Mostly Japanese Mountains

Greetings cave dwellers.

I've been living in Nagano for a few weeks now and have really been loving it but between the move and starting a new job, I haven't had much time to spend in the mountains beyond a few trail runs. I finally got out about a week ago to a really nice mountain called Arafune.

The name Arafune (荒船) has the meaning of boat in it. The flat shape of the mountain seems to make it look like an aircraft carrier navigating the rough "seas" of the clouds below it.

Cool, huh?

Location: Mt. Arafune straddles the boundary between Nagano and Gunma.

Starting and stopping point: Arafune Fudoson Parking Lot

Peaks bagged: Mitake (御岳)　Kabutoiwa　(兜岩) Tomoiwa (艫岩)　Kaminashi (神無)　Kyozuka　(経塚)

Getting there/getting around: There is free parking. I don't think there's any public transportation in the area.

Map: Yama to Kogen Chizu　#21 西上州　妙義山・荒船山

Weather Information: Arafune weather

Total Time: 4:07 Break time: :11 Distance: 11km

Elevation: Lowest: 1,074m Highest: 1,423m Total Ascent: 970m Total Descent: 970m

Technical considerations/difficulty: I didn't find it that challenging but other people on the internet are saying it is difficult. There are some steep parts, but nothing too hairy as I recall. Maybe my impression is psychological. I was just so happy to be in the mountains that it felt like I was walking on air. There are a few spots where people can rock climb. Candle Rock (Rosoku Iwa) is one spot. I didn't do any of that, though. The trail between the highest peak, Kyozuka, and the most scenic spot, Tomoiwa, is especially flat.

Facilities: Moldy emergency hut at Tomoiwa. A picnic bench or two there.

Thoughts/observations/recommendations: There are good reasons this mountain is on the list of Japan's 200 famous mountains. The boulder formations are really cool and there are some great views.

I think the hunters in this area must be particularly bad marksmen. I have never before seen so many live deer at one time! I'm sure I saw more than 20 in the span of less than an hour. Check out the pictures and video in the post.

Highly recommend this if you get some time in this area.

I'm sure this rock has a name but I can't remember it.

I came up from that valley.

The biggest mountain near the middle of the picture is Mt. Asama, the volcano that erupted in 2019. I can see it from my house.

It must be climbed. Soon.

These two surely have names, too.

I wonder if one of them is Shirley.

On the flat stretch from Kozuka to Tomoiwa, I kept running into deer. I had to stop myself from stopping and taking pictures because I would never have made any progress if I'd continued doing that.

After passing all the deer, I came to Tomoiwa which has a great panoramic view.

BTW, Tomoiwa means "Stern" "Boulder." Neat name.

Mts. Tateshina and Yokodake are both part of the 100 Famous Mountains. I can see them from home, too. I'm scheming about when to climb them now.

I took this from the street on my way home. These hills are the ones on the eastern side of my route.

That's all for this post.

I got back from a camping trip last night and want to start working on that post.

Don't forget to subscribe and leave a comment. Then again, it's ok if you don't. I get enough endorphins from hiking. I don't need to be an influencer. 🤓 Have a spectacular day. Or not. It's your choice.

Mrs. Caveman and I moved to Saku City in Nagano Prefecture this past week.

The cherry blossoms are peaking. The mountains around Yatsugatake, Mt. Tateshina and Mt. Asama are gorgeous.

The people are really nice, too! I loved living in Tokyo all those years but these people are special.

I haven't had time for any blog-worthy hikes yet but thought I would like to share some of this beautiful scenery; particularly since the cherry blossoms are so beautiful right now.

I can't wait to get my boots on again.

Yatsugatake

Fun-fact. Yatsugatake-produced milk is prohibitively expensive in Tokyo.

Around Yatsugatake it is still prohibitively expensive.