8 long years I’ve waited, searching for the perfect opportunity to get revenge on this soggy plateau. My last visit consisted of rubbing elbows with hundreds of other tourists in a torrential downpour before escaping into the serenity of Osugi gorge. On this unseasonably blustery Culture Day in early November, I decided to roll the [...]
Archive for the ‘Kansai hikes’ Category
Odai-ga-hara Chapter 2 – Impeccable Timing
Posted in Kansai hikes, tagged hiking, Hyakumeizan, Japan, Kansai hikes, Odai-ga-hara on November 6, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Mt. Ryouzen – Reconnaissance mission
Posted in Kansai hikes, tagged hiking, Japan, Kansai hikes, Mt. Ryouzen on April 4, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Now that the 100 mountains are behind me, I can turn my attention to lesser-known peaks a little closer to home before the summer climbing season kicks in. I’d heard of Ryouzen from a few Kansai hikers, and had stared at it twice during my 2 ascents of neighboring Mt. Ibuki, so I took advantage [...]
Winter has returned!
Posted in Kansai hikes, tagged Kansai hikes, winter hikes on March 30, 2009 | 1 Comment »
The cherry blossoms may be out, but that didn’t stop ole man winter from making an unexpected visit to the Kansai region. Another reconnaissance mission to a peak on my to-climb list for over half a decade. Full details coming soon….
Mt. Ibuki Chapter 2 – The Search for Beauty
Posted in Kansai hikes, tagged hiking, Hyakumeizan, Japan, Kansai hikes, Mt. Ibuki on March 1, 2009 | 3 Comments »
Oscar Wilde once wrote that “no object is so beautiful that, under certain conditions, it will not look ugly.” Could the opposite actually hold true for Mt. Ibuki, one of the ugliest, most overdeveloped peaks in Japan? cjw and I set out to test this hypothesis.
The rain fell in hard sheets on the [...]
Hyonosen – Copter rescue? no thanks!
Posted in Kansai hikes, tagged hiking, Hyonosen, Japan, Kansai hikes on February 7, 2009 | 5 Comments »
Early April and with spring in full bloom, the feet start to itch. 6 months post-op and time to give the new ticker its first true test. Destination? Hyonosen, the tallest mountain in Hyogo Prefecture and one of the 200 famous mountains of Japan.
Lunch, check. Map, roger. Crampons? Hmm…just in case. [...]
Tanzan Jinja – The Nikko of Kansai?
Posted in Kansai hikes, tagged Japan, Nara, Tanzan jinja on November 21, 2008 | 1 Comment »
I’ve been a bit of a recluse since conquering the 100 famous mountains, so I heartily accepted an invitation to visit a shrine that had been on my list of places to visit since first coming to Japan.
I’ve been teaching Masako privately for nearly a decade, and every few months we break the monotony of [...]
