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Summary of Hiking Activities (May 2025 – February 2026)

 From Li Kun

伊吹山（いぶきやま）は滋賀県最高峰（1,377m）

Mount Ibuki is located near Nagoya, and it is possible to drive most of the way up the mountain. From the parking area, it only takes about ten to twenty minutes of hiking to reach the summit. On clear days, you can see Lake Biwa from the top. The scenery at the summit is not particularly distinctive, but you can observe wild animals and hear birdsong. It is a very suitable place for people who are interested in plants and wildlife.

赤城山

Mount Akagi is located relatively close to Tokyo, and it takes about two and a half hours to drive there from Tsukuba. Although it does not have particularly distinctive scenery, it is still a good place for hiking.

富士山

Mount Fuji needs no introduction. This time, I completed the climb and descent in a single day, taking about 11 hours in total.

日光白根山（にっこうしらねさん）は、栃木県と群馬県の県境に位置する標高2,578mの火山で、関東地方の最高峰です。

Mount Nikkō-Shirane is the highest peak in the Kantō region, but the hiking difficulty is not very high. You can also see a volcanic crater lake, which is quite spectacular. I highly recommend it.

白馬八方尾根（八方池）

Nagano is beautiful in all four seasons. However, I did not have much time then and only had one day available for hiking and enjoying the autumn scenery, so I eventually chose to go to Happo Pond. The visibility was best in the morning, but during the hike it kept changing, sometimes clear and sometimes foggy. When we arrived at Happo Pond, the visibility was still acceptable. However, in less than half an hour, the area around the pond was completely covered by fog, and the visibility dropped to only about two or three meters. Fortunately, I was still able to enjoy the autumn scenery.

黒斑山（くろふやま）は、長野県と群馬県にまたがる標高2,404mの山で、活火山・浅間山の第1外輪山の最高峰です。

I visited Mount Kurofu in July 2025. Before going, I did not expect the scenery at the summit to be so beautiful. During most of the hike, the views were fairly ordinary—just a typical mountain trail through the forest. However, once we reached the summit (or close to it), the landscape suddenly opened up. From Mount Kurofu, we could overlook Mount Asama.

The view was truly breathtaking. It was also the first time I experienced the atmosphere of a volcano in early summer. Mount Asama is an active volcano, and from that vantage point you can see the entire slope from the base to the summit. The greenery appears in beautiful layers, creating a very striking landscape.

Highly recommended.

草津白根山頂にある湯釜は、直径約300m、水深約30mの神秘的なエメラルドグリーンの火口湖で、世界有数の酸性湖です。周囲は白い岩肌の月面のような風景ですが、活火山であり、噴火警戒レベル2の規制により2025年現在も周辺への立ち入りや見学はできません。

Currently, climbing to Yugama is prohibited, although the scenery there is very beautiful.

北横岳（きたよこだけ）は、長野県の八ヶ岳連峰北部にある標高2,480mの山。

I visited Kitayokodake this January. Although there was snow, the hike was not very difficult. The scenery was fairly good.

Okutama – Hiking Around Tokyo

From Li Kun.

The last time I hiked in Okutama was back in August 2023. This May, I returned with a friend—and as always, spring has a way of making everything feel fresh and alive.

I first hiked from Kori Station (古里駅) to Okutama Station (奧多摩駅) in mid-August 2023. This May, I started from Hatonosu (鳩ノ巣駅), passed through Okutama Station, and went all the way to Lake Okutama (奥多摩湖).

But honestly, the Kori to Okutama stretch still wins in terms of scenery. If you're short on time, you won't miss too much by skipping the part between Okutama Station and the lake.

I heard that some people have seen bears around Okutama, but I was lucky—only ran into a few monkeys.

On the way back, at a highway rest stop, I was listening to Teresa Teng’s album. Even though she passed away in 1995, I still love her music. I’ve always heard she was very popular in Japan decades ago, but when I asked some younger Japanese folks, none of them had heard of her.

If I don’t know the name of a flower, I just call it a “nameless flower.”       (名無しの花)

The water here is such a vivid green! I’d love to take a boat out on it.

福島

 From Li Kun.

To most people, Fukushima is primarily known for its nuclear power plant. However, its scenic landscapes also deserve attention.

At the end of April, I went on a trip to Fukushima with my friend. We mainly visited Lake Inawashiro (猪苗代湖), Mount Bandai (磐梯山), and Mount Issaikyo (一切経山). Unfortunately, the weather during our visit wasn't very good—it was either windy or rainy—so the experience on the road wasn't the best. Still, we were deeply impressed by the breathtaking scenery.

From the top of Mount Issaikyo, I got my first full view of a volcanic crater: the striking Azuma-Kofuji (吾妻小富士).

Standing atop Azuma-Kofuji, I was struck by the vast, barren terrain that resembled a gobi desert—stark and beautiful in its own way.

                                                

 五色沼（魔女の瞳）

 Goshikinuma Pond (The Witch's Eye)

To my surprise, there was still a lot of snow on Mount Bandai, which made the hike quite challenging. Even more unexpectedly, I came across an abandoned onsen ryokan. It was closed down because the hot spring had run dry (from comment of google map).

Spring in Tsukuba

 From Li Kun.

This is my third spring in Japan, but I had never truly appreciated the springtime in Tsukuba. So this year, I decided to explore it.

農林さくら通り

By chance, I found a road lined with cherry blossoms on the map. There were quite a lot of people out enjoying the flowers, but I was lucky enough to be driving sports car of my friend — the atmosphere was absolutely perfect!

福岡堰さくら公園

Fukuokazeki Sakura Park

Kato recommended this park to me. Apparently, it's pretty popular around here.

This time, my friend brought a drone, and I got to try it out too — it was amazing! Walking along the cherry blossom road and viewing the blossoms from above felt completely different, each offering its own unique charm.

東蕗田天満社

Higashifukida Tenman Shrine

I stumbled upon this shrine by chance. When I showed it to my Japanese lab mates, it seemed like they hadn't heard of it either — probably because it's quite off the beaten path. But when I got there, I realized the nighttime cherry blossoms had attracted a crowd of photographers. Unfortunately, my camera and photography skills weren’t good enough to really capture the beauty.

A huge thanks to my friend, whose sports car and drone provided me with such a unique and exciting experience!