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Japan Treading Through Gaia
Niseko VIII
December 27, 2021 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ -7 °C
Waking up to the snowy backdrop is always so enchanting. I can never get tired of the silent mornings when everyone else was still asleep or have already left for their respective works. It was quite relaxing and even meditative. I tried my best to still do my meditation and kundalini yoga whenever I had the free time. I took my shower and got my gear ready, I was going to ride today. I went out into cold and walked a couple of meters to the bus stop, I had no idea if it was coming or not but after waiting a couple of minutes, luckily a free shuttle bus going downtown arrived. I took it and was dropped near the Visitor Center. I walked a bit more to reach Aya, where Hiromi was doing her Vinyasa yoga class. I was able find and join the class, coincidentally I was somehow the only student so it turned out to be an awesome private class instead. The yoga session was very good and relaxing, there were also some challenging parts but I had experience with it and my body was strong. It was my first ever yoga class but I would say I did pretty well.

After the class, it was just a short walk on the way to the lifts, I put on my earphones and began my ascent to the top where I practiced for a bit. My tendency to go to my heel side was evidently strong and I really had to work on my toe side as well. But after a while, my usual pain spots would hurt and I would have to take some breaks in between. This went on for a while, though I really did enjoy the tunes and rides. When I reached my limit, I went to Tamashi's to get some ramen and maybe find Momo but she wasn't there at the moment so I got the butter corn ramen to fill me up and walked my way back to Himawari.

The two girls, Miki and Sayuri, were having a massage session by Sakurako. This was also the time I got to meet her formally. Miki was getting a massage done and I offered to burn some Palo Santo for them much to their delight. We got to talk a bit about today's riding and yoga session. After a while, they went to throw out the garbage and to buy some stuff and I spent most of the day lazing around by the couch. Dinner was also pretty good, we made some okonomiyaki and at night Hiroki and Yuuki, Sakurako's boyfriend, came over and we smoked some weed and everyone took turns playing the NES game console, from Mario Kart, Super Smash Brothers and Mario Party.Read more
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Japan Treading Through Gaia
Niseko IX
December 28, 2021 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ -5 °C
I was riding with Joe-san today, we ate some breakfast and freshened up. He hauled us to the lifts and we rode several rounds together, I was getting better at doing my toe side and he gave me a lot of tips too. We also got to meet up and rode with Sam and Momo. We rode until late noon and we headed back down, I bought us some chicken karaage and he dropped me back at the sharehouse. I did some snow clearing to help and hanged around until night. Joe-chan, Sakurako and Yuuki were there, we had some nabe for dinner, it turns out it was Yuuki's birthday. Sakurako had some delicious fruit cake and I offered the icecream cake I bought at Kutchan's supermarket as well and he smoked us up outside in the snow, right after we were off playing some more Super Smash Brothers joined by Hiroki and Shin. I brought out the old Exploding Kittens after some of the guys left and it was much to Yuuki's enjoyment. Sakurako also joined in and it was a fun night. I transferred to Joe-san's room already because sleeping at the cupboard was unbearably difficult.Read more
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Japan Treading Through Gaia
Niseko X
December 29, 2021 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ -1 °C
I was out riding with Joe-san again today, just the two of us this time. We went up and coincidentally met up with Joe's friend from Tokyo. Apparently they were seeing each other before. She was with her other friend and we were riding together for a couple of runs, I was getting better and she even made a comment that I had improved so much in just a short time. I could definitely feel my confidence going up as I slowly got used to riding on my toe-edge. But still, I had to tap out because the pain was there again. I took a rest at the nearby cafeteria and waited for them to do another run before heading back down with them.Read more
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Niseko XI
December 30, 2021 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ -6 °C
I was off solo-riding today, I've made substantial improvements, the biggest one so far. I remember everything just clicked and I was riding on my toe and heels without problems with Begin by Shallou playing in the background. As the blizzard came in and turned everything to an effervescent white, I was blissful and ecstatic as I swooped easily down the slopes that I once wiped out a lot on. I did this again and again, feeling like the king of the hill. I walked home quite proud of myself and spent some time in the sharehouse watching Super Crooks on Netflix.

