Mt. Mishotai
The last day of fall was a good day for a hike around Doshi Village and Tsuru City.
This is what Mt. Mishotai looks like from below.
The last day of fall was a good day for a hike around Doshi Village and Tsuru City.
This is what Mt. Mishotai looks like from below.
I have today and tomorrow off. I was hoping to go for a long hike during this time, maybe even an overnight trip.
Since the weather people have been forecasting rain for the past few days, though, I decided to curtail my plans and try to fit in a quick hike this morning before the deluge. I only hiked about 3.5 miles.
I was successful. I've been to the mountains and back and it hasn't started raining yet. I've been home for 4 hours and nary a drop has fallen.
I feel like I got gypped. They told me quite authoritatively (100% chance!) that it would start raining at 2 pm.
I'm starting to trust the meteorologists about the next few hours' weather about as much as I trust Prince Charles or Greta Thunberg about what the climate will be in a century or a decade.
All they say is blah, blah blah.
Anyway, I'll share what I did today. It may give someone an idea for a light excursion. Today does show that you don't need to overtax yourself in order to experience some of nature's beauty in Tokyo.
Today, I took my scooter to the Nishi Kura Bus Stop on Route 33. You can reach there by bus from Musashi Itsukaichi Station. Normally I would take my bicycle since it's only about 12 miles from home but I was afraid I'd be caught in a downpour. For those familiar with this road, it's a mile or two past the Kurochaya (黒茶屋.)
Anyway, I poked around the trails between the Nishi Kura and the Jurigi bus stops. I hiked to two little "mountains" and took a peek at few shrines.
Hello Cave Creatures
Today was a nice off-season hike from the Sasadaira Bus Stop to Ipponmatsuyama and back. This hike was along the Sengen Ridge. That ridge runs more-or-less east to west and is sandwiched between route 205 to the north and 206 to the south from the Sasadaira Bus Stop to the Kazahari Pass on the Okutama Shuuyuudo (that's a street name) about 10km away.
This ridge allows views to the north of Mts Mazukari, Otake and Gozen and of Takanosu, Nanatsuishi and Kumotori further beyond. To the west, you see Mt. Mito. To the south, you can take in Fuji and the mountains of the Tanzawa range in Kanagawa, etc.
This area is not far from Hossawa Falls and there is camping and fishing nearby. The Kazuma Onsen is about 30 minutes' walk down below the ridge. That is a popular place for hikers after they hike in this area of the Sengen Ridge or for those returning from Mt. Mito.
For transportation, I took my scooter to the Sasadaira Bus Stop which is right next to the trailhead. Of course, you could take the bus, too. That bus route starts at Musashi Itsukaichi Station.
Anyway, here goes:
The other day I was taking a long walk with a friend along the Tama River in Tachikawa. I was happy to enjoy that time but I kept looking west to the mountains as we were walking along. It was an "akibare" day. Akibare is the word for a clear autumn day.
The mountains kept calling me so when I dropped my friend at the train station I answered. I took my bike about 15 miles into the mountains and rode up to the top of the nearest mountain I could get to. That was Mt. Konpira in Akiruno.
It's not a high mountain but it has a great unobstructed view of Tokyo as you can see.