hiking – Page 2 – Susan Spann, Adventure, Mystery, and Mountains

Hiking–and Riding–on Daishiyama at Kinosaki Onsen

Susan Spann 1000 Summits, Blog August 20, 2021December 3, 20211000 summits, Daishiyama, hiking, hiking in Japan, Hyogo Prefecture, Kinosaki, Kinosaki Onsen

To celebrate my 50th birthday in July (2021), I headed five hours southwest to Kinosaki Onsen, a famous onsen (volcanic hot spring) town in Hyogo Prefecture. In addition to some of the best hot spring baths in Japan, Kinosaki is famous for the Japanese white storks that live and nest in the area (there’s a preserve within bicycling or walking distance of the onsen town)–and the large white birds also lend their name to the Stork Express, the train that runs between Osaka and Kinosaki Onsen Station. Although the “nature” portion of the hike wouldn’t start until I reached the

A Morning Walk at Lake Ashi: Hakone, Japan

Susan Spann Blog, Hikes July 28, 2021July 25, 2021Bakery & Table, Hakone, Hakone Jinja, hiking

Later this week, I’ll share a recent hike I took along a preserved section of the Tokaidō–one of the major travel roads of 17th century Japan–but the day began with a walk along a different, and more modern, path along the shore of Ashinoko (Lake Ashi), which I’m sharing here today

Hiking the Jogasaki Coast: Picnical Course

Susan Spann Blog June 1, 2021June 1, 2021hiking, hiking in Japan, Izu, Jogasaki, Jogasaki Coast, Jogasaki Kaigan, Picnical Course

The Izu Peninsula juts into the Pacific Ocean south of Tokyo. The northeast portion of the peninsula is called the Jogasaki Coast (城ヶ崎海岸 – Jogasaki Kaigan), and it’s home to a pair of excellent hiking courses that run through portions of the Izu Peninsula Geopark. It’s a great hike at any time of year, but particularly in the summer, when the coastal breeze helps mitigate the heat and humidity.

Hiking Marudake From Otome-Toge (Hakone)

Susan Spann Blog May 26, 2021May 26, 20211000 summits, Hakone, hiking, hiking Hakone, hiking in Japan, Marudake

Earlier this month, I took advantage of a sunny Sunday and headed out to hike another “new-to-me” trail in Hakone: Marudake (1,154 m) via Otome-Toge. As always, the hike information is at the bottom of the post. I caught the highway bus from Shinjuku to Otome-toge; the route goes through Gotemba–where I caught a great view of Mt. Fuji–always an excellent way to start the day. I’ve hiked the first part of this trail several times, and the view from the Otome-toge bus stop is one of the best anywhere when Fuji is in a cooperative mood. She was a

Hiking the Ashinoko (Lake Ashi) West Bank Walking Course (Hakone)

Susan Spann Blog May 17, 2021May 17, 2021Ashinoko, Ashinoko Coast Walking Trail, Ashinoko West Bank Walking Course, Hakone, hiking, hiking in Japan, Lake Ashi, virtual hike

In late April, I headed south by shinkansen for a hike I hadn’t done before: the Ashinoko West Bank Walking Course, which (unsurprisingly) follows the western bank of Lake Ashi from Hakonemachi to Togendai.

CHAPTER 27: Tokachidake

Susan Spann 1000 Summits, Blog, CLIMB Photo Companion April 18, 2021April 21, 2021hiking, hiking in Japan, Hokkaido, Hokkaido Nature Tours, hyakumeizan, Japan, Mt. Tokachi, Nihon Hyakumeizan, Tokachidake

September 11, 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. On the morning of September 11, my Hokkaido Nature Tours guide (who I’d christened the Yamabushi) and I drove approximately 200 kilometers from Sapporo to Daisetsuzan National Park in Central Hokkaido–home to some of the tallest mountains in Hokkaido, including our target for the day: 2,077-meter Tokachidake (Mt. Tokachi). What look like “normal” cumulus clouds in the photo above are actually clouds of smoke and steam rising from the

CHAPTER 21: Mount Fuji

Susan Spann 1000 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 19: Even Ants Like Kakigori

Susan Spann 1000 Summits, Blog, CLIMB Photo Companion December 25, 2020December 26, 2020100Summits, Climb, hiking, kakigori, Mt. Takao, Takaosan

On the day I climbed Mt. Takao as part of the 100 Summits Project, I had friends in town from the United States. We had plenty of time, so we stopped at the Takaosan Monkey Park near the top of the cable car to see (and feed) the resident Japanese macaques.

CHAPTER 16: Daisen’s Giant Chipmunk

Susan Spann 1000 Summits, Blog, CLIMB Photo Companion December 4, 2020December 14, 2020Climb, Daisenji, hiking, hyakumeizan, Japan, Mt. Daisen, photography, Sanraku-so, shukubo

Mt. Daisen: July 1, 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. At the time of its completion in 2011, the Tokyo Skytree was the largest tower, and the second-largest man-made structure in the world. As of 2020, it remains in the top five, and is easily visible from many of Tokyo’s 23 wards, as well as the neighboring mountains. At night, and on holidays, the tower lights up in a variety of colors. I loved being able to

CHAPTER 15: Magic in the Mundane

Susan Spann 1000 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.