for all the guests to enjoy and we sat around watching the Olympics.
Already p.m. we didn’t waste time getting in the water. We ended up running into a group of high school girls participating in an exchange program with their Japanese sister school in that village. The Americans were from Anacortes, WA! It’s a small world, after all.
We ran to the water’s edge and I gingerly dipped my toes in the next wave to lap on shore. It was warm! Why, hello Sea of Japan!
We brought a beach ball and enjoyed chasing and hitting it across the waves as we swam in the salty sea. After two hours of leisurely activity we changed and headed back to the station to catch our only bus up the mountain at 3:30. We met some fellow hikers on the bus. One man lent me his book written by an ancient samurai who had visited the area hundreds of years ago and wrote haiku about the flora and fauna. It had been translated into English.
After 45 minutes of switchbacks we arrived at the trailhead, two large parking lots with a few cars, vans, and campers. Three buildings were situated on the side of the mountain: The cafeteria/omiage building, visitor center, and sleeping lodge. We went to the lodge and checked in with the friendly manager. He brought out a huge bowl of fresh cherry tomatoes for all the guests to enjoy and we sat around watching the Olympics.
Even though we’d packed enough food for dinner, we made the easy decision of visiting the cafeteria and had a nice plate of curry and rice before sitting on the grass to watch the sunset. The afternoon clouds blew away and revealed a lovely sunset across the Sea of Japan. Hundreds of dragonflies flew about, darting between hikers and photographers set up to watch the horizon. Simultaneously the full moon rose behind Mt. Choukai, lighting up the twin peaks with promise and tranquility.
We were tired by p.m., what with the long travel and expending energy on the beach. However, we were stubborn and played a game of cribbage to put us in bed past the acceptable 9 o’clock hour. We grabbed futons out of the closet and slept soundly until 4am when the sun came streaming through our east-facing window. Good morning! Others in the lodge woke up too and started getting their gear together to climb the mountain. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em! Since we were already awake and had to climb the mountain anyways we decided to set out early and were on the trail by 6am.
It was beautiful.
Stone stairs led the way up through the tree line and out into an open side of the mountain. A patch of snow was stuck on the side. Morning glories, thistles, mountain bluebell, foxglove, and other things I don’t know the names of adorned the trailside and alpine fields.
It was beautiful.
Stone stairs led the way up through the tree line and out into an open side of the mountain. A patch of snow was stuck on the side. Morning glories, thistles, mountain bluebell, foxglove, and other things I don’t know the names of adorned the trailside and alpine fields.
There were plenty of other hikers, mostly retired age, but it was never crowded and easy to pass or be passed. We took our time up to the first mountain hut straddling a ridgeline. On one side the dramatic dropping slope to the Sea of Japan and a beach riddled with elegant windmills, the other an alpine lake stood before miles of valley and a distant Yamagata mountain range with snow-capped peaks. You should have been there.
The sun was out in full force and showed no sign of being covered with pesky clouds. So we put on sunscreen.
Part two continued along this ridgeline until stopping for lunch on a log. I’m not sure how the log got there since there were no trees….
After lunch we reached the split in the trail, choosing to go left up the inside of the crater and then continue clockwise around the edge of the crater before returning to the same spot. A mini loop hike, essentially. It climbed up and down some rocks, a ladder, and along a steep ravine edge. We came down to a snowfield that had to be crossed, but a rope had been installed for guided travel. On the other side we met our friends from the bus who saw us crossing the snowfield and decided to wait for us. They also took pictures of us coming! We chatted for a few minutes before exchanging addresses as they promised to send us the pictures they’d taken. We continued across the ravine floor and traversed another snowfield. We finally reached the crater wall and started the ascent. Up, up, up the side of the wall we switch backed and climbed the rocky trail with the sun at our side. The greenery had long since faded to brown shrubs and rocks…of course. At last we made it to the last mountain hut where people walked around good-naturedly. A shrine and “bio toilets” completed the little compound. But that wasn’t the summit. No, the summit was another climb bouldering up rocks to places we couldn’t even see. This summit was a mini adventure trail easily circumvented by a connecting trail that would lead you straight to the rim and back on the circuit home. No thanks.
We bouldered up the rocks like little mountain goats and noticed the awesome formations made by the volcano.
Part two continued along this ridgeline until stopping for lunch on a log. I’m not sure how the log got there since there were no trees….
After lunch we reached the split in the trail, choosing to go left up the inside of the crater and then continue clockwise around the edge of the crater before returning to the same spot. A mini loop hike, essentially. It climbed up and down some rocks, a ladder, and along a steep ravine edge. We came down to a snowfield that had to be crossed, but a rope had been installed for guided travel. On the other side we met our friends from the bus who saw us crossing the snowfield and decided to wait for us. They also took pictures of us coming! We chatted for a few minutes before exchanging addresses as they promised to send us the pictures they’d taken. We continued across the ravine floor and traversed another snowfield. We finally reached the crater wall and started the ascent. Up, up, up the side of the wall we switch backed and climbed the rocky trail with the sun at our side. The greenery had long since faded to brown shrubs and rocks…of course. At last we made it to the last mountain hut where people walked around good-naturedly. A shrine and “bio toilets” completed the little compound. But that wasn’t the summit. No, the summit was another climb bouldering up rocks to places we couldn’t even see. This summit was a mini adventure trail easily circumvented by a connecting trail that would lead you straight to the rim and back on the circuit home. No thanks.
We bouldered up the rocks like little mountain goats and noticed the awesome formations made by the volcano.
