Mt. Tonodake

A snowy hike up Mt. Tonodake wasn't what I was expecting to do this winter but here we were. Scarlett and I were once again partners-in-crime in tackling this popular mountain. Starting from Shibusawa station and taking a bus ride to the trailhead where a bunch of plum were growing. We took some pretty photos of the pink blooms and started the hike up. Scarlett was quite talkative at first but soon went into focus mode as the path became steeper. It also started to snow and we could see snow patches already even though we were still pretty low.

The hike grew increasingly beautiful as the ground slowly disappeared under the snow. The views were amazing as well, the surrounding mountains and the sea in the horizon was nothing short of breathtaking. The towns looking like miniscule lego pieces. As we went higher, the star of the day showed up: Mt. Fuji. Majestic Mt. Fuji, it has been a long time since I have seen it in full as it was a very clear day with nary a cloud in sight.

We stopped by a shack right before the final trek to the summit. The udon really hit the spot and gave us enough energy to make it through. The summit had one of the most amazing views with rolling mountain ranges all the way to the towering Mt. Fuji. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to finish the hike to the other side and so we went back down the same way. On the way down, we ran into a Japanese lady named Reo. She started chatting us up and tagged along on the way down. It was all pretty good for us as she gave us a ride to the station which helped me save some money but when I got back to Tokyo, seems like it was all for naught as my bike got towed away and I had to pay a lot more to get it back.Read more