I'm a bit worse for wear today. As I was returning from my hike this morning, I felt fatigue and muscle aches I don't usually feel. It was not until I started writing this post and did some reflection that I realized what was going on. I was not tired from just today. It's the cumulative effects of my activities over the last month. I realized that in 10 outings this month, I logged 150 km. A lot of that was trail running, so my knees have taken more of a pounding than usual. No wonder my middle-aged body was rebelling.
Waking up at 1:00 am and heading toward a mountain for the sunrise may have something to do with fatigue, too. Ya think? 🤔 ＊＊
Regardless of the fatigue, it's been worth it. After all, I walk so much because I like it, and I've scratched some satisfying things off my bucket list with all the extra miles lately.
＊＊It's a few days later now and I realize that I actually injured myself on that hike. Early on in the hike, I tripped and banged my shin on a rock. It appears I bruised my shinbone when I tripped that morning. No wonder I felt less than 100% when finishing that hike. Looking at my leg's condition (discoloration below the injury, swollen ankle and a large welt at the point I whacked my leg) and looking up these symptoms on the internet gave me pause. It appears that a bone bruises should be checked out and can get worse without proper rest. It seemed I might be looking at a month or even two of not being able to hike! I went to an orthopedist this am and, thankfully, he gave me the ok to keep doing my thing. Thank God. I have so many plans for so many trails.
. . . about Mt. Asama
This is an active volcano and has been off-limits for the past three years because of the possibility of eruption. It's the most active volcano on the main island of Honshu and the Japanese Meteorological Agency classifies it as A. Whatever that means.
On May 22 of this year, the eruption alert level was lowered to Level 1, and hikers have been allowed to get to within 500 meters of the caldera. Due to the air quality, there is still that restriction. The adjacent peak called Maekake is climbable, but the actual peak of Asama, at 2,568 meters, is still off-limits.
The Asama Mountain Range:
This is on the border of Gunma and Nagano Prefectures. Asama is at the highest and easternmost extremity of a ridge that runs about 15 km from Karuizawa in the east to Mts. Yunomaru and Eboshi in Tomi City in the west. Between Asama and those peaks, there are several ski areas, an athletic center for training at high elevations, a high elevation wetland, and many lodges and onsens. It's a great place for outdoor sports all year round.
The Asama Mountain Range
One of the first bucket lists that I completed upon moving here was to bag every peak along that ridge--except for Maekake and Asama, of course. I have had so many great experiences taking in the flowers, observing the wildlife such as serows and deer, and snowshoeing throughout the area.
Location:
Map: ***If you want a link to the latest Yama to Kogen map, comment and I'll get you a link. This link is to a printable topo map of this area.
A bus from Komoro Station can take you to the Asama Tozanguchi Bus Stop--about a 50-minute walk from the onsen. If you're going by public transportation, the Takamine Hotel at the Kurumazaka Pass is probably easier.
The Caveman did it in: Total Time: 5:22 Break time: :25 Distance: 13.8 km
Elevation:Lowest: 1,411 m Highest: 2,524 m Total Ascent: 1,236 m Total Descent: 1,236 m
Technical considerations/difficulty:
Nothing technical. There are no ropes, chains or ladders to speak of. It can get windy above the treeline.
Facilities:
My starting point was at the Asama Sanso/Tengu Onsen. There is lodging there and an onsen. There are also horses that you can lead around and, I think, probably ride.
About halfway up the trail, at a free resthouse called the Kazankan, there are public pay toilets.
Thoughts/observations/recommendations:
This is something I've been hoping to do since moving to the area three years ago. I'm disappointed that it got cloudy before the sun came up, and I wish the caldera were visible from Mt. Maekake. Still, it was a great hike, and I'm glad that I did shoot for sunrise because I had the mountain to myself, and it is getting busy these days. I'm not the only one who has had an eye on the alert levels, and many hikers are making a beeline to Asama to cross it off their bucket list.
