Glimpses of Japan

As practicing hiking as my hobby, Mt. Nabewari was one of my top-list of trails that I had been willing to visit someday. Mt. Nabewari is not famous for its trails nor shrines; it's known for a hot bowl of udon noodles served at the rest house at the peak of the mountain. I waited until the beginning of December to fully enjoy a warm bowl of udon and leeches. Tanzawa Mountain Range, which includes Mt. Nabewari, is a habitat of leeches, and I heard many people bit by leeches during summer.  So I decided to hike Mt. Nabewari on the first Saturday in December 2020. The weather forecast was sunny, but it turned out to be rain, which made it a tough hike.  I left my house at 4:40 AM to catch the earliest bus from Odakyu Line Shibusawa Station to Okura Bus Stop. Okura Bus Stop is the most common bus stop to hike Mt. Nabewari.  There is a building with a shop, benches, and restrooms near the bus stop where hikers can prepare to start hiking. You can also submit hiking registrati...

Yamadera, its official name is Risshakuji Temple, is a temple located in Yamagata prefecture. Yamadera literally means “mountain temple.” As the name describes, Yamadera stands along the steep mountain, and there are 1,015 steps towards the main building “Okunoin.” It is pretty much work to go up such number of stairs in a mountain. However, it turned out to be the best temple I have ever visited. About Yamadera Yamadera was founded in AD860 (it’s surprising, over a thousand years ago!) by the priest Jikaku Daishi. Yamadera is also known for a visit by the famous poet Matsuo Basho. He composed one of his most famous poems here in Yamadera. Basho’s original work is buried here under the stone. Once you get off the Yamadera Station, you will see a map. The map shows the way to the mountain entrance, and the path is pretty clear, so I think there is no worry about getting lost. It’s about 5 minutes walk from the station. The map of Yamadera and around the area in front of the statio...