The gorge certainly was gorgeous, but going down that thing gave me flashbacks to Jyatani.

yes, but hopefully some well-fed bears!

Thanks for watching. In the end, it was worth the effort.

Cheers for checking out the video. I had just found out about these filters myself recently so thought I would test them out.

Good eye. I wasn't at his place but just going through my wardrobe for shirts I haven't worn in my videos yet.

Good idea!

My pleasure!

That's a very good question. Your best bet would be to hire a private taxi (you can usually book in advance if you call the taxi company directly in Japanese). Gifu Kintetsu Taxi offers service up to the top of the Ibukiyama Driveway from Sekigahara station: www.gifu-kintetsu.co.jp/taxi/sekigahara/

Oh thanks for letting me know the name of the plant! Yes, I've seen them around a lot and didn't know they were butterbur. I'll remember that for sure. Yes, it was an uguisu. There were quite a few birds up there actually.

@@hikinginjapan Thank you for your kind message. I live in Hokkaido and it was nice to see this route, as this mountain is not particularly well known. I'm not sure you have them on Honshu, but you can often see ezo-raicho (hazel grouse) in the mountains. Two large species of woodpecker (akagera and oo-akagera) are also relatively easy to spot. If you're ever in the Sapporo area, I'd be happy to show you up a mountain. My favorite is Soranuma-dake, where the trail follows a brook past two alpine lakes to a summit that affords views of the Pacific, the Sea of Japan, Lake Shikotsu and Mt. Yotei. The upper lake is great for a swim. The winter route is amazing for snowshoeing as well.

Oh, I was wondering if the typhoon would affect the access! We went up there at the end of August and had relatively good weather. The view up there on a clear day is spectacular.

No problem. Just passing along the latest information as much as I can.

Yeah, the scenery definitely looks much better once you appreciate it from afar!

Open ridges are the best (except in the rain, cold wind, thunderstorms, and blizzards). That microwave antenna does resemble a giant drive-in screen. Bring your own projector and generator

Thanks. It's a lovely little pond.

I'll definitely check out Koma jinja next time. You'll love the Otokozaka rock formations and the views just below the summit shrine.

@@hikinginjapan I'm thinking to go soon if I can. It's an hour by car to the trailhead. Maybe I can go early in the morning and be back in time to prepare breakfast for the late sleepers.

@@musicisajourney Well, if you do go soon then perhaps you can pick up my pair of sunglasses that I accidentally forgot at the water basin at the entrance to the Otokozaka!

@@hikinginjapan Maybe I can. You might just get an early morning message and photo from me in the next two or three days.

Thanks. Yes, summer hiking in the lowlands isn't much fun in Japan unless you love heat and humidity.

No cable car. We went from Yabitsu-toge (ヤビツ峠)

All of those stone steps will surely make you stoned.

Thanks. Much appreciated.

Summer hiking is fun if you can stay in the shade and near a water source to cool off!

Cheers. I'll do my best.

Many thanks!

Thanks!

Thanks. I wish I didn't have so much first-hand experience with hay fever, but at least I know a lot about it!

Close. It's more like 67% but there's definitely a lot of forested mountains once you get out of the cities

You can catch a bus from Hirayu bus terminal, which is a short walk from Hirayu no Mori.

Thanks 😀

Thanks. It's a great hike. Just wish the air was a bit cleaner!

Yeah, the forests are really nice. We were expecting the haze in the spring, but not in the middle of winter. Been a strange year weatherwise.

Yes, it was a great hike. Hopefully we can have round 2 during Golden Week if you come down to Kansai.

Thanks!

Ah yes, I have experienced the same thing. Perhaps I should have mentioned to open your kairo at the bottom of the mountain instead of on the cold summit!

Thanks. Japan has lots of secrets waiting to be unlocked if you can read and understand the langauge!

It's a nice little mountain that doesn't seem to get much foot traffic for some reason.

Thanks for checking out my video. I'll put a link to the map in the description. I used the Japanese app YAMAP but I also found a map on All Trails.

Yes, it was from our misadventure.

Thanks. Japan misses you too!

Thanks!

There are a lot of complicated recipes online but this one was one of the easiest (as long as you don't run out of ingredients!)

Thanks. Autumn is a great hiking season in Japan.

Much appreciated!

Cheers. Will be fine in a couple of weeks, just in time for a New Year's hike!

Indeed. Not fun in the middle of summer but great on an autumn day.

Cheers for checking out the latest video. I was looking for an "easy" mountain in Nara to climb, and of course I made it hard on myself by climbing all 3 + the extra hill in Asuka!

Cheers for reading the book chapter. Yeah, I should put together that list. There are quite a few underwhelming mountains in Japan!