February 1st Start&Finish: Ranzan Keikoku Sightseeing Carpark (嵐山渓谷観光駐車場) The weather: Sunny and surprisingly mild. Outfit/Equipment: Warm trousers, sport long sleeved top, stolen hooded sweatshirt (don’t tell my son), gloves. Map: I had our new hiking map of the area but mostly just followed the signs. Crowds: The occasional hiker and dog walker. Time: 10am to […]
December 21st Start&Finish: Ome station to Futamatao station (Alternatively park in Nagayama parking lot, though it’s a bit of a narrow, hair-raising drive up. There are also plenty of pay and display places). The weather: Lovely and sunny and not too cold. Outfit/Equipment: warm trousers, tshirt, long sleeve top, hiking shoes. Map: This is a […]
December 1st Start&Finish: The weather: Outfit/Equipment: Crowds: Very crowded in the park but only the odd hiker on the trail from the park. Map: You can find a course map here. Time: Around 2 hours Start&Finish: Akebono Children’s Forest Park The weather: Beautiful, sunny and mild. Outfit/Equipment: Jeans, tshirt, jumper, hiking shoes. Map: You can […]
November 16th. Start&Finish: Ichigo no sato (michi no eki in Yoshimi) The weather: Cool and cloudy with intermittent sunshine. Outfit/Equipment: Jeans, tshirt, jumper, lightweight shoes, hat. Map: I didn’t follow any particular map. I walked from Ichigo no sato up to Hatchoko park, then back again. Crowds: an occasional dog walker. Time: 2-3 hours. Difficulty: […]
November 4th Start&Finish: Higashi Matsuyama station to Takasaka station. The weather: Beautiful, warm sunshine. Outfit/Equipment: light trousers, t-shirt, hat, sunglasses, hiking shoes. Map: Google maps and paper maps from the Higashi Matsuyama Walking Center Crowds: Lots of people at the beginning, then thinned out to the odd hiker. Time: Somewhere around 4 hours walking. Difficulty: […]