More Sakura (and other flowers)

I had the chance to take a walk with a friend through Showa Memorial Park in Tachikawa today.  I was pleasantly surprised to see the cherry blossoms were in better bloom than I had expected.

The park is a great place for lots of activities.  There are rental boats, rental barbecue areas, a waterpark, lots of amusements for kids, a frisbee golf course, many places to eat, miles of bike paths, fireworks in the summer . . . it's a great place.  Admission for adults is ¥450.  The nearest station is Nishi Tachikawa but you can get there from Tachikawa, Higashi Nakagami or Musashi Sunagawa stations.

Check these links for the lowdown.  Look carefully.  There are days admission is free! 

Show Park English link

Showa Park Japanese

Today's dad joke:

Why are Dutch people all good kissers?

They all have two lips.

This dog was posing for a professional photographer.  (Actually, you can see lots of professional models and their photogs at this park.  It's just that this is the first canine one I've seen.)

While you're here, check out this post.  But only if you care about puppies.

Mad Parody

That's all for today.  

Caveman out

Sakura, etc.

 Spring is here.  These are just a few random photos.

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The picture says it all.

Caveman hikes Mts. Kurodake, Happu, Nakattou and Awazu

Greetings visiting spelunkers.  Welcome back to my man cave.

Today's explorations brought me back to the shores of Lake Kawaguchi and its surrounding mountains.

Lake Kawaguchi is in the prefecture of Yamanashi and is one of 5 lakes around Mt. Fuji which together are called--wait for it--the Fuji 5 Lakes.  (Who saw that coming?)

This area is beautiful and is treasured as a tourist destination year-round.  There's fishing, camping, flower-viewing in spring and summer, foliage to enjoy in the fall and spectacular views of Mt. Fuji in the winter.  If nature isn't your bag, you can enjoy the popular Fuji Q Highland amusement park. 

The pointy mountain near the middle of this picture was the main destination for the day.  It's called Kurodake, (黒岳), Black Mountain in English.

Whatever public transportation you get to the area on, your first stop in the area is most likely Kawaguchiko Station.  That's a bus and a train terminal.  From there, most people take a local bus to their final destinations.  This link can give you more info.

https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6905.html

I'm a cheapskate and I like to walk anyway so I just started walking from Kawaguchiko Station.  It meant walking on the street for an hour before getting to the trailhead but most of that walk was over and around the lake.  It's a win-win.

I took this picture from the bridge over the lake.  My initial plan was to descend at Shindo Pass (the yellow line) but spaced out and missed the turnoff.  When I realized my mistake, I just decided to press on to the next pass.  I hate to turn back.

If you wanted to follow the same route I did but start from the lake rather than way back at the station, think Hirose Bus Stop ( 広瀬バス停) near the  Shuhoukaku Kogetsu onsen would be a good starting point.

The first interesting thing I encountered was a ratty, closed-for-the-day gift shop.   The shop sells already-made models of WWII weapons.  Especially Japanese warplanes.   There was a smattering of Japanese battleships and carriers but there must have been about 10 zeroes on the shelf.  As far as non-Japanese planes, I noticed there were 2, maybe 3 corsairs.  Tellingly, no B-29s or B-24s.  When I got past the building and saw what was outside, I was in for a surprise.

Wow!  That was unexpected.

I would like to have gone into the yard for a closer look but there were signs all over that said "No Entry" (立ち入り禁止).  Those signs and the vibe I'd just picked up after looking at the shop's shelves were all the deterrent I needed.  LOL.  One of the reviews on googlemaps seemed to confirm for me that it was probably best to stay outside.

That place is here:

Model shop with Zero

Back to my mancave . . . 

Soon after that place, the trail started.  It was quite steep a lot of the way.  This rope at the very start of the trail was just a hint of what lay ahead. 

The morning was warm and clear.  I was treated to many beautiful views of Fuji.

 

Unfortunately, it got cloudy about noon so Fuji started to hide even before I got to my first peak.

Did I mention there were a lot of ropes?

It really is a pity that Fuji went into hiding.  I walked along this ridge after taking this picture and, were it not for the clouds, would have had unobstructed views of Fuji all along the way.

The city of Fuefuki must have laid out a bit of dough to build this.  They must expect crowds because there are two of these brand new observation decks they just built near the Shindo Pass.

