As often happens when I look out the window here, I felt drawn to the hills this morning.
There was a fresh coat of snow on the mountains all around and I couldn't not go for a quick hike before work.
This area I went to is characterized by a viewpoint on a small hill which faces Mt. Asama, the Takamine Kogen and Yunomaru Kogen across the valley which the Chikumagawa meanders through.
One of the first things I did when we moved here was to run to that viewpoint from home and back--about 10km.
Since then, I've hiked there about 20 times because it's so convenient. Since I go there so often, I don't usually blog about it but today it was just too pretty not to share some pictures.
If any of you have been through Saku, you may know the Michi no Eki (rest stop) called Healthy Terrace Sakuminami. Mt. Kokuzo is right behind there. You could hike up it in about 30 minutes from the Healthy Terrace.
I usually start at the Tafuku Temple.
I don't stop at the viewpoint either. I typically go as far as a certain triangulation point further up the trail.
Getting there/getting around: I drove. There are many free places to park and many trailheads along Route 94. There is no public transportation to get there. The Yunomaru Ski Resort up the hill from where I started provides a bus for people staying in their lodgings. You can get a taxi there or to the Kanzawa Onsen from a Shigeno, Komoro or Sakudaira train stations. The cheapest taxi to the Yunomaru resort is ¥6,750 from Shigeno for a regular 4-passenger taxi or ¥9,230 for a 9-passenger jumbo. From Komoro, a regular taxi will run you ¥8,140 and a jumbo is ¥13,190. Taxis from Sakudaira are the real bank busters at ¥10,840 and ¥17,750 respectively. Ouch.
Total Time: 7:00 Break time: 1:25Distance: 16.2km/10mi
Elevation:Lowest: 1,302m Highest: 2,100 Total Ascent: 1,223m Total Descent: 1,225m
Technical considerations/difficulty: Not terribly difficult or dangerous. Just steep.
Facilities: Nothing on the trail except a few rest spots.
Thoughts/observations/recommendations: What a great mountain. Despite it being a bit lower than its siblings on the Takamine Kogen, this one has even better panoramic views. I took a longer, less-trafficked route than most people and was rewarded with plenty of solitude. The great views can be achieved with a lot less work by starting at the Yunomaru Pass.
I was actually stunned when I got to the top and saw the panorama.
I think the last time I was struck with a beautiful view was the first time I saw Mt. Fuji from
Tonodake in the Tanzawa area. The views from both places are totally unexpected and made me catch
my breath.
Azuma is one of the 100 Famous Mountains. I climbed it on a cloudy day and had never gotten a good
view of it before this hike.
If you're interested in the names of the mountains, I have labeled pictures at the end of the post.
I think this was the top of Kakuma. I can't remember.
That's the back of the Kazawa Onsen. I don't know what's with that hunk of ice.
There is a story about a group of college kids that were snowbound once and took the melody of "My Darling Clementine" and wrote a new Japanese song about snowy mountains. This sign tells the story.
It became the theme song for a tv show decades ago and is used in various municipal settings--disaster warnings, chimes on train platforms.
It's also used on Route 94. The pavement is serrated in patterns so that cars will create the song as they pass over the rough portions of road.
I didn't realize all of this until I saw this sign -- and then looked it up on the internet after the fact.
All I thought yesterday as the cars were driving by me was, "Wow. They all have loud stereo systems!" and "Man, those Japanese really must like old western soundtracks!"😆
Put this page into google translate to get an idea . . .
