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When the weather warms and the flowers start to peek out from their winter frost, it is time to experience nature before the chill melts away.
Head to Mount Daibosatsurei which is located between Koshu and Tabayamamura of Yamanashi. It takes just 90 minutes to travel by train from Shinjuku to the mountain because of a novel –“aibosatsu Toge” written by Kaizan Nakazato.
Mount Daibosatsurei is south of the Okuchichibu Mountains, and stands at an altitude of 2057m. Enzan Station is the train stop and the gateway of Mt. Daibosatsurei.
With Mt. Fuji in plain sight at a distance, start off by walking around Daibosatsurei before conquering it. It’s a worthwhile trek since there are a number of farms along the way, most cultivate fruit since the environment is just right for planting fruits. In fact, the land is so fertile for crop farming, that some farmer need to ripen their fruit in greenhouses to prevent them from becoming too large or ripe before season.
There are also cherry trees with blooms in different shapes and hues, from white to peach, and of course, cherries for the picking. If you want to feast on cherries it’s best to visit in June, when they will be ripe for picking. At any other time, a visit to the mountain-side farms will yield fruit that has been preserved. You’ll find home made jams made from plums and grapes fresh from the harvest and with spring water flowing from Mt. Daibosatsu through the Kofu Basin.
Take a break from walking at the Kaiyamato Station where you can catch an old-fashioned bus Seiunji Temple less than half an hour away. It stands at an altitude of over 1000m and offers a magnificent view of Mt Fuji. Seiunji Temple was famous for its lodgings for pilgrims and over the years it became noted for what it served visitors - - soba. The temple is said to be the place where buckwheat noodles were first made. It’s no myth because the origin of soba is written on a monument out up during the Edo period. Accoriding to the writings, soba originated from Koshu and was developed from the idea of udon making, when Sobagaki which was used to be sold by the temple was stretched and cut up.
Visitors today can still have a meal of soba near Seiunji Temple. The place to note is a soba restaurant called Tenmokuan. It serves delicious, freshly made soba from local buckwheat which is ground up each day into flour and mixed with mountain water. The nihachi soba which is cut thin for a smooth texture is cooked briefly and washed with cold mountain water, making it chewy.
Head to Enzan Station where the Daibosatsu Line runs to Shinjuku, but instead of heading back to the city lights, catch the hotel pick-up service to end the day restