One of the things I told myself I would do more of last year was do more hiking. Autumn is the best season for hiking in Japan because the weather is a lot cooler and the colours of the leaves are pretty at that time of year.
I don’t hike a lot, so this one was quite a tough one for me. It was a long, steep, rocky hike, but the view and landscape was pretty spectacular. Didn’t start off that way though.
This was the Tanigawadake hike that I did last October (yes, a little overdue, I know).
It first required taking the cable car:
The leaves were just starting to change colour:
Conditions at the hiking start point did not look good. Not good at all. How is this for visibility:
Trail was a bit muddy and wet too:
The fog cleared a bit and we were on our way:
Once we got closer to the top it was very picturesque. When I wasn’t sweating and panting away, I managed to get in a few photos. Ok, so more than a few photos.
It got steeper and steeper. Not entirely sure if this was meant to be a hike or a rock climb!
In amongst the clouds:
You would have thought we were climbing Fuji!
We were up pretty high:
There were even some small patches of snow. And this was October!
More climbing. Still not yet at the summit:
Stunning scenery:
I finally reached one of the lower peaks (there was still the upper peak as well):
I think I’m in heaven:
The trail of people:
What goes up, must come down. Coming back down is worse than going up. And going up was no picnic.
A beast of a mountain:
After a hardcore hike, we totally deserved an onsen. And we went to a really awesome. I can’t believe I didn’t know about this onsen. It’s a mixed outdoor onsen. There’s about 4 outdoor baths and all are mixed (there is one female-only onsen). This is one of the very rare mixed public onsens in Japan (no cossies allowed). You are allowed to rent a towel to wear into the hot springs though. Most of the ladies covered up with a towel (as I did), but be warned, that a lot of the men there won’t be so modest. The hot spring is a secluded location built across a river and there’s also a really nice ryokan you can stay at there.
A very cool onsen:
This is Takaragawa onsen for the record. Definitely want to come back to this place. Lots of different rotemburos to enjoy so long as you don’t mind being surrounded by naked people (towels are optional. Although I am glad I am not too much fatter than what I am because they towels on offer wouldn’t have covered all of me! Just something to keep in mind, if you’re on the bigger side).
Memoirs of Aleisha 