I had them all to myself.  One of the nice things about today's hike is that I saw only 3 people in the mountains all day.

Mt. "Nkattou" (actually, "Nakattou") on the far right is one of the last mountains of my day.

That's all for today.  Drop by the cave again.

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Here is more from the Fuji Five Lakes area

https://mymancaveisthemountains.blogspot.com/2023/02/just-lake-shoji-area-dayhike.html

Saiko

Near Yamanakako

Ryugatake Kenashi

Saiko Lake , Onigatake, Outake, Settougatake, Iyashinosato Nemba

Ryugatake and Omuro

Mt. Ishiwari Lake Yamanaka

The bottom half of Fuji in winter

Fuji in August

Caveman out

 

Magical Mt. Gozen

I wasn't planning on hiking yesterday.  When I woke up and looked out the window towards the mountains, my plans changed.  It had snowed the day before and the mountains were white.  I couldn't give up the chance to play in the snow (at least) once more before it melts.

Mrs. Caveman hails from an island paradise where snow never falls.  I'll never forget the look on her face one morning in New England when we opened the curtain and for the first time, she saw snow falling.  She said, "It's magic!"  Being from New England, I am not so apt to think of snow as magic all.   But, she is right.   It's magic!

I opted to head for Mt. Gozen yesterday.  Mt. Gozen is the tall mountain on the right in the picture below.  The pointy one on the left is Mt. Otake.   

Mass Ave 975, 100109 (37), CC BY-SA 3.0

Those two mountains, along with nearby Mt. Mito, make up what is called the Okutama Sanzan 奥多摩三山.  That means something like the Famous Three Okutama Mountains. 

For my hike, I took my scooter to the Fujikura Bus Stop on Route 205 in Hinohara Village.  You can get there by bus.  The bus from Musashi Itsukaichi Station takes 49 minutes.  Yikes.  

This was my fifth time up Mt. Gozen and each trail I've taken up there has one characteristic in common.  Each one is steep.

Really, after just about 5 minutes I had risen this high.

And it continued like that, unrelentlingly.  No wonder I always have wobbly ankles for a day or so after climbing Gozen.

The snow made for a nice walk.  Most of the time it was about 4~6" (10~15cm) of powder.  It was easy to walk on and the rhythmic crunching sound of the snow being packed under my feet was meditative.

This picture below was my only glimpse of the mountain on the way up.  Gozen seems to like to keep a low profile and it's not as popular as the other two members of the 3 famous mountains.  Mt. Mito has the Tomin No Mori tourist facilities and a fantastic winding highway around it which both attract crowds.  Mt. Otake is just a hop skip and a jump from uber-popular Mt. Mitake with its shrine, shops and its cablecar.  Gozen has nothing commercial and is hidden from the view of downtown Tokyo behind the pointy-topped Otake.  

It's almost like Otake is sticking its nose in the air like some kind of alpine snob.

Maybe Otake does that to compensate.  It's actually shorter than Gozen but keeps up the illusion of being tall because it is between Gozen and downtown.  Maybe we should rename it Mt. Napoleon.

From downtown, you can't even see Mt. Gozen because of Otake.  This is what Otake looks like from the other side, though.

It is nice that Gozen is less popular.  It was nice to walk on virgin snow.  The only tracks on it were those of Bambi and Thumper.

This is the refuge hut below the summit.  It's a nice spot and I've stayed there twice.  They discourage hikers from using these huts these days though since the Coronavirus hit.

There's a water hole right next to the hut.  The sign is cautioning people to boil the water because deer might be pooping in the stream.

Another shot of Mt. Otake.

This part is not far from Mt. Sogaku.  It's awful.  The first time I encountered it I was climbing up it.  It seemed so treacherous that I thought I'd lost the trail.  Yesterday was even worse.  I was going down it and the snow cover hid slick mud and loose rocks.  

It's also much steeper than it looks.

 The 3rd member of the triumvirate appears, Mt. Mito.  Mito (三頭山) translates directly as "3 Head Mountain".  It got its name because it has 3 peaks.

This is the trail I took.  It wasn't a very long hike distance-wise, but it did take me over 5 hours.  The 1,167-meter change in elevation and the snow were factors.

Well, I think that's all for today.  I am still on spring break and have my fingers crossed to get out again real soon.  Drop by the cave anytime.