No problem Judith! Thanks for checking out the video. It really is a fun (but long) route. Just save it for a clear day with good visibility as you can get good Minami Alps views in addition to Fuji.

Haha thanks! I filmed this one last spring but it has taken me forever it finally get it edited.

Some of those are probably mine that I lost!

Dibs!

Those are some great additional points. Cheers for taking the time to watch and comment.

Ah yes - the protective stowaway coverings are a good recommendation. I sometimes see hikers on the train who have their poles in a completely different bag attached to their backpack.

Thanks for checking out the video Judith! I actually never used trekking poles until coming down off a 5 day trek of Daisetsusan with a full pack toward Tokachi Onsen and my knees were killing me. After that it was no looking back. Good point about the baskets - totally forgot about those. On my last hike my friend lost a cap and we spent 10 fruitless minutes digging through the soil trying to find it!

Oh nice! There are two famous Mount Hiuchi peaks in Japan (one in Oze and one near Myoko). I've climbed them both but would love to revisit one day with the camera gear.

I found the Kasagi area because I live relatively close to it, but finding the trail to the real summit was a little tricky, but my digital map and a small Japanese signpost showed me the way.

Many thanks

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!

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.

After you finish the Tokai Shizen Hodo you'll just have to do the Chugoku Shizen Hodo!

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!