100 Summits – Susan Spann, Adventure, Mystery, and Mountains

CHAPTER 28: Takuto & Tomuraushi

Susan Spann 100 Summits, Blog, CLIMB Photo Companion April 21, 2021May 5, 2021100 Summits, hiking in Japan, Hokkaido, Hokkaido Hiking, Hokkaido Nature Tours, hyakumeizan, Nihon Hyakumeizan, Tomuraushi

September 13-14, 2018 This photo supplement tracks the events in CLIMB: Leaving Safe and Finding Strength on 100 Summits in Japan. The captions offer “extra features” that didn’t make it into the book. Due to straining my knee on Tokachidake, I ended up canceling the next day’s scheduled climb of Poroshiri–which meant I absolutely would not be able to complete all 100 Hyakumeizan peaks in a single year. I’d already decided to shift the goalpost, however, and climb 100 historically and culturally important/sacred mountains instead, so the loss meant less to me than it otherwise would have. After a rest day, which

CHAPTER 21: Mount Fuji

Susan Spann 100 Summits, Blog, CLIMB Photo Companion January 16, 2021January 27, 2021100 Summits, Climb, Climb photo companion, Fuji, hiking, hyakumeizan, Japan, Mt. Fuji

After years of waiting (and more than two dozen attempted viewings spoiled by clouds) this was my first full view of Mt. Fuji, from the window of my hotel in Fujinomiya, the morning we began the climb.

CHAPTER 20: On Mount Inari

Susan Spann 100 Summits, 1000 Summits, Blog, CLIMB Photo Companion December 26, 2020January 16, 2021100 Summits, Climb, Fushimi inari, Fushimi Inari Shrine, Fushimi Inari Taisha, Inari, Kyoto, Shinto

Fushimi Inari Taisha winds up the slopes of Mt. Inari like a coiled dragon made of vermilion gates; while many visitors go no farther than the first station, Mom, Laurie, Kaitlyn, and I made the hour-long trek to the summit, as a “training climb” that would let me assess our potential pace for the upcoming (and far longer) climb of Fuji.

CHAPTER 18: Goddess of All that Flows

Susan Spann 100 Summits, Blog, CLIMB Photo Companion December 19, 2020December 25, 2020100 Summits, Bentendake, Buddhist temple cuisine, Buddhist temples, Climb, Ekoin, Koyasan, Okunoin, shojin ryori, Wakayama

Kōbō Daishi (774-835 – also known as Kūkai), the priest who brought Shingon Buddhism to Japan, sought the goddess’ protection for Kōyasan shortly after establishing his center for Shingon worship and study on the sacred mountaintop plateau in the early ninth century. In fact, Kōbō Daishi himself established the shrine on top of Bentendake. Although the site is small, the relationship between Benten/Benzaiten and Kōyasan continues to this day.

CHAPTER 17: All Roads Lead to Kyoto

Susan Spann 100 Summits, Blog, CLIMB Photo Companion December 14, 2020December 19, 2020100 Summits, Climb, Hieizan, Hieizan Enryakuji, Japan, Saicho, shojin ryori, Tendai Buddhism

Hieizan (Mt. Hiei) – July 2-3, 2018 This photo supplement tracks the events in Chapter 12 of CLIMB: Leaving Safe and Finding Strength on 100 Summits in Japan. The captions offer “extra features” that didn’t make it into the book. To break up the nearly 8-hour journey from Mt. Daisen in Tottori Prefecture to sacred Kōyasan in Wakayama, I made an overnight stop in the Kyoto area–but this time, I bypassed the ancient capital itself and headed into the mountains that ring Kyoto for an overnight stay (and climb) on Mt. Hiei. It only takes about 90 minutes to travel from Kyoto

CHAPTER 15: Magic in the Mundane

Susan Spann 100 Summits, Blog, CLIMB Photo Companion November 30, 2020December 4, 2020100 Summits, butterflies, Climb, hiking, hiking in Japan, hyakumeizan, Japan, ski lift

As the end of June, and my first apartment move in Japan, approached, I made a two-day trip to Nagano Prefecture to climb Kirigamine (aka Kurumayama). The trip did not go as planned, in many ways–and yet this ended up among the most memorable climbs of my mountain year.

CHAPTER 14: Too Many Bees

Susan Spann 100 Summits, Blog, CLIMB Photo Companion October 3, 2020October 3, 2020100 Summits, Climb, hyakumeizan, Japan, jimmu, mountains, Mt. Odaigahara, Odaigahara, yatagarasu

Odaigahara lies in southern Nara Prefecture–several hours south of Nara City (itself, an hour south of Kyoto)–in a mountainous region formerly known as Yamato. After two days of rain, I was glad to see the sun as the bus set out for the trailhead.

CHAPTER 12: At Least the Frog Was Happy

Susan Spann 100 Summits, Blog, CLIMB Photo Companion September 17, 2020September 28, 2020100 Summits, Climb, hiking in Japan, Ibukisan, Japan, mountains, Mt. Ibuki

The rain should have told me climbing Mt. Ibuki was a bad idea. Unfortunately, my lack of mountain climbing experience (or even hiking experience) left me entirely unprepared for the events that followed.

CHAPTER 10: Cuckoos and Chains

Susan Spann 100 Summits, Blog, CLIMB Photo Companion August 29, 2020September 15, 2020100 Summits, chausu, Climb, hiking, hiking in Japan, Japan, Mt. Nasu, Nasu, nasudake

The Nasu volcanic complex began erupting over 600,000 years ago; today, Mt. Chausu is the only major active peak in the Nasu range. The last major eruption occurred in 1963, and the peak remains on the Japanese government’s “watch list” for active volcanoes.

Chapter 9: No Raisins on the Summit

Susan Spann 100 Summits, Blog, CLIMB Photo Companion August 23, 2020August 29, 2020100 Summits, Climb, hiking in Japan, hyakumeizan, Mt. Zao, Zao, Zaosan

All shinkansen (bullet trains) are not created equal. Some stop more often than others do, and some travel at (slightly) faster speeds. The fastest, known as the hayabusa (peregrine falcon) travels at up to 300kph (200 mph) runs mostly in the Tōhōku region, north of Tokyo.

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