Sanuk Canadian

Climbing two mountains north-west of Tokyo, continues. Part one is HERE . Part two is HERE . Part three is HERE . After completing our two climbs, and filling our stomachs with hot udon noodles, we hiked to our final destination -- a Japanese temple. (The map labels the temple as "Daikoji". The characters are: 大光寺) The hike took us past the Akigawa river. The wooden teepees in the foreground show stones encased in metal frames. These long stone tubes are used to clean the river. Akigawa: We had to climb more as this temple was located on yet another mountain. The view from the top was great though! Autumn countryside:  Walking to the main gate of the temple:  Most people come to see these -- two very tall, yet old  ginko (?)  trees: Temple bell in the background: Detail of gate, under the roofing:  From here, a friend and I had to hurry to the station to catch a train home. I was working in the evening, so a two hour, s...

Climbing the hiking trails near Akigawa, north west of Tokyo, continues.  Part 1 is HERE . Part 2 is HERE . After reaching our summit goal of Benten Mountain, we hiked to another peak -- Mt. Shiroyama. Signpost:  It wasn't very far to this mountain from Mt. Benten. I think it took us approximately 30 minutes. The climb followed a narrow trail and climbed up and down. The top of Shiroyama looks like this: This sign in Japanese, explained the area's topography & history:   From Mt. Shiroyama, we hiked down a seemingly never-ending set of wood stairs. Once we reached the bottom, everyone in the group exclaimed: "Thank goodness we were coming down instead of going up!!" The long stairs down: The guide of our group led us to a park. The hike there was along a road; however, the view was just as lovely: The park, which houses a visitor's center, specifically for hikers: Visitor's centre: At this park, our guide planned to co...

A hike to Mt. Benten, continues. Part 1 is HERE .  Passing through the red torii  (gate), the trail moved up the mountain. What surprised me most were the leaves, which had fallen to the ground. Our route transformed itself into a river of autumn leaves; I enjoyed "splashing" my feet in them as we walked. ^_^ Rising stone steps: The "river" of leaves:  A lady in the group, who was very knowledgable about vegetation, pointed out these -- 雪イチゴ[yuki-ichigo = winter strawberries]. She added: "They are edible; however, quite bitter." Map pointing our current location (in red): The trail passed this spot -- an abandoned temple. Long ago, it had been used for hosting traditional dances to appease the Gods. Leaves & lanterns: Main temple: Further up the mountain was this cave. The opening's shape reminded me of a bicycle seat. ^_^ Inside the cave, which was large enough to hold approximately 20 people standing upright,  w...

The typical image of Tokyo is high rise buildings, jam packed trains and people everywhere. Today, I'll prove Tokyo has some scenic, quieter areas. An early morning departure and many transfers later, I arrived at Musashi-Masuko station. From Tokyo station, it takes about 1.5 hours (see: Google Map & Directions ). Tucked at the bottom of Mt. Odake, the area is very rural, but it's still considered part of Tokyo! cutenekko outside the station: I was here to join a few members of a mountaineering club. Our hike for the day would be Mt. Benten; afterwards, we'd cook udon noodles outside. The weather was perfect for hiking: clear skies and no wind. As Japan is experiencing fall temperatures, we would also be able to view autumn colored leaves along the route. From the station, it was a 15 minute walk to this river, which is a major landmark for the hiking trail. Casting shadows: our small mountaineering group -- I'm waving, of course! View of the river (I...

Before discussing the beach, I attended a local concert sponsored by the city office in my area. Even the smallest towns in Japan have a cultural hall where music concerts or other cultural events are held. If you are a resident in Japan, check with your local city office to find out more. Most of these events are free ! The community string ensemble under the direction of their string teacher: They performed the very well known Pachelbel's Canon in D, which I enjoyed very much. Looking around, I noticed I was the only foreigner (and youngest!) in the audience. It's a shame more young people don't take advantage of these free concerts. The following day, a friend and I went fishing. Despite the cold weather, we tried a very local beach in the Miura area of Kanagawa -- Wada-Nahama Beach. cutenekko at scenic Wada-Nahama Beach: This beach is located at the far end of Arazaki (see: THIS blog post) . It's possible to hike from this point to Arazaki park, whi...

On the American Thanksgiving Day, a friend and I had planned to go fishing during the daytime. Due to high winds and waves, we cancelled that plan in exchange for another -- eating delicious ice cream. The shop we visited is the famous Iida Farm, located in Fujisawa Kanagawa. I got a photo of the menu for the day:  Translating the sign, the shop served the following gelato flavors: - Royal Milk Tea - Almond - Milk - Vanilla - Rum Raisin - Raspberry - Cream Cheese - Choco Chip - La France (pear) The selection: I purchased a double cup as it was on sale this day. My flavors? Chocolate chip and raspberry!  The taste was very creamy with a strong milk flavor. My friend purchased Rum Raisin which was had strong butter and rum flavors. While eating, I noticed this poster on the wall:  Translated, it talks about Iida farm providing their premium ice cream and puddings for the famous Japanese cruise ship, Nipponmaru. (dated: October 2012)...