Parc Georges Valbon (aka Parc de la Courneuve) is a huge park (417 ha) in Seine-Saint-Denis. After my visit to the Basilica of Saint-Denis, I walked to the park and spent the rest of the day there, until sunset. The weather was really nice and the park looked great in fall colors.
Mount Royal (Mont Royal) is a small mountain in Montreal, immediately west of downtown. It is the site of Mount Royal Park, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and the city’s largest park.
Above, Mount Royal seen from the observatory of Au Sommet Place Ville-Marie. The Belvédère Kondiaronk, on the left, offers a great view on the city. The Mount Royal Cross can be seen on the right.
Kyu-Furukawa Garden is a park in Kita City, Tokyo. The park includes an old western-style building designed by architect Josiah Conder, a rose garden, and a traditional Japanese-style garden.
Lake Tama is an artificial lake in Higashiyamato City, in western Tokyo, right at the border with Saitama Prefecture. It was formed by damming up a river running through the Sayama valley, a project started in 1916 and completed in 1927. The lake now serves as a water reservoir for the residents of Tokyo.
The lake is surrounded by parks and forests and there is a popular cycling course extending from Nishitokyo City to Lake Tama. North of the lake towards Lake Sayama lies the Seibu Dome, home of the Saitama Seibu Lions baseball team. Also worthy of a visit are the buddhist Yamaguchi Kannon Konjoin (山口観音 金乗院) and Sayama Fudoson (狭山不動尊) temples.
Koishikawa Korakuen Garden is in Koishikawa, Bunkyo, Tokyo, next to Tokyo Dome City. It is one of two surviving Edo period clan gardens in modern Tokyo and one of the oldest and best preserved parks in Tokyo.
Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden is a large park in Tokyo that blends the French, English and Japanese styles of gardens.
After getting down from Mount Buko, instead of directly going back to Tokyo, I made a quick detour by Nagatoro, north of Chichibu City. The area is famous for the Iwadatami Rocks, next to the Arakawa River. It is possible to ride a traditional Japanese boat through rapids but I was too late for that. However, fall colors were in full swing. The other attraction of the area is Mount Hodo, a 497m high mountain. There is a ropeway to the summit about 20min from the Iwadatami Rocks. I arrived just in time to watch the sunset.
After reaching Lake Okutama at the end of the Mukashi Michi trail, I spent some time on the Ogouchi Dam itself. I then walked in the area north-west of the dam: There are some nice view points of the lake. Finally, I ended the day by hiking up Mount Kurato (倉戸山). However, the view at the summit was blocked by trees so it was a bit of a letdown. I also managed to get lost on the way down… Another option would have been to walk the combined Ikoi trail (奥多摩湖いこいの路 ; literally “Lake Okutama Relax Trail”) + Lakeside Path (湖畔の小道), two easy trails that follow the south bank of the lake all the way from the dam to the so-called Drum Bridge (a floating bridge), near the Ogouchi Shrine.
Okutama Mukashi Michi (literally “Okutama’s Old Road”) is a 9km path that roughly follows the Tama River from Okutama Station (the last stop of the Ome Line) to Ogouchi Dam and Lake Okutama. It used to be the main road in the area, until 1945 when the new road, which had been constructed originally for transporting material for the construction of Ogouchi Dam, became open to the public. Nowadays, the Mukashi Michi is a popular walking course that goes through mountain trails and paved roads, passing by suspension bridges, shrines and waterfalls along the way and offering a great view on the surrounding mountains, especially now with autumn colors near their peak.
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”).