Return to Shizuhara - the obsession continues.

   It was a wrong turn at this junction that denied me my 4th summit of the day, the last time I was in this area (Return to Shizuhara). And, if I hadn't been so pigheaded, when I realized my mistake, I could have u-turned and easily got back on track.
   As I have an obsessive disposition, I wasn't going to let this rest and immediately put into plan my return. My research revealed another couple of summits that required my attention - Mt Ryuodake and Mt Amagadake - along with a couple of unnamed peaks. My course would also include a few previously conquered summits - Mt Suitaiyama, Mt Konpirayama and Mt Hyotankuzureyama. 

Map Location.

     I disembarked from my train at the Kibuneguchi Station, a popular destination for tourists and hikers, who come to check-out the settlement of Kibune, and it's many attractions, and also to hike the Kibune to Kurama Trail. My destination was in the other direction, a kilometer along route-38, where this collection of stone religious icons signified the commencement of my track.

    With the track just a few meters away, I couldn't help wondering if the icons had some attachment to the course I was about to endeavor. Well this section anyway.
    

   For the next 30-minutes the track would ascend 240 meters in a steep, zig-zagging fashion, on it's way to my first summit of the day - Mt Ryuodake. Having payed close attention to the weather forecast, and the predicted high temperatures, I had already worked-up a sweat and was looking forward to taking-on some cold water and my first banana of the day. It had been three hours since I consumed breakfast.
   From Ryuodake the track would follow a ridge-line for a few hundred meters before descending onto the Yakkouzaka-togi Pass.

Map Location.

                                                          The pass is part of the 'Tokaido Road' and the 'Kyoto Trail' and is very popular with members of the hiking community, having passed-through here three times myself in recent times. The most recent a month ago. 

                                                                                                                      
   Thirty minutes after leaving Yakkouzaka-togi I arrived at my second summit, - Mt Toyamine (525m). This is the one I missed-out on conquering during my last outing into the area, so I felt some vindication for my pig-headiness upon my arrival. 

   And, 10-minutes further on, 'that' junction. The one where it all went wrong. I felt like giving the sign a kick but, as I still had a long way to go, I didn't want to risk injury to my foot. So instead I made a physical gesture to the sign and carried on my happy way. I was aware that my track was taking me along a ridge-line, at the same time gradually ascending. From Toyamine to my next summit - Mt Amagadake - was a difference of over 200m. All throughout from my departure from Yakkouzaka-togi, I was very impressed with how well signposted the track was and, looking at the condition of the track, a well beaten track at that.  

Map Location.

   Three hours after leaving Kibuneguchi Station, I had arrived at the highest point of my planned hike - Mt Amagadake (788m). And what a relief it was. I was knackered, hungry, and every stitch of clothing I was wearing, was soaked with sweat. But I was content. From here on it was all downhill, with a few undulations just to make the day interesting.
   Once the obligatory photo opps' had been gotten out of the way, I found a nice soft piece of ground to plant myself, take-out the flask and lunch-box and relax. Well, that was the idea. Just as I was about to take-off my boots I noticed a large red stain on my socks. Signs that a leech had been feeding on my blood supply. Thankfully he hadn't consumed too much and I was able to remove him before he became bloated. How-the-hell these worms manage to make their way to my ankle, while I am on the move, is a source of fascination for me. But, as I had a hot coffee waiting to be consumed, I wasn't going to dwell on it any longer.

   After leaving Amagadake, and a disappointing lunch - I say disappointing, as my bread-sticks were dry and stale, the bananas were soft & mushy - my track descended to this junction. At this point I could choose to cut my day short and emerge at the settlement of Ohara, and a bus back to Kyoto, or continue on. I chose to continue as I knew, just a way up ahead, was a fresh water spring where I could replenish my water supply. But, before that . . . .