At night was the infamous night for the whole sharehouse. My stay in Joe-san's room was short lived as the aforementioned "friend" from Tokyo was coming over today so it was back to the cupboard for me. However, I couldn't even get good sleep as the noises they were making in Joe's room was so loud, even with my earplugs on, it was no use. I had texted Joe to keep it down and thankfully they stopped after a while. In the morn, Joe drove her back.Read more
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Japan Treading Through Gaia
Kyogoku
December 31, 2021 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ -11 °C
New Year's eve, always a blast spending it in Niseko. Joe-san and I were off riding again today, meeting up with his "friend" and her companion as well. Pretending like nothing happened, like I didn't just lose another good night's sleep. Still, it was still loads of fun as I was definitely better this time around, being able to keep up and even breezing past the other girl with ease during the more difficult slopes. We were doing the more challenging routes this time around and I was able to do it just fine. After the morning ride, we went back to the sharehouse because Sam was picking us up to go to the onsen. We stopped by a convenience store to buy some snacks to fill up our bellies before taking the dip. We drove to Kyogoku Onsen and were able to just get a lot of bonding time with the bros, eating some dinner that came with the ticket coupon. We got back to Himawari and I watched Netflix's Death to 2021 movie with Joe-chan, similarly we watched Death to 2020 with Libby and Kieran last winter.

It was hard to decide where to spend New Year's as there were a couple of choices including the usual at Tamashi's but also spending it at Dan's bar, The Way or at a private invite-only junction. We had our pre-drinks, mine was the gift I got from Paul during the Secret Santa a couple of days ago which were some Rusutsu Love Beer. I decided to go where Joe-san was going which was the private party, Joe-chan and the rest of the girls, as well as Sam were also heading there anyways. We were picked up by Bia and Ian, and with us were Hiromi and Joe-san. Oddly enough, Ian was dating both Hiromi and Bia which made the ride quite awkward for them I bet. We were dropped by the bar which had a trippy entrance and waited until the countdown. I was able to meet a bunch of people so it was a really fun night, we then headed out into the snow to set off some fireworks and went back in for some more drinks before heading out to Tamashi's.Read more
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Japan Treading Through Gaia
Niseko XII
January 1, 2022 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ -4 °C
Starting off the New Year drunk seemed to be an annual global thing as we waddled our way to Tamashi's. I got to see Momo working behind the bar and then a girl tapped my back, much to my surprise as I looked I had no idea. She took off her mask and it turned out to be Ami! Who knew she was in Niseko, I had asked her previously if she was going to be there but she said she wasn't but lo and behold, what a pleasant reunion it was. Much to my delight, Ami pointed out that Hina was also here, now it's a party! We were all just hugging and shouting like crazy people making the other people around the bar wonder what on Earth was going on. I brought them to meet Sam and Joe as well, and we got to have a little Niseko Wow Lodge reunion. After a couple of more hours, the Himawari gals decided to go back home and I decided to tag along with them. We had another mini-party at home where I showed off some breakdancing skills. I took my shower and after awhile went to sleep at Joe-san's room once again.

In the morning, I found out that Hiromi actually lost her phone and spent the night trying to find it, with Joe-san trying to help. She had to wake up Sakurako early to go find it but thankfully was able to get it back. It was hang over day as usual.Read more
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Japan Treading Through Gaia
Kutchan IV
January 2, 2022 in Japan ⋅ ❄️ 0 °C
I spent another day riding solo and when I got back, I spent some time playing some Super Smash Bro. with Joe-chan. As it was pretty much my second to the last day, Sam and Joe-san were coming with me to get some ramen for dinner up in Kutchan. I also invited Joe-chan to come along and off we all went into the darkness of the night. The blizzard was so intensely strong that it pretty much wiped out all that we could see, we had a ton of laughs about it though. We had several candidates to go to but it turns out everyone of them was closed, we ended up at Yamaokaya and had our ramen. Afterwards, we went back to Himawari, we played some Exploding Kittens with Hiromi for a bit as well as Sayuri. Hiroki and Yuuki also came over, I was able to get one last smoke with them and then some more Smash Bro. before ending the night with a smile.Read more
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Japan Treading Through Gaia
Niseko XIII
January 3, 2022 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ -6 °C
I had done all my laundry and packed my things. I was a bit too tired and couldn't be bothered to ride today so I just spent most of the day at the sharehouse. Sakurako dropped me off at the bus stop and Sayuri and Yuuki also came with her to see me off. It was such a nice gesture and I really appreciated it. Thus ends my Niseko adventure once again as I found myself being whisked back to Sapporo airport.Read more
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Japan Treading Through Gaia
Chichibu
January 9, 2022 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C
Another trip that I have always wanted to go to in Chichibu, during winter these beautiful giant natural icicles formed at a nearby waterfall. I have never seen anything like it before so the overall trip was worth it. The travel time was pretty long but after a lot of research I was able to plan my route to visit two out of the three giant icicle formations in the area. I stopped by to eat some udon first while waiting for the bus that would take us to the first icicle area at Misotsuchi. It was a very serene place that stretched deep and there were a lot of icicles indeed, not just from the main site but at the back there were a lot of other interesting formations as well, including a frozen pond.

