hiking – Susan Spann, Adventure, Mystery, and Mountains

Sea of Clouds

Susan Spann Blog, Nature in Japan, Travel & Tourism August 7, 2024August 2, 2024hiking, hiking in Japan, Mt. Fuji, unkai

One of my favorite natural phenomena–in Japan or otherwise–is the “sea of clouds” (unkai) that you sometimes see while climbing (or traveling in airplanes). It’s neat to see from a plane, but–to me at least–truly special and magical when you see it standing outside, on a trail. The clouds look so soft and puffy, and have so much character. I shot these pictures during my recent (second) climb of Mt. Fuji–always a great place to see the sea of clouds, when the weather cooperates! I climb for many reasons, but this one definitely ranks high among them. Have you seen

Mt. Fuji, Take Two: Only a Fool

Susan Spann 1000 Summits, 1000 Summits Hikes, Hikes August 5, 2024August 2, 20241000 summits, climbing Mt fuji, Fujinomiya, Fujinomiya Trail, Fujisan, hiking, hyakumeizan, Japan

In May, I got a phone call from my friends Erica Berglund and (fellow author) Laura VanArendonk Baugh, who had a spur of the moment idea about climbing Mt. Fuji this year. I hadn’t officially planned to climb Mt. Fuji a second time. In fact, a Japanese proverb about the mountain says “every wise man climbs [Mt. Fuji], [but] only a fool climbs [Fuji] twice.” However, I’m always up for an adventure, so the three of us decided to risk the mercurial summer weather and head for the summit on July 15. We spent the night before the climb in

CHAPTER 34: Return to Mount Kōya

Susan Spann 1000 Summits, 1000 Summits Hikes, Blog, CLIMB Photo Companion, Hikes September 4, 2023September 4, 2023100 Summits, 1000 summits, hiking, Japan, koya sanzan, Koyasan, Shinto, Yoryusan

The Nyonin-michi–literally, “women’s trail”–circumambulates the rim of Kōyasan’s mountaintop plateau. Before the Meiji Era, this was as close to the sacred holy sites as women were allowed to come.

Hiking Lake Toya: A Day on Nakajima

Susan Spann Blog, Hikes January 31, 2022January 29, 2022hiking, Hokkaido, Hokkaido Hiking, Hokkaido Nature Tours, Lake Toya, Nakajima, Oshima, Toyako

On the final day of last September’s hiking trip to Hokkaido, with a little more than half a day to kill before my train departed for Tokyo, my friend Ido and I headed out to Lake Tōya for one last hike.

New Year’s Eve on Mt. Tsukuba (筑波山) (2021)

Susan Spann 1000 Summits, Blog, Hikes January 1, 2022January 1, 2022hiking, hiking in Japan, hyakumeizan, Ibaraki, Mt. Tsukuba, Tsukubasan

In December 2018, I established a new, personal New Year’s Eve tradition: I climb a mountain. In Japan (as elsewhere) New Year’s Eve is a time for personal reflection, and I reflect on myself, my year, and the world around me better on a mountain trail than just about anywhere else. The New Year’s Eve climb is also my way of expressing my hope that I’ll keep moving forward (and upward) and keep returning to the mountains in the coming year. This year, I chose to go back to the proverbial “scene of the crime”–the site of my original, 2018

Hiking Mt. Muine (Sapporo, Hokkaido)[#140]

Susan Spann 1000 Summits, Blog, Hikes December 15, 2021December 10, 2021hiking, Hokkaido, Hokkaido Hikes, Hokkaido Nature Tours, Japan, mountain hut, Mt. Muine, Muineyama

Last September, I headed up to southern Hokkaido for a week of traveling and mountain climbing with my friend Ido. He knows Hokkaido far better than I do, so when he was extra excited about our climb of Mt. Muine, near Sapporo, I knew to expect something special . . . and as you’ll see, Muine delivered.

An Autumn Visit to the Dragon King

Susan Spann Blog, Hikes November 22, 2021November 21, 2021autumn, foliage, Gorge of the Dragon King, hiking, hiking in Japan, Ryuokyo, Tochigi, Tochigi hikes

On the first weekend in November, my son and I headed up to Tochigi Prefecture to hike the Ryuō-kyō (Gorge of the Dragon King). This was my third hike through the gorge, but the first time for my son, and I hoped we’d timed it correctly for autumn foliage. As you’ll see, it didn’t disappoint:

On Crying-Bug Mountain (Nakimushiyama) [No. 144-146]

Susan Spann 1000 Summits, Blog, Hikes November 8, 2021December 3, 2021autumn, hiking, hiking in Japan, Japan, koyo, mountains, Nikko, Tochigi, travel

On October 24, I headed north to Nikkō, in Tochigi Prefecture, to hike a new-to-me trail that included Nakimushiyama (鳴虫山), an 1,103-meter mountain not far from Nikkō station. The route went up and over three smaller peaks, too, and though much of the trail is surrounded by trees, there were a few spots with beautiful views as well.

Hiking Mt. Tarumae [No. 139]

Susan Spann 1000 Summits, Blog, Hikes November 3, 2021December 3, 2021hiking, hiking in Japan, Hokkaido, Hokkaido Hiking, Hokkaido Nature Tours, Japan, mountains, Mt. Tarumae, Tarumaesan

My friend Ido* and I kicked off my recent (Autumn 2021) hiking trip to Hokkaido with an ascent of Mt. Tarumae–a 1,041-meter active stratovolcano not far from Tomakomai in southern Hokkaido.

Hiking Mt. Yotei

Susan Spann 1000 Summits, Hikes August 30, 2021December 3, 2021hikes in Japan, hiking, hiking in Japan, Hokkaido, hyakumeizan, Japanese mountains, Mt. Yotei, Yotei, Yoteizan

Mt. Yotei, also known as Ezo-Fuji for its resemblance to Japan’s most famous peak, is a stratovolcano located in Hokkaido’s Shikotsu-Koya National Park.

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