. . . . Mt Suitaiyama (577m). The track took me over the summit but, to get here, I had several undulations to contend myself with which left me feeling very parched. All I had left to drink was one more cup-of-coffee, but I was leaving that for my arrival at the Kotohira Shingu Shrine.
   Before that though, I had more undulations, then Mt Konpirasan. The track bypassed the summit - the summit is a 10-minute detour from the junction - and, as I have been here before, I wasn't going to tire myself by returning.

Kotohira Shingu Shrine was a welcome site.

   As it is here I could replenish my water supply from the small spring behind the shrine. It is reputed the water has special healing powers. But, before that, one last cafe au-lait and bread rolls. As the second flask was being filled, I managed to consume most of the first flask. I was that parched.

    Leaving Kotohira Shingu, my track emerged at this concrete Torii on the edge of route-40. Here I crossed the road and, a few meters on . . . .

. . . . my next junction. From this angle it looked very steep, and I began to question my decision as to whether I should continue. My map told me this next segment would take 90-minutes. I decided to stick with my plan. I was pleasantly surprised that the ascent was only a few minutes before arriving at another ridge-line.

   I was even more overjoyed when, just over an hour later, I arrived at the junction to Mt Hyotankuzureyama. Like Konpirasan, I decided to forgo returning to the summit and instead descended into the settlement of Iwakura.

   
   Soon after leaving the junction I encountered my first, and only, Jizo of the day. Although it looks quite large in the image, actually it is small and easily missed.

   With the sounds of the city ringing below me, I began to feel excited that my day was nearing it's end. How wrong I was. My descent was boring, and dangerous to say the least - 300m over 2km. Nearly 8-hours after arriving at the start, it took me the best part of an hour to reach this junction on the outskirts of Iwakura. I still had a good walk of about 3km before reaching a bus-stop and onto Demachiyanage Station. Followed by a train ride and ending with another bus ride before reaching home.

    As soon as I arrived home, and removed my boots & socks, I made a beeline to the fridge and opened a good cold can of beer. It was sooooo nice. I was tempted to open a second but I didn't want to tempt fate. Especially on an empty stomach.

   Looking back on the G.P.S. data, the course was just on 28km long. I wouldn't recommend doing this during the summer months, unless you had plenty of fluid. There were a couple of good views, but mostly I was surrounded by forest.


   Before I sign-off, I want to share some images of the many fungi I encountered along the way. Many I haven't seen before . . . .

   

So, until next time,

Sayonara.

   Course details - https://ridewithgps.com/trips/16039932. I can't guarantee           the accuracy of the course due to the poor internet reception in some areas. 

Return to Shizuhara.

   The original title for this post was going to be the names of the four mountains I planned to conquer on this trip, but only two of them had names (only one had a peg marking the summit), one I wasn't quiet sure whether I was at the summit (although it was confirmed once I downloaded the GPS data) and the fourth I missed due to me taking the wrong track (the story of my life). So the title 'Return to Shizuhara' is appropriate as I was to spend most of the day in the area.

Map Location.

   After a two-hour x two bus and one train ride, I arrived at the Hanajiri Bridge, on the outskirts of the settlement of Ohara. Five minutes was all the time I required to set-up my GPS recorder and camera and, as I wasn't sure how much time I needed to complete today's course, I was eager be on my way.

   After weaving my way through some residential lanes I soon arrived at the commencement of my track. A tall wire gate was my first obstacle but, after a gentle shove, I was through and on-my-way. Immediately after I was in for a shock - I was confronted by the ugly sight of a concrete lane and felled trees. My first thought was that my track would no longer exist and I would have to look for another destination to explore. But, a few hundred meters on, passing more felled trees and a couple of excavators, my track reappeared. Phew. 

   I was now back in my favorite environment and eager to put the past behind me and ascend my first summit. 

   A signpost, giving me directions, conformed I was on the right track - no pun intended. Although written in Kanji I was able to recognize the characters from my research.