On the way back, I stopped by Ashigakubo to visit their man-made icicles. Even though it was man-made, there's a lot of art involved in its beauty, the icescape was something out of a fairytale with how everything seemed to be covered in ice from the trees and ground. There was a bit of a hike up where we got to drink some hot rice wine, which was perfect for the cold weather. All in all, it was a pretty amazing day.Read more
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Japan Treading Through Gaia
Kusatsu III
January 28, 2022 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ -3 °C
Joining the annual company ski trip to get some more snowboarding practice in. This time, we were able to arrive during daytime and had the chance to go around town. Seeing the Yubatake during the daytime was another whole experience as I have only ever seen it during night. With much more detail and color, it was super nice. Another pleasant surprise was the new spot that I didn't know existed, Sainokawara Park, this was not just an ordinary park but a volcanic geothermal park with the smell of sulfur in the air, there was a lot of really cool water bodies and with the snow, the landscape was absolutely breathtaking. There was even a shrine with torii gates at the end of the park, and the paths there led to the largest outdoor onsen in the area.

At night, we had some okonomiyaki and I hurriedly left the group and was able to get the whole onsen all to myself back at the hotel. It was really a perfect day to unwind.Read more
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Tsumagoi II
January 29, 2022 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 0 °C
Here comes the day I was waiting for, we started with an wholesome breakfast buffet and got on the minivan taking us to Tsumagoi ski resort. Being able to get on the slopes again was an amazing feeling, and this time much to my surprise, I was flawlessly boarding like a pro. I was cruising hard, smashing all these slopes and going at immense speeds with full control over my board on both the toe and heel edge. It was so fun to just listen to tunes while going down the epic mountains with an amazing view of the volcano right in front. I went up and down the lifts again and again. Miraculously, the pain that seemed to always follow was long gone and I was able to surpass my old self by a huge margin. I didn't even need to take much breaks, I didn't want the day to end as I always kept on pushing for another run. It was truly one of the finer moments of my snowboarding season.

At night, we had Korean yakiniku to which afterwards I relaxed for a bit in the room and headed off again to the onsen, to which luckily I had all to myself once again. This day was definitely the best one for the ski trip.Read more
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Kusatsu IV
January 30, 2022 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ -5 °C
The final day, I was off again in the slopes of Kusatsu this time. At the Kusatsu ski resort, I still had fun riding the slopes here but they were not as challenging nor as long as the ones at Tsumagoi. Nevertheless, it was still an epic time, after a couple of rounds, I had some tantan men at the restaurant near one of the top slopes. I rode a couple of more rounds until I got bored and headed back down to return the gear.

I stopped by the outdoor onsen at the Sainokawara park and it was a pretty cool experience to be in such a large pool surrounded by the snowy landscape and cool air. My third day enjoying the geothermal hotsprings of Kusatsu, and after a day riding, it really does hit the spot. I walked back to the hotel afterward to catch a ride back to Tokyo. I felt pretty tired but also pretty good.Read more
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Mt. Nokogiri
September 17, 2022 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C
As part of the end of summer initiative, I invited Sophie and Juli to join me on a hiking trip to Mt. Nokogiri up in Chiba. We met up in Otsuka and rented a car with Juli behind the wheels. We had some hiccups in getting the music to start but once we got that out of the way, it was a road trip.

We made brief stop at a checkpoint in the middle of the bridge connecting the Tokyo and Chiba where we brought breakfast and enjoyed the views of the sea before continuing the journey. It was a bit congested on the way as it was the start of a three-day holiday so everyone was heading out of Tokyo. Once we did get there, we found ourselves in an old and quiet town. Juli parked the car and we made our way to the trailhead. Both Soph and I had prepared some joints for the hike so we smoked it up before heading up. However it quickly turned sour for me as I was quite sleep deprived, hungry and thirsty and was pushing myself way too hard while hiking and ended up getting my ass handed over to me. I couldn't see what was in front of me the visuals became too wild. I got too high and had to sit down and take off my shoes and feel the earth on my feet to ground myself, drinking lots of water from Soph and Juli's as I had accidentally bought a sports drink instead which didn't help. I later ate an onigiri which made things much more easy and bearable and the hike much more enjoyable as we proceeded higher and higher into the mountains.

Mt. Nokogiri was pretty unique in that it had a lot of stone quarries and carvings. There was a hole in the shape of a heart, a cat carving, and just these huge empty geometrical cuts on the face of the mountains. The best part was much ahead. We got lost a bit somehow but found our way to the summit. There was also a temple complex on the other side of the mountain so we went there after the summit, taking a peek at the popular cliff that gave the mountain its name "Saw Mountain."

The best part of the hike came when we entered the sacred grounds where there were a bunch of stone statues and carvings of Arhats, beings who have attained Nirvana. Aside from that, there was also a humongous stone carving of the Boddhisatva Avalokitesvara, better known as Guan Yin or Kannon in Japan. As we continued on the path, taking pictures every now and then of the hundreds of statues surrounded by the lush forest, all the fatigue seemed to disappear. The best part was a giant Buddha carved into the mountain, the biggest stone Buddha in Japan. We were the only ones left going around the area as we had arrived quite late, we were asked to find our way out and so started the descent which was much easier though it was also getting a bit darker. We found ourselves at a nearby train station and had to wait for an hour for the next train. We walked back to our car in the darkness of the night and began another trip back to Tokyo.

This time the traffic was also pretty bad and we ended up getting home extra late and had to give the car back to another branch. I had to walk back to the original place where we rented our car as I had left my bike there but thank goodness they hadn't closed yet and I was able to get it back to ride the way back home.Read more
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Saitama II
September 25, 2022 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
I met up with Scarlett today at Ikebukuro station, her date Kaz also showed up. Juli was supposed to be there but she overslept so we went on ahead towards Hidaka in Saitama. There was the Red Spider Lily Festival being held there and it was a prime opportunity to check it out as I've always wanted to. After an hour or so we met up with Scarlett's friend, Haruhi and then we began the walk towards the fields where the flowers were supposed to be though even from the train station we could see some bunches blooming in velvet. Scarlett and Kaz went back to find the bathroom so I was able to get to know Haruhi a bit more while waiting in line. The lines were long but the views were great as it was beside a river.

Eventually we were able to enter and even with just the initial view, it made everything worth it. A sea of vermillion as I call it, spreading all the way within the forest, red spider lilies in full bloom. I quickly went into photographer mode and started snapping away, forgetting that I was still with a group and went off to my own little world. The red was such a strong color but there would occasionally be a single white spider lily amongst the rest and their contrast made for an outstanding photo. There was also another opportunity of a black butterfly perching itself on the flowers, I was really happy with it though I had wished my phone had zooming capabilities. We circled around the whole place and after we were satisfied, we went out into the field through the festival stalls and to another section near the river where we relaxed for a bit. By that time, Juli was already going through the flowers behind us. Mercury in retrograde was in full effect as it was messing with all of our communications and the signal was horrible but we were able to agree to meet near the 7/11.

Scarlett, Kaz, Haruhi and I went there first to get some snacks and drinks for the rest of the day as we were going hiking next. Juli was able to catch up afterwards and we made our way to the trailhead of Mt. Hiwada.Read more
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Mt. Hiwada
September 25, 2022 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
Mt. Hiwada definitely had foot traffic on this fine day, plenty of hikers going up and about and we were pretty angsty to get started as well. It was Haruhi's first time to go hiking. It was pretty easy all in all, some parts that required scrambling but the forest kept us cool from the sun. There was a nice checkpoint with a torii gate overlooking the town. The hike itself was pretty quick, before I knew it we were already at the summit. After enjoying the views, we went back down to continue on to the next summit as this was going to be a multi-mountain hiking day.Read more
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Mt. Takasashi
September 25, 2022 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C
From Mt. Hiwada to Mt. Takasashi, it was a much more quiet route as pretty much everyone else just did the hike until Mt. Hiwada. Now it was much more fun as I felt the mountain now belonged to us. The path was easy-going and mostly flat, not too much of an incline until we reached the next signpost pointing us to the summit of Mt. Takasashi. It was near a weird outpost and we ate some snacks here while chatting up on things. After that, we continued on towards the next mountain, Mt. Monomi.Read more
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Mt. Monomi
September 25, 2022 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
On the way to Mt. Monomi, we stopped by a small shack by the road that was selling ice cream. The girls went inside to eat while Kaz and I stayed outside. I had the classic shirokuma and we talked about psychedelics and its effects on mental health as a form of therapy which really piqued his interest. After a snack break, we made our way towards Mt. Monomi, the path this time around was much longer than the two combined but still mostly flat. It took us into a forest surrounded by tall trees that really changed the mood. As Scarlett commented it was almost like a horror game. The hike was still very much wholesome and we made it to the top easily enough where we took our final long break. Not much views but there were benches to rest. Kaz and Scarlett were looking at some bugs while Juli and Haruhi were getting to know each other a bit more. I was happy enough to just be in nature.