I am soooooo glad that I made the insane decision to hike it in the middle of the night. I had the mountain to myself. Now, the mountain looks like this as people flock here from all over the country. Wow.
(Along with all the regular stuff such as maps, headlamps, boots, feet, and brains, . . .) don't forget:
to make use of technology. One of the apps I have is called peakvisor. It's main function is to identify the mountains in your pictures. One function of Peakvisor that I used on this trip was to identify the time of the sunrise and the exact place the sun would rise. This helped me point my smartphone in the right direction in anticipation. (Unfortunately, the sun was hidden behind clouds, but I knew where it was.)
Let's look at some pictures.
This is what Asama looks like in winter. Doesn't it look like a chocolate dessert dusted with confectioner's sugar?
The Tengu Onsen has parking for ¥500.
The other option for a trailhead is by the Kurumazaka Pass by the Takamine Hotel.
I've been to both places numerous times. My choice of this particular trailhead on this morning came down to a simple matter of time. The Takamine trailhead is about 8 minutes further up the road.
It was a starry night.
The first glimpse of Asama from the trail.
Looking over toward the ridge that runs from Mt. Kurofu to Mt. Nokogiri.
Shelters in case of eruption.
The high point at the end of this is Mt. Maekake.
Smoke coming up from Asama.
Dead End
Yatsugatake
Mt. Fuji
This was after I'd given up on seeing the sunrise. This was as close as I got to a sunrise.
Looking north
On the way back
It really smells of sulfur.
The Tengu Onsen/Asama Sanso is a great place.
I talked to the person in charge as I was leaving this am and commented that he must be busy.
He affirmed that. He said that the day before, a Wednesday, there were 60 cars in his parking lot.
I'm really glad I could miss the crowd! I only saw 5 people on the trail, and I met all of them at the end of my trek.
Before I say goodbye . . .
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The Caveman had the chance to hit another of the famous mountains the other day.
It was a blustery day on Mt. Arashimadake in Fukui.
. . . about Mt. Arashimadake (荒島岳)
This mountain is the highest in Fukui Prefecture and was listed by Yuya Fukada as one of Japan's Famous Mountains. It is not that high, at just over 1,500 meters, but its location as the highest point near the Sea of Japan in the area ensures that it captures some exciting weather and lots of snow.
It offers a 360-degree panorama on clear days. The Caveman has to take the interwebs word on that. It wasn't clear enough for me to see much.
The origin of the name is murky, but if you take the meaning of the individual characters, it's kind of interesting. "Ara" could be something like "violent" or "laid waste." "Shima" means "island." "Dake" means "peak."
Area:
Fukui Prefecture is hard to get to. The extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Tsuruga Station in 2024 made it easier to get to. Now, you can get from Tokyo Station to Fukui in a blindingly fast, 3.5 hours. (Another hour on a local train can get you to the trailhead.)
Fukui is a bit of an unknown gem because of its remoteness. Ono City, which Mt. Arashima overlooks, is very quaint. There is samurai history and a commanding castle on a hill.
Location:
Map: ***If you want a link to the latest Yama to Kogen map, comment and I'll get you a link. This link is to a printable topo map of Mt. Arashima 荒島岳.
The nearest station to the trailhead is the Kadohara Station on the Kuzuryu Line. I don't know how useful this train line is if you want to climb Arashima. The first arrival from Fukui is 10:42. I met a guy who came by train and was not very far along around 1:00 pm. I doubt he could make it to the top and back in time.
The Caveman did it in: Total Time: 6:27 Break time: :66 Distance: 10.5 km
Elevation:Lowest: 346 m Highest: 1,524 m Total Ascent: 1,329 m Total Descent: 1,329 m
Technical considerations/difficulty:
This is a relatively spicy hike.
In distance and change in elevation, it's comparable to climbing Mt. Fuji via the Fujinomiya Trail.
It's fairly steep. Quite a bit of this is exposed, and the trail traverses across the top of a narrow ridge.