   A little further-on I arrived at this junction. The track to my first summit was straight ahead, with the track to the right leading to the settlement of Iwakura, signifying I would be returning here.

Map Location.

    Almost exactly an hour after stepping-off the bus at the Hanajiri Bridge, I had arrived at Mt Hyotankuzureyama, and my first summit of the day. Although the summit was surrounded by dense forest, I was able to catch glimpses of life 532m below. To the south was (Mt)Hieizan, towering over the settlement of Yase. To the north, Ohara and, to the west, the settlement of Iwakura.

  

   My descent back to the earlier junction only took 5-minutes and onto my next destination - Shizuhara. But first I had to pass through Iwakura.

   As I was about to emerge from the forest, my nose picked-up the smell of freshly-baked bread and, to my utter surprise, was this bakery. I have a weak constitution when it comes to freshly-baked bread so I needed to press-on before temptation got the better of me.

Map Location.

   
   My stroll through Iwakura was uneventful, except for an encounter I had with several kindergarten staff and their young charges, who were taking a walk into the rural outback to view the recently planted rice-fields. While I was taking this photo a fellow hiker approached with news that, just a few days ago, when he was hiking in this area, he encountered a mother and her two bear cubs, and warned me to be on the lookout for them. Great. That's all I needed.

   On the next section, I encountered these two interesting collections of Buddhist Icons. Always on the lookout for these, I am amazed at the isolated locations I stumble-across them.

   No sooner had I re-entered the forest, I was to emerge at this junction, and familiar terrain. It was about 6-weeks ago I passed-through this junction as I descended from Mt Minouragatake, on my four peaks hike.

Map Location.

   From the junction I made a beeline to the Shizuhara-jinja Shrine and, after 3-hours on the move, the opportunity for a bite-to-eat. I also wanted to use the opportunity to air my feet and check my map. From this point I had two options and I needed to choose which was the best. 

   I chose the nearer of the two, which took me past the Naritosan Amida Temple and around the rear of  Shizuhara-jinja. My information, for this next segment, and my second summit, would take about 40-minutes and, judging by the contours on my map, it was going to be steep. So, as the temperature was getting hotter, and I had a stomach full of food, I decided to slow my pace. I was doing good time and in no hurry. It was steep, but only took me 30-minutes.

   

   Summit number-2 of the day, if it was the summit - I took a look-around and found no marker-peg or notice - was to be an introduction into some local history. Mt Shirotaniyama (474m) was the location of Seihara-jo Castle, and home to Miyoshi Nagayoshi (1522-1564), a Japanese Samurai and Daimyo who was lord of the Miyoshi Clan during the Sengoku Period. It is not quite clear when the castle was established. Some say between 1469-to-1486, while others say between 1492-to-1501. 

   For the following 30-minutes my track would undulate along a ridge-line until I arrived at this junction. It was here I would detour to conquer my third summit, and unbeknown to me at the time, my last. 

  

    
    



   The track, if there was one, was sparsely marked with a variety of colors of tape which made it confusing. So I decided to head uphill in the hope of finding a marker. Reaching a plateau I came to the conclusion that this was a summit - later to be confirmed when I checked the GPS data - that was completely covered by trees. After the obligatory photo-opp I decided to descent to the junction and continue on my way. Easier said than done. Somehow I managed to head in the opposite direction and, after pausing to calculate where I was, I was soon back in familiar terrain.

  Another undulating plateau and, 30-minutes later, another junction. It was at this point where I made my mistake, denying me the opportunity to knock-off summit number-4. A sign, pointing to the Kurama Station, is the one I should have taken but, at the time, I felt it was too soon and proceeded straight ahead. 

Map Location.

   The result being, I completed a loop and emerged at the settlement of Shizuhara. Needless-to-say, I wasn't a happy-chappy. In front of me was the Yakkouzaka Pass and Kurama and,to add insult-to-injury, I had to pass the junction where I would have emerged, if I had taken the correct track.

