1000 summits – 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

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 Lake Trail (Tokyo)

Susan Spann Blog, Walking the Kanto November 24, 2020November 24, 20201000 summits, hiking, Japan, Kanto Fureai no Michi, Kanto Fureai Trail, Lake Trail, Walking The Kanto

Last weekend, I hiked the first leg of a multi-year, segmented hike of the Kantō Fureai no Michi (sometimes translated “Kantō Friendship Trail”). The trail is 1,799km (1,118 miles) long, and passes through seven prefectures (Tokyo, Saitama, Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Chiba, and Kanagawa) as it circumnavigates the Kantō (Japan’s largest flatland plain).