Then we reached the canyon. Well, it was a canyon to me. It looked huge and ominous. If you’ve seen 127 hours, it looked like they could have filmed it here…and now the little painted arrows are telling me to climb down there?! Little red flags started waving in front of my eyes. Despite the clearly marked trail into the death trap I refused to believe the evidence until I asked a Japanese person,
“Is that REALLY the trail to the summit?”
“Yes.”
Oh. Rats.
Once I got over the terrifying prospect of pinning my arm between rocks and being stuck for 5 days I had fun climbing down the canyon and then climbing back out and up to the summit. It was so clear and beautiful I can’t even describe it.
We traversed yet another snowfield that went down the saddle of the twin peaks, this one more steep and treacherous than the last. We slipped a few times even with the use of poles. Up the side of the saddle we went to the twin peak for posterity’s sake and then began the long walk along the ridgeline home.
“Is that REALLY the trail to the summit?”
“Yes.”
Oh. Rats.
Once I got over the terrifying prospect of pinning my arm between rocks and being stuck for 5 days I had fun climbing down the canyon and then climbing back out and up to the summit. It was so clear and beautiful I can’t even describe it.
We traversed yet another snowfield that went down the saddle of the twin peaks, this one more steep and treacherous than the last. We slipped a few times even with the use of poles. Up the side of the saddle we went to the twin peak for posterity’s sake and then began the long walk along the ridgeline home.
After a time I felt like I was getting burned and should reapply some sunscreen. I unscrewed the cap and rubbed it in with the opposite hand. All of a sudden a sharp pain from my leg caused me to catch a huge fly creature sitting there eating me. With my non-lotion hand I swatted at it and it flew off, but not before the cap I was holding bounced off of a rock and fell doooooooown a black hole in the rocks. Crap. What do you do with a capless bottle of sunscreen?! Rachel put some tinfoil from her sandwich around the top and I stuck it inside my empty carrot stick bag. Hopefully it won’t be a bag of sunscreen by the time we get back.
We joined up with our original trail at the split, but soon split off again to take advantage of a trail around the alpine lake we’d seen earlier. This was probably a bad idea since Rachel was super low on water and I wasn’t far behind. Large stacks of wood placed right in the middle of the trail by a helicopter further set us back. They were building materials for a nice plank trail system but hadn’t been built yet. And the trail was on the steep slope of a mountain…hard to just walk around them. When we finally reached the lake it was a little disappointing, hot, and we were thirsty and tired. My left hip was hurting really badly. Another junction in the trail prompted us to take the shorter, direct route back to the first mountain hut…and straight up the side of the ridge. It took seemingly forever as the sun blazed overhead and we picked out a trail from the rocks and grasses. When we finally reached the top at the hut we used the toilets and got back on the main trail home. I took my dear sweet time, nursing my hip and taking a little siesta in the middle of it. Poor Rachel was about to die of dehydration and made it back to the lodge as quickly as she could. Slowly I made it down the last leg of the mountain finally reaching the comforting sight of the lodge. Bed! Water! They called to me. I drank a full liter straight off, and another one within the next hour. My arms actually burned…I can’t even remember the last time that happened.
We joined up with our original trail at the split, but soon split off again to take advantage of a trail around the alpine lake we’d seen earlier. This was probably a bad idea since Rachel was super low on water and I wasn’t far behind. Large stacks of wood placed right in the middle of the trail by a helicopter further set us back. They were building materials for a nice plank trail system but hadn’t been built yet. And the trail was on the steep slope of a mountain…hard to just walk around them. When we finally reached the lake it was a little disappointing, hot, and we were thirsty and tired. My left hip was hurting really badly. Another junction in the trail prompted us to take the shorter, direct route back to the first mountain hut…and straight up the side of the ridge. It took seemingly forever as the sun blazed overhead and we picked out a trail from the rocks and grasses. When we finally reached the top at the hut we used the toilets and got back on the main trail home. I took my dear sweet time, nursing my hip and taking a little siesta in the middle of it. Poor Rachel was about to die of dehydration and made it back to the lodge as quickly as she could. Slowly I made it down the last leg of the mountain finally reaching the comforting sight of the lodge. Bed! Water! They called to me. I drank a full liter straight off, and another one within the next hour. My arms actually burned…I can’t even remember the last time that happened.
We spent this evening watching the sunset again, eating the last of the tomatoes and watching the Olympics…but no cribbage. We didn’t care that we were in bed by 8 o’clock this time, more than happy to turn off the lights and rest our aching, burning bodies.
Up with the sun again I ate my pre-made pancakes and we got on the 6:30 bus down the mountain. There are only two buses each day. We had planned on spending several hours at the beach and coming home late that night, but since we couldn’t spend any time in direct sunlight without pain we cut it down to 2 hours. The area outside the swimming area was filled with white boats…but no people in them. Keeping a weather eye on the scene we spotted the fins of divers on the surface of the waves. I’m not sure what they were diving for though. A few families came to park on the beach and we left to catch our train…and pick up Rachel’s abandoned cell phone. We came back to town without a problem just a little tired and burnt. I unpacked and threw everything into the laundry because it had to be packed the next day—Mt. Fuji!
Up with the sun again I ate my pre-made pancakes and we got on the 6:30 bus down the mountain. There are only two buses each day. We had planned on spending several hours at the beach and coming home late that night, but since we couldn’t spend any time in direct sunlight without pain we cut it down to 2 hours. The area outside the swimming area was filled with white boats…but no people in them. Keeping a weather eye on the scene we spotted the fins of divers on the surface of the waves. I’m not sure what they were diving for though. A few families came to park on the beach and we left to catch our train…and pick up Rachel’s abandoned cell phone. We came back to town without a problem just a little tired and burnt. I unpacked and threw everything into the laundry because it had to be packed the next day—Mt. Fuji!
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