Autumn leaves

Written by: adekun on 7 November, 2008 10:27 pm - Filed under: hiroshima, shimane — 4 Comments »

Wednesday began abruptly, if a little late. Although Kento begins sleeping alongside us, he soon turns 90 degrees (maybe it’s 270°) so he can stick his toes in my ear. After a disturbed night, I was looking forward to lie-in when Tsutomu called. The day was probably the last clear day for a while and a good one to behold autumnal colours.

Once we met up, it was a two hour drive to Mount Agatsuma (吾妻山). The mountain straddles both the prefectures of Shimane and Hiroshima. Continue reading

Tags: hiking, japan, off the beaten track, weather

Mount Daisen: Beech Forest

Written by: adekun on 16 September, 2008 11:45 pm - Filed under: tottori — 4 Comments »

Emboldened by last week’s adventure, I set off with the intention of following the popular route to Misen Peak (弥山). From the other end of Motodani dam, the Gyojadani course (行者谷コース) immediately begins to rise. At first, there’s a little weaving through forest. Thereafter, the path climbs up a ridge. Meeting another path, it continues up the adjoining ridge, passing a hut (六合目) at stage six. The condition of my boots deteriorated as quickly as the mist had appeared. Continue reading

Tags: hiking, japan, off the beaten track

Mount Daisen: Utopia and Sankohou

Written by: adekun on 10 September, 2008 9:14 am - Filed under: tottori — 2 Comments »

Yesterday, I was fortunate to go walking with experienced Tsutomu around Mount Daisen (大山). He celebrated his sixtieth birthday this year and has recently retired.

We followed the usual course past Daisen-ji (a Buddhist temple) and Ōgamiyama Jinja (a Shinto shrine) to the Motodani dam. From there we took a steep, overgrown route toward Sankohou (三鈷峰). It was very much a clamber over moss covered rock, decaying logs, disguised deep under leaves.
There was some uncertainty in view of what lay before us. After some progress the nettles became less thick. I passed a discarded bottle of Pocari Sweat and an empty 35mm film canister. It was all the more unfortunate to see the matching top several paces ahead. Joining a path, Mount Sankohou was soon visible. Undulating and curling around were soon closing upon Utopia (ユートピア) lodge. Continue reading

Tags: hiking, japan, off the beaten track, weather