We began our descent soon after with some tricky spots that seemed to scare Scarlett but it was all good. I had wanted to catch the Gojo Falls but it seemed like we were too late as it was closed, even though we had already been forewarned by fellow hikers we met on the trail, I had thought to still try to push our luck but turns out the place was fenced up and required payment to see. From there, we began a long walk to the train station which was maybe another half hour or so. On the way, we saw a beetle eating a snake which was pretty intense. The beetle was literally tearing off the meat from the eviscerated snake. What a sight!Read more
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Mt. Tenran
October 1, 2022 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 18 °C
After such a nice experience, I decided to try and hike every week and this was my first solo hike in a while. I got to Hanno a bit late and went to a restaurant nearby since I realized I was getting very hungry. I had their omurice which really hit the spot and just a few meters away was the trailhead. Immediately upon entering the mountain, I felt a strong shift and felt really happy and energized. Immediately I realized, I made the right choice to get out of bed and go for a hike. Similar to Mt. Nokogiri, Mt. Tenran also had Buddha statues scattered around which added so much more spendor to the hike. The hike itself was a short and easy one with one checkpoint providing a beautiful view of Hanno city, a few more minutes up was the first summit but it wasn't going to end here as I was going to go to Mt. Tonosu next.Read more
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Mt. Tonosu
October 1, 2022 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 18 °C
The hike towards Mt. Tonosu was definitely worth it as there was more diversity and less people. As soon as I left Mt. Tenran, I pretty much had the trail to myself. It also provided a better work out as I was soon feeling some semblance of fatigue. The trail was very serene as it took me through paths laden with tall trees with beautiful komorebi shining through. On the way to the summit there was also small pond where I sat by to rest before finishing. The views were amazing with some autumn colors just beginning to pop out. During the descent, there was a school festival on the other side of the mountain so I put my earphones to drown out the noise. There were some more interesting things on the way down such as a shrine and a rock inscriptions. I took an even longer detour back to the station as I followed the river, crossing a strangely shaped bridge to the other side and making it all the way to the river bank where I soaked my feet. I then happened upon an onsen on the way back to the station and I just couldn't resist so off I went and went back home feeling very accomplished.Read more
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Mt. Arima
October 8, 2022 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C
This was one of my most ambitious hikes in Japan especially since I did it solo. I had to wake up very early at around 5AM just to catch the train and bus to the trailhead. I also wasn't able to get good sleep but that wasn't going to stop me from accomplishing the goal I have set for myself. This was a long 17 km route that took almost 9 hours to complete. The journey going took more than 2 hours but I was able to have a good start as I made my way to the trail head which took also took around 40 minutes to reach and I was already feeling it a bit and I wasn't even at the start yet. I had to conserve both my food and water. This indeed was a journey with just myself and nature as there was nary a soul doing this hike. I remember pricking my finger at one of the plants as well, taking it as a rite of passage I ventured onwards. The trail itself was actually closed off strangely enough which made me a bit nervous but I remember one of the guides I read online state that it was okay to push through and so I followed the GPS and was finally able to start hiking. The path was extremely forested and unmaintained at all with thick vegetation growing almost ankle high. It was both exciting and nerve-wracking. The first checkpoint was Mt. Arima and it will be taking me a little more than 2 hours just to reach it. The inclines were steep and really taxing but I pushed forward nevertheless. It would have to settle down sooner or later I thought to myself, but it never did. I passed through a dilapidated house and decided to take a rest by a small waterfall. Continuing forward, up and up through a zig-zagging path that seemed to go on endlessly until I reached a crossroads. From there, I followed it and on and on it went, taking me through paths covered with tall pampas grass that I had to use my arms to shield my face while moving forward. All the while, the inclines never seemed to stop. There were plenty of times I would have gotten lost if not for the app guiding me as the paths were almost invisible to the naked eye due to the overgrowth. The views however were nothing short of outstanding, surrounded by mountains made it all worth it. I did make it to Mt. Arima after a grueling trip up, I made the mistake of wearing thicker socks as well and soon realized I was getting blisters and still at the beginning of the hike to boot. It was going to be a challenge for sure.Read more
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Hinatazawanomine
October 8, 2022 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C
Mt. Arima wasn't the highest point in this area but it was actually Hinatazawanomine, it looked like a small hill compared to Mt. Arima but getting here was even more difficult with extremely steep ascents that required scrambling and the paths kept on changing from harsh inclines to treacherous descents. It was really scary and took a lot to just take a few steps down as it was all just gravel and the sharp broken trunks waiting below if I made a false move didn't make it easier. Around this point it really started to become both a physical and a mental battle. Having no one else around at this time proved to backfire a bit as it made me realize I would really truly be alone and there would be no one to help me if I messed up here so I had to keep going forward and make it before the last bus. Thankfully, I did make it and it was a bit of a relief seeing as I thought the worst was over. I was still rationing my food and drinks at this point but gave myself a nice snack reward for making it this far so far despite not even being halfway through the hike.Read more
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Mt. Nagaomaru
October 8, 2022 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
With a bit more hope that I'm making progress, I kept on moving to the next checkpoint of Mt. Nagaomaru. I remember stopping by under an antenna station and ate some more protein bars. My whole body was feeling it at this point but still had more than half of the trail left. I was battling against both mind and body to keep on pushing forward. The inclines were the steepest I've ever had to do and the slopes downward are just as harsh, it kept on alternating from going up and down even though I thought I had already reached the highest point, I still had to do a lot of maneuvering for the next couple of hours until I made it to the top of Mt. Nagaomaru. There were these long moments of deafening silence where I could just hear the sound of my own heartbeat. I had plenty of time to just contemplate about various aspects of my life. The mountain paths here were so untouched that there was no visible path at all. I had to watch for pink ribbons tied to trees, and there were sometimes that I still managed to take a wrong turn. Bracing for the final mountain and the descent, I headed for Mt. Bonoore for the last push.Read more
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Mt. Bōnoore
October 8, 2022 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
Arriving at the summit of Mt. Bonoore from Mt. Nagaomaru, I took a short reprieve under the gazebo. It was a sight for sore eyes to see man-made structures again because that meant the trail might be a bit more maintained than the ones I did before. With much more motivation that I was going to make it on time, I started my descent. Seeing other people was also a good sign, I was happy to know that I wasn't alone and that other people were still hiking at this time. I really wanted to catch the onsen at the end to wind down so I upped my pace until I reached this epic scenery of waterfalls and the main river that led to the dam's reservoir. Navigating through this slippery environment was really challenging and fun at the same time. The energy here was really powerful but I had my wits about me and easily passed through a lot of people as I hurriedly made my way down taking paths that people would not normally take, I was really one with the mountain until I wasn't when I slipped and fell on my back. My left leg was also reaching its limit and every step had a tinge of pain it but I was already so close. Upon reaching what I thought was the end, I breathed out a sigh of relief as I started to make my way up a concrete road. After a couple of meters I checked and realized I took a wrong turn and had to go back down again to where I started and realized that the hike was far from over.

