After a cozy night at a cheap minshuku on the shores of Lake Akan, I was whisked to the trailhead of Oakan by the kind owner. She gave me her cellphone number, indicating that I call her if I needed a ride back to town after coming off the peak. Kind service in the countryside [...]
Archive for the ‘Hokkaido hikes’ Category
Hokkaido Chapter 8 – The Battle of the 2 Akans part 2
Posted in Hokkaido hikes, tagged hiking, Hokkaido, Hyakumeizan, Japan, Lake Akan, Mt. Oakan on September 27, 2011 | 1 Comment »
Hokkaido Chapter 8 – The Battle of the 2 Akans part 1
Posted in Hokkaido hikes, tagged hiking, Hyakumeizan, Japan, Mt. Meakan, Onneto on August 30, 2011 | 2 Comments »
And in this corner ladies and gentleman, we have the reining heavyweight champion of Hokkaido, Mt. Meakan. Weighing in at 1499m, the active stratovolcano hasn’t lost a bout since erupting in a steamy fury back in the spring of 2006. And the challenger for this weekend’s fight is no other the champion’s half-sister Mt. Oakan. [...]
Hokkaido Chapter 7 – Mt. Poroshiri
Posted in Hokkaido hikes, tagged hiking, Hokkaido hikes, Hyakumeizan, Japan, Mt. Poroshiri on September 29, 2009 | 3 Comments »
I checked-out of the decrepit hotel in the dingy town of Tokachi-shimizu early on a cool and calm Saturday morning. The dreary drizzle of the previous night gave way to stunningly blue skies, the perfect climbing conditions for knocking off my final peak in Hokkaido. I walked out to route 274, stuck out my thumb, [...]
Hokkaido Chapter 6 – Mt. Meakan
Posted in Hokkaido hikes, tagged hiking, Hokkaido, Hyakumeizan, Japan, Mt. Meakan on September 1, 2009 | 1 Comment »
The threatening skies during my ascent of Mt. Shari held off until boarding the train to Mashu, where the rain fell in great sheets. At the station, I learned that the last bus to Lake Akan left just 5 minutes prior to my arrival: perhaps a deliberate ploy by the taxi companies? The rain eliminated [...]
Hokkaido Chapter 5 – Mt. Shari
Posted in Hokkaido hikes, tagged hiking, Hokkaido hikes, Japan, Mt. Shari on July 30, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
The weather forecast on the 7 o’clock news wasn’t promising. Clouds and rain marks filled a large swath of eastern Hokkaido. 8 lucky souls gathered around the TV in the Kiyosato hut, overlooking the trailhead of tomorrow’s target peak – #93 in my 100 mountain mission. Dawn revealed an overcast sky as I ditched my [...]
Hokkaido Chapter 4 – Mt. Rausu
Posted in Mt. Rausu, tagged hiking, Hyakumeizan, Japan, Mt. Rausu, Shiretoko on July 14, 2009 | 5 Comments »
10 hours. If anyone ever asks you how long it takes from Wakkanai to Shiretoko by public transport, you now have an answer. Arriving at Kinoshita hut just as dusk was settling in, I cook up some food in the early evening glow and plot out my course for the following morning. The caretaker was [...]
Hokkaido Chapter 3 – Mt. Rishiri
Posted in Mt. Rishiri, tagged hiking, Hokkaido, Hyakumeizan, Japan, Mt. Rishiri on June 21, 2009 | 3 Comments »
As the ferry rolls into Otaru port, I double-check my hastily scribbled itinerary and make the ultimate decision: do I start with Rishiri and end with Poroshiri, or should I do the circuit in reverse? With rain forecast on the horizon, as well as an offer from a kind gentleman to give me a list [...]
Hokkaido – Preface
Posted in Hokkaido hikes, tagged hiking, Hokkaido, Japan on August 20, 2008 | 1 Comment »
I’ve returned from the land of milk and cheese, having scaled 5 massive peaks without the luxury of an automobile. I’ll be writing separate chapters for each mountain, but here’s a brief outline of how things unfolded: August 8: Ferry from Niigata to Otaru August 9: Arrived in Otaru, hitched to Rumoi, bus from Rumoi [...]
