Do you like that keychain? That little keychain cost me more than the ¥500 I plunked down for it yesterday.
Astute readers of this blog will recall that a few days ago, on New Year's Day, I lost my bike 🏍 keys 🎹 on Mt. Oyama. Yesterday saw the conclusion of that saga.
This keychain is the replacement for the one I lost. I bought it yesterday on Mt. Oyama.
To review for you slow students that weren't paying attention and those of you that were smoking butts 🚬 in the 3rd-floor boys room 🚽, or getting yelled at in the principal's office, I climbed Oyama for sunrise 🌅 on January 1. It was gorgeous. The only black mark on the day was that I seem to have dropped my keys somewhere on the mountain. When I got back to my bike, they were nowhere to be found.
I called the police👮. I visited places I'd been on the mountain. I even climbed to the top again looking but to no avail.
I took the train home that day and left my bike at the parking lot.
Two days later, when businesses here start to open up again after New Year's, I got a bike shop in the area to take care of the situation for me. He picked up the bike and brought it to a 🔒smith to have a new key made. Yesterday, I went down to get it.
Since I was in the area, of course I had to do some more hiking while I was there. It was a lose-win situation!
So this little keychain* cost me about 15 extra miles hiking, the cost of towing my bike, having a key made and train fare back and forth between home and Kanagawa twice.
Speaking of the train ride to Kanagawa, this trip again reinforced my gratitude at usually being able to take my scooter to the mountains instead of relying on trains. I left home at 5 am yesterday and should have been at the trailhead by 7. I should have been there by 7 but there was a 人身事故--an "accident with personal injury"--which is often a euphemism for suicide. That meant an extra hour in detouring by changing to other train lines to go around the stoppage. Adding to my stress of lost time and frustration at having to navigate unfamiliar train lines, I felt guilty about being angry at someone who'd probably just killed himself.
RIP, if it was a suicide. And my condolences to the family. What a sad thing it must be for those left behind.
I'll be really mad if I ever lose this keychain.😆
At least this happened while I'm still on vacation. It was really not the end of the world. I'm happy to have an excuse a reason to go to the mountains.
*The keychain is actually a miniature omikuji--an eight-sided cylinder-type box containing fortunes written on sticks. You shake the box and one of the sticks falls out. On the stick is written your luck--whether it be bad, fair or good. I really, really don't go in for any kind of fortune-telling, but this keychain is the only one they sold on the mountain that was a good size for me. Also, it has the name of Mt. Oyama on it so it seemed an appropriate memento.
Mountains climbed: 浅間山(Sengen, The first of 2!) ~ 権現山(Gongen) ~ 弘法山(Koubou) ~ 善波山/奈古木浅間山(Zenba/NagokiSengen) ~ 念仏山(Nenbutsu) ~ 谷戸の頭(Yatonoatama) ~ 高取山(Takatori) ~ 浅間山(Sengen, the second or third of the day!)
Getting there/getting around: I chose to hike right from Hadano Station on the Odakyu Line. There are buses from there to the area. One popular route is to go from there to the Yabitsu Pass/ヤビツ峠 from which Mt. Oyama to its east or the other mountains of the Tanzawa Range to its west can be accessed. (There is parking near that bus stop and I've been there on my scooter before.) I exited the mountains at the Minoge Bus Stop and kept walking along the road the two-odd miles to my destination. There happened to be a bus going my way just about to depart that bus stop when I got there but I didn't get on because one, I'm cheap and two, I like walking.
Elevation: Lowest: 74m Highest: 843m Total Ascent: 1,240m Total Descent: 1,188m
Technical considerations/difficulty: This was not a terribly difficult hike. Passing through the Koboyama Park is quite pleasant. Except for a steep approach at the beginning, that is mostly flat. It's very suited to the flocks of birdwatchers and cherry-blossom viewers it attracts. After that, there are some steep parts but really no chains or ladders to speak of. It's not exposed at all.
Facilities: The Koboyama Park has many water fountains, public toilets and vending machines. In different seasons, there are vendors selling festival-type foods. The Afuri Shrine has a public restroom and (seasonal) restaurants/souvenir shops. There is a public restroom at the Minoge Bus Stop
Thoughts/observations/recommendations: The Koboyama Park is a nice place to do some hanami (cherry blossom viewing in the spring.) There are some really great views of Mt. Fuji, Sagami Bay and you can even see Skytree in Tokyo. I had tentatively planned to hike from Hadano Station all the way to the top of Oyama and then come down via the Yabitsu Pass on Route 70. I gave up on that plan because of time considerations and descended from near the Afuri Shrine. The morning's train accident and my afternoon appointment at the bike shop constrained my time.
Here's what the map of the day looks like. Note that it is not oriented north to south.
The entrance to the Koboyama Park
Viewpoint on Mt. Gongen.
Great view from up there.
From Mt. Gongen
Lots of warnings about leeches around here.
Complimentary salt to repel/detach them.
This park is touted as one of the best birding spots in Kanagawa.
From the Afuri Shrine
At the shrine
Getting close to the bus stop.
I think this is the Kaname River.
It's near the Minoge Masu (Trout) Fishing Center
This is across the street from the Minoge Bus Stop
Minoge Bus Stop
Japan must have the best scarecrows in the world.
Well, that's all for today. I still have a few more days off before school starts. I hope to get out again.
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