Continuing from where I left off and still following the river for another hour or so, I finally reached the end of an arduous journey. The final view was Arima Dam in all its splendor. I was half-walking and half-limping as I made my way back to Sawarabi no Yu for my much awaited and much needed onsen. I made my way into the camp and finallly made it just in time before they were closing. I got to take an amazing dip which was the perfect way to end a hike like that. I almost couldn't stand up afterwards and my left leg had truly given out and reacted in pain when I put pressure on it. I got on the bus heading back to town and on to a train back to Tokyo. It was really challenging with my leg acting up but I still got back and ate at Fuji Soba before finally taking a much needed rest, thankful that I made it back in one piece and proud that I was able to conquer such a hike.Read more
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Mt. Oyama
October 23, 2022 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C
A fun little hike that took us to Kanagawa. This was a fun outing with Scarlett and her then date Kaz as well as Sophie. Sophie and I brought some greens to enjoy the hike a bit more but she wasn't able to roll the joints so once we got to Isehara station, I had to go to the bathroom and roll them while rushing as to not miss the bus. We ended up missing it anyway and had to wait for the next one, plus my rolls weren't the best of quality. Once we got to our stop, we passed through a market place heading to the trailhead. Most of the people opted to take the cable car but not us. It was always nice to see Buddhist statues scattered around as we began our hike up. Mt. Oyama is a popular mountain, known for having its seven wonders in the form of power spots. The power spots were special objects venerated in the Shinto tradition such as ancient trees or rocks. We soon approached the stairs leading up to Oyama Temple. Both sides had numerous fierce-looking statues lined up. The scent of high quality incense wafted through the air. By the shrine, there was a koi pond and we happened upon a ceremony being held by some priests. We decided to move on and passing by a bridge that had warnings of leeches and salt for use. I realized that the path was going to be full of people all through out so we decided to find a spot so smoke up. I found a nice secluded spot away from the main path though for Kaz, it was still too scary and he was too anxious to smoke. Me and Soph smoked up pretty good and it was really an amazing high. It was really funny to see Kaz panic while the boy scouts were playing around. Scarlett went ahead and we soon caught up to her.

