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!

Snow videos

From Li Kun 

Sharing some video highlights from our road trip to Aomori, Hirosaki, and Yamagata!

The weather wasn't great during this trip, so I didn't prepare our route.
But if you're curious about any of the places featured in the videos, feel free to ask me anytime!

I'm not sure why, but the videos and photos I uploaded couldn't be viewed.
After trying to upload them several times without success, I eventually gave up.

Climbing a snow-covered mountain — by far the most thrilling and dangerous experience I've ever had!

 From Li Kun

Hiking and mountain climbing are my two favorite ways to travel!

Of course, I'm just an amateur with no professional training, so I had never even considered climbing a snow-covered mountain in winter.

But when my friend suggested we try it just for fun, I was immediately intrigued.、

We carefully planned our climb of Mt. Tanigawa and made sure to purchase the necessary gear in advance.
Looking back, I feel that the most essential equipment was the crampons and trekking poles.

One important note: the trekking poles used in snowy conditions are slightly different from the regular ones used for normal hiking.

In the end, my two friends and I successfully conquered the snow-covered mountain!
However, it's important to keep in mind: even with good equipment, choosing a clear and stable weather day is absolutely crucial, especially for first-time snow climbers.

If you also love traveling — not just hiking and mountain climbing — feel free to reach out to me!

By the way, I'm writing this blog to practice my English as well.
At first, my friend Wey pointed out that a lot of my writing sounded like "Chinglish," and suggested I try using AI.
So, for these two blog posts, I actually wrote them with the help of ChatGPT (lol).

A week’s trip at New Year

 From Li Kun.

Recently, I prepared my slides for the Spring Meeting and summarized my New Year holiday trip.

It was truly a breathtaking snowy landscape!

The route of my trip was as follows:

                  

I drove my car equipped with snow tires throughout the entire trip.
During the New Year holiday, there’s no need to worry about road conditions as long as your car is fitted with snow tires. 

We were very lucky — although it rained during parts of our trip, the weather always cleared up when we arrived at each destination.
We also didn’t encounter any heavy snowstorms.
Among all the places I visited that week, my favorite was Shin-Hotaka.
Taking the ropeway up the mountain, we were able to admire the breathtaking sight of snow-covered cedar trees.

I also loved Shirakawa-go and Togakushi Shrine!
Each place has its own unique charm, making it hard to rank them.
In Shirakawa-go, I truly felt as if I had traveled back in time to ancient Japan.
At Togakushi Shrine, the towering ancient trees left me in awe, allowing me to experience the overwhelming power of nature firsthand.