   I was surprised, when I emerged at Kurama, how quiet the settlement was. With Kyoto City, and it's environs, becoming the top tourist destination in the world, normally this place is humming with people. I wasn't complaining. All I wanted to do was get to the station, hop-on a train, and relax for the 30-minute ride to Demachiyanagi. But, before then, I had to purchase the obligatory Omiyagi. 

   With the next train 20-minutes away, I had time to take one last photo with this giant Tengu (that's me on the left). Since my return I have perused my map of the area and have decided on a return visit to check-out the segment of track I missed, plus try my luck at another couple of mountains in the area. Mt Amagadake (map location) being one of them.

                                                                  Until next time,

                                                                                 Sayonara. 

Course details and images - https://ridewithgps.com/trips/15340681

Video - https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=juaEqPrnrvg
 

The Kyoto Trail - Route-61 to Ohara.

Map Location.

   It's about 6-weeks ago that I emerged from the bush onto route-61, after completing the 'Kiyotaki to Route-61' segment of the 'Kyoto Trail'. My original plan had been to return much sooner but, thanks to the elements, in this instance the unseasonal weather, I had to delay this segment. The weather today though was perfect - partly cloudy skies, a light breeze and warm - and, after two hours of travelling to get here, I was keen to get on my way.

   Today's course would take me over Mt Mukou to the Yanaki-toge Pass, where I would descend into the settlement of Ninose. From here I follow route-38 to the town of Kurama before heading-into the hills again, and the Yakko-zaka Pass. My descent would bring me to the settlement of Shizuhara, before re-entering the forest for the last time. At the end I would emerge at Ohara and a bus trip to Demachiyanage Station.

   My departure point was close to the confluence of the Kurama and Kamo Rivers. I was wary of the heavy rain the day before and, crossing the river, evidence of how heavy it had been was obvious. I was also conscience that the terrain might be just as hazardous.

   Soon the sounds of the roaring river were behind me then, after crossing a couple of streams, I was about to encounter my first hill-climb of the day. It was quite steep but very-well maintained, as can be seen in this image. As I was in no hurry, I didn't push myself but, with the thick outdoor jacket I was wearing, I was beginning to sweat and huff-and-puff.

   After 10-minutes I arrived at this bench and the opportunity to shed the jacket and take in the views below, before continuing. As I made my way up towards Mt Mukou I encountered more rest sites, offering more vistas of the north-western suburbs of Kyoto City. Arriving at the summit I immediately realized that I had been here before - a couple of years ago, while hiking from Kumogahata to Ninose, I took a side track to Mt Mukou and, upon arrival, placed it on my 'must return' list, to see where it emerged. So, unbeknown to me, here I was.

  

Map Location.

   Ten minutes later I arrived at the Yonaki-toge Pass, where I would join the Tokaido Road, and we would stay together until we reached Ohara. The descent into the settlement of Ninose would be steep and zigzaggy and care would be needed. 

Map Location.

  


   At the base of the hill is the Moriya-jinja Shrine, and an opportunity to take a break before moving on. Recent storms had left it's mark on the complex and the two trees that were responsible for causing the damage were still evident. I have a huge respect for the elements, but it's at times like this I wish it wouldn't cause so much damage. Leaving the shrine, I crossed the Eizan Rail-Line that would run parallel with me until I reached Kurama, and passed through the settlement of Ninose.

Crossing a bridge, I saw many  Sakura in the final stages of shedding their bloom before the green leaves took over. Being in Japan at this time of year is a delight, especially when celebrating Hanami. 

   Just up the road from Ninose, at the junction of routes 38 & 361, is this giant vermilion-colored Torii signifying the entrance to the area known as Kibune and the Kifune-jinja Shrine. This is a popular area for tourists and there is a track that takes you over a hill, linking Kubune to Kurama. But that is a day-trip on it's own. Unless you have the time & energy, then check the area out.

Map Location.