The hike started to pick up more as the paved soil turned into giant rocks and boulders that we had to scramble up to. I passed by a lot of people as I continued up with my own pace. We soon reached the next check point, the Oyama Afuri Shrine. A much grander temple than the one below that offered even more picturesque views of the lands beyond. From here, it was the last push to the summit which became much steeper and much more challenging, we went off the beaten path to smoke again, this time Kaz partook much properly and was left highly satisfied right in time as we approached the summit. Here, we went to a soba shop and ate an amazing meal before finding a spot to sit down and admire the scenery from the top. For the descent, we chose to go down via the Miharashidai which provided even more amazing views as we went down, made even more beautiful by the golden hour. We sneaked in a last puff and another foreigner with a keen smell teased us trying to find who the stoner was among the group. The hike definitely took its toll on Scarlett's knees but the whole group made it back down without relying on the cable car. All in all, it was another successful day hike.Read more
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Japan Treading Through Gaia
Mt. Tsukuba
November 6, 2022 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C
Wanting to see some autumn foliage and hearing about how Mt. Tsukuba was a very sacred and spiritual site, that it was a twin to Mt. Fuji prompted me to go on a trip to Chiba to hike this famous mountain. The mountain was also unique in that it had two peaks as well and I wanted to bag them both. The trip was supposed to be straightforward but I had a bit of hiccups along the way such as the bus not taking me all the way to the trailhead and that I had to wait a long time for the next bus that coincidentally got stuck in heavy traffic on the way up which delayed the hike even more which made me quite stressed as I was running out valuable time. As soon as I got off the bus, I made a beeline towards the shrine and asked for some directions for the correct trailhead. I started off rushing and trying to put in as much effort as I can to catch up on time which ended with me being out of breath ever too often but I still pushed forward nevertheless. The hike went on like this for a while until I realized that I was wasting it and I should just enjoy the moment and as I slowly moved up, through boulders and shrines, the trees also started to change in colors, coloring the forest with yellow, orange and red. The shrines along the way made it clear that the mountain housed a lot of kami.

Surprisingly, I made it up to the summit pretty quickly, but this was just the first summit for the day. I made a brief stop by a soba restaurant to replenish some energy and relax for a bit. I set off for the next summit expecting it to be a hard journey but I guess the maps online bloat the time a bit as I arrived pretty quickly to the other side but it provided a much more gorgeous view of the Kanto plain. This was also where the cable cars were but I ignored them and made my way to the nearby observatory and then up toward the actual summit where another shrine was. From there, I took an off the beaten path loop for nature researchers that finally took me away from the crowds and I was able to get some alone time which made this one of the best and most relaxing part of the hike for me. I went back down afterwards offering some 1 yen coins to some kami and at the base of the mountain, I once again approached the main shrine with a lucky 5 yen coin wishing for diving aid in helping me let go of some mental and emotional baggage which surprisingly worked and I was able to grow a lot as a person after Mt. Tsukuba. I was also blessed with a nice sunset on the way back to the bus stop, seeing the town's silhouette as it took us to the train station.Read more
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