One area called Mochigakabe gets a lot of press for being dangerous. It's quite steep and has a lot of ropes and chains. For the life of me, I can't identify exactly where it is because any ropes or chains were covered by snow when I was there, as were any signs identifying that part of the trail. I believe that stretch is between the Shakunage Daira ("Rhododendron Flats") and Mt. Maearashima.
In the snow, I think the more dangerous area is not the Mochigakabe but the last stretch from Maearashima and Nakaarashima to the peak of Arashimadake. You have to climb up a long, steep, exposed knife-like ridge for the last kilometer or so. There were large, long cracks in the snow pack there. One slip and you'd be done in. I'm told that avalanches occur on the south side. I tried to stay away from the south side! It was very windy and visibility dropped considerably. I could imagine just walking off the side of the ridge in a whiteout.
I was wearing chain spikes. They seemed adequate. Some people, (the salesgirl at Mont Bel in particular) told me I needed 12-point crampons--and really expensive boots. I am not really sure why.
I had an ice axe. That came in handy on the way up.
I had trekking poles. Ordinarily, I disdain them, but I found them useful on the way down because there are lots of bare spots with no trees or boulders to grab onto.
Facilities:
Mrs. Caveman spent the night in the car at the Arashimanosato michinoeki.* There are (really nice!) public toilets and some vending machines open 24 hours.
*michinoeki literally means road station. Michinoeki are spots that cater to tourists in offering a place to rest and sample and buy the local specialties. The restaurants and shops at michinoeki typically close early but the parking lots are open 24 hours and they are popular places for hikers to sleep in their cars. There is even a slang term for sleeping in the car--shachuhaku (車中泊).
There is a Mont Bel, many restaurants and souvenir shops at the michinoeki.
Free parking spaces galore.
Paid RV spots if you want electricity. I did notice many RVs parked in the regular lot. I guess they didn't need the electricity.
There is also a free parking lot right by the Kadogahara Trailhead. There is also a public toilet there but it is only open in season.
Thoughts/observations/recommendations:
Yet another mountain I climbed that I was robbed of a view on. It happens often enough. Days like today make the picture-perfect days all the more sweet. I'm sorry to say that my pictures on this hike aren't as beautiful as some of the others I've taken.
That said, I'd rather be on a mountain than in an office any day. What this day lacked in views, it made up for in the excitement of the violent weather and low visibility. The sweetness of this hike was more in the other senses than in sight.
It wasn't the ideal day for this mountain--but it was the day that I had available, and I'm glad I did it. I probably will not get back to Fukui in this lifetime, and I was conscious of that fact on the hike, and I relished every step I took because of that.
(Along with all the regular stuff such as maps, headlamps, boots, feet, and brains, . . .) don't forget:
If you go in winter, don't forget an ice axe, crampons and walking poles. And check the weather well before going.
Let's look at some pictures:
My route was an out-and-back from this parking lot at Kadohara.
This video is just at the top
This one is a bit longer
The parking lot.
I was alone when I arrived at 7 am. One other person parked here and hiked that day.
Right out ot the parking lot, the road starts straight up.
...and looking back
Up above that road, you reach the actual trailhead
It was in the 50s (above 10 degrees C) down below, but there was snow not far above.
This spot here is called the Hakusan Bench. It's the first lookout and Mt. Hakusan is in view.
The view from the Hakusan Bench
The area from just before Maearashima all the way to the top of Arashima is above the treeline and
is a bit . . . exciting.
Yikes!
Visibility was this bad only for the last 10 minutes or so of the approach to the peak and the retreat from it.
It was a long ten minutes, though.
Tada!
The last peak of the day, Koarashima (Little Arashima)
I wound up the day at a local sento.
The owner insisted on taking a picture of me.
A sento, for you who don't know, is a public bath.
In distinction to Japan's famous onsens, the sento is a neighborhood bathhouse which just uses heated tap water, whereas onsen are natural hot springs with mineral-rich waters.
Sentos hail back to the days when private residences didn't have baths.
Not for the faint of heart. The bath is 45 Celsius (113 F).