    Next stop is Kurama but, before passing-through, I call into the Kurama Station area and pay my respects to this giant Tengu. It's quite a greeting to those that have just alighted the train and is a very popular photo opportunity.
   A hundred meters up from the entrance to the Kurama-dera Temple is my next turn-off and a return to the hills and forest I so enjoy hiking in.

   
   Immediately after crossing a bridge is this noticeboard, with course map and a warning of the possibility of one encountering bears. The map is the course the 'Tokaodo Road' takes but, as the 'Kyoto Trail' is encompassed within the 'road, it serves a dual purpose. As the area is a popular hiking destination, there are many tracks within the area, and one has to pay attention to staying on the right path. Like I didn't. A track, running parallel to mine - or so I thought - took me in another direction and, through sheer luck, I managed to rejoin my course.

   

  



   All wasn't lost though. I did manage to encounter a couple of photo opportunities during my short detour, along with providing the impetus to return and check-out other tracks in the area.

Map Location.

   My short & steep climb to the plateau, was followed by an equally short & steep descent where I emerged overlooking the settlement of Shizuhara, and a well deserved lunch-break. Having passed-through the area on bike, I knew where I was in relation to where I was going and I was doing good time. So I was in no hurry to move-on.

   Sitting on the Kagura-den, at the Shizuhara-jinja Shrine, was the perfect location to have my break. The location provided ideal vistas overlooking the settlement and surrounding countryside. While sitting here I was soon joined by a fellow outdoorholic, who had just hiked from the Demachyanagi area of Kyoto, over the mountain in front of us, and decided to take-a-break at the shrine. From here he was heading to Kurama, where he would catch the train and eventually home. For a seventy-year-old, he had accomplished a lot during his hiking career and, after 20-years, had just completed the 'Kansai Hyakumeizan' (100-mountains in the Kansai Region). Quite a feat.

   Regretfully it was time to move on. My new-found friend was a very interesting fellow hiker and I could have talked and compared hikes longer. As I made my way out of Shizuhara I passed this interesting garden display. The things one encounters on their journeys.

   Soon my path left the sealed road and
I was back into familiar territory - dirt track, ambling stream, trees & more trees.

  








    15-minutes after leaving the sealed road of route-40, I was to rejoin it at this secluded shrine, and a Sakura still in full bloom. From this point my track follows the road for a hundred meters, but a track passing-through the concrete Torii, takes one to the summit of Mt Konpira and down into Ohara. I am now convinced that a return trip here is on the cards - watch this space.

   The final off-road segment was a gradual descent through a forest that followed this meandering stream, before emerging on the outskirts of Ohara. In front of me was the mountain range that borders Kyoto and Shiga Prefectures and is famous for such mountains as Mt Hiei, Mt Mizui and Mt Obi, to name a few. Passing through some farming plots - mainly vegetables - I arrived at this collection of signposts. It was at this point the 'Tokaido 

Map Location.

Road' and the 'Kyoto Trail' parted company, both heading in opposite directions. The signage was a bit confusing and required some serious thought and, after one failed attempt, I soon resumed my planned course. 

Map Location.

   By now I began to sense the days hike was nearing it's end. A bridge took me across the Takano River then up a narrow lane and, there in front of me, was post number-24, at the junction with route-367. Five-and-a-quarter hours, and eleven-point-five kilometers after leaving route-61, I had reached my goal. The bus-timetable across the road told me I had 10-minutes before the next bus, enough time to reflect on my day. 

    Looking through the images of my trip, like this one on the right, I realize how privileged I was to have experienced such beautiful scenery and of the lone hiker I met at the Shizuhara Shrine.

   As I compose this post my mind is working on a plan to return to the area and, hopefully, that trip won't be too far away. And that will be another post. So, until then . . . .

                                                                        Sayonara.

   Video - https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=bCoYOLBlpzo

   Course details and images - https://ridewithgps.com/trips/14055518