Houkyouzan 宝筺山

Back in late March, I joined my monthly mountaineering club for a hike in Ibaraki prefecture. Located 1.5 hours by express train, north east of Tokyo, Houkyouzan was our destination. There are a few famous mountains in Ibaraki -- the most popular being Tsukuba mountain; Houkyouzan is Tsukuba's neighbor.

The hiking trail began after a 20 minute taxi ride. Even though it was on a Friday, we saw many groups, including children, enjoying hikes in this area. 

Trail route markers, our group and a stone monument, 

found at the beginning of the trail:

The trail we selected followed a small, descending stream. A tree, twisted around another, was very unique. When I took a closer look, it looked like a ribbon circling the tree!

Trail climbs up; small waterfalls, the ribbon tree:

This mountain is only 461 meters in height (1,512 feet), so it was my easiest hike yet. The view looked down to farming fields and over to Tsukuba mountain. It was my first hike after buying a new pack -- a 40-liter purple Osprey -- which I am learning to love. ^_^

Following the stream, views and cutenekko at the summit: 

The best part of this tour was our lunch -- we made cheese fondue!! Everyone had to bring some vegetables or bread, etc for the feast. It was incredible. Dessert was prepared and taught by my hiking friend Ms. S; she showed everyone how to make roasted marshmallows -- a rare treat in Japan. ^_^ I was too happy eating the caramelized gooey goodies.

Preparing the fondue, roasting marshmallows, 

a happy cutenekko, more hiking:

The unique feature of Houkyouzan was the view -- on a clear day, hikers would be treated to Mt. Fuji in the distance. Alas, on our day, despite the sunny skies, we couldn't see the country's prized mountain.

Sign posts explaining where Fuji can be found, more route markers,

a city map for hikers: 

Rather than hail a taxi back, we took the local bus to the station. Walking past farmer fields, we got great view looking back at Houkyouzan....

View of Houkyouzan, our bus stop, 

empty rice fields: 

Even though it was late March, the weather during this hike was perfect -- sunny skies and 25 degrees Celsius. Between May to July, leeches are a big problem in the mountains of Japan, so I'll show one more mountain before taking a break from hiking for the next few months.

I hope you enjoyed scenery from Ibaraki prefecture.. check in again to see more of Japan. ^_^

~ Information ~

Houkyouzan is located near Tsukuba city, in Ibaraki prefecture. 

Access:
From Akihabara, take the Tsukuba express to Tsukuba city. Travel time: approx. 1 hour. From Tsukuba station, you can take a local bus or taxi to Tsukuba mountain or Houkyouzan. If you take a taxi, be sure to share with other hikers. The ride is 20 minutes and will cost ¥4,000 ($40) one way. 

This mountain is an easy hike under tree cover; it's good for beginners. Trails are wide and well signposted. Have fun! 

Map:  HERE  (PDF) * Our group took route #5 up and route #6 down.  
Wiki page: HERE (日本語）