November 22, 2013

Hike in the Fuji 5 Lakes area: Lake Kawaguchi, Mount Ashiwada, Aokigahara Forest

A couple of weeks ago, I went on a day trip to Fujikawaguchiko, in Yamanashi Prefecture. The area is located on the north side of Mount Fuji, west of Tokyo, and is famous for being a great spot for watching the mountain. It also known under the name “Fuji Five Lakes” (after Lake Kawaguchi, Lake Sai, Lake Shoji, Lake Motosu and Lake Yamanaka). On top of the lakes, the area has mountains and swathes of woodland, the most well-known being Aokigahara Forest, also called the “Sea of trees” (and sometimes “Suicide Forest”).

November 20, 2013

Hike from Hatonosu Valley to Mount Mitake & Mount Hinode

After enjoying the Hatonosu Valley, I decided to hike the trail to Mount Mitake and Mount Hinode.

November 19, 2013

Hatonosu Valley / Otama Trail

The Otama Trail is in Okutama City, in Nishitama District, the westernmost area of Tokyo. It is a gentle path that follows the Tama River from Kori to Okutama through well-built trails, mountain roads and suspension bridges. I followed it for a short section, from Hatonosu to Shiromaru Dam. Autumn colors were not fully there yet but the sights were still great.

November 18, 2013

Black Tonkotsu Tsukemen at Ramen Nagi Noodle Bar in Kabukicho

Special Black Garlic Tsukemen.

November 15, 2013

Hike to Mount Oyama (Tanzawa Mountains)

Mount Oyama is a 1252m peak in the Tanzawa-Oyama Quasi-National Park, in Kanagawa Prefecture. I went there on a day trip a few weeks ago.

November 15, 2013

Jonanjima Seaside Park

After my visit to the Tokyo Port Wild Bird Park, I finished the day by walking to Jonanjima Seaside Park: It is a park bordering Tokyo Bay, directly across the water from Haneda Airport. Its position makes it a good spot for watching the planes landing at the airport: They are flying overhead every few minutes. There is also a beach (swimming forbidden though…) and a camping site.

November 12, 2013

Hike from Mount Takao to Mount Jinba in the rain

A few weeks ago, I went back to Mount Takao, in Hachioji City, in western Tokyo. This time, the objective was to hike all the way to Mount Jinba, passing through the summits of Mount Kobotoke-Shiroyama and Mount Kagenobu along the way. Although it started to rain quite heavily at some stage, I still had a great time.

November 11, 2013

Tokyo Port Wild Bird Park

The Tokyo Port Wild Bird Park (東京港野鳥公園) is a 24ha nature preserve built on reclaimed land in Tokyo Bay, just north of Haneda Airport. It was built as a habitat for resident and migrant birds.

November 4, 2013

Hakone Round Course

Last week, I went on a day trip to Hakone in Kanagawa Prefecture. The trip takes about 2h from Shinjuku Station in Tokyo using the Odakyu Line. There, I did the so-called Hakone Round Course (counter-clockwise), which involves going through the area using 5 modes of transportation (train, cablecar, ropeway, boat and bus), starting and ending at Hakone-Yumoto Station. Hakone offers great natural beauty, with mountains, a lake and the view of Mount Fuji, as well as historical sites, hot springs and museums, although I did not get to enjoy everything.

November 1, 2013

Showa Kinen Park in Tachikawa

Showa Kinen Park (aka Showa Memorial Park) is a large park (163ha) in Tachikawa City, Tokyo. Until the 4th of November, it is home to the Cosmos Flower Festival. It also offers many other interesting sights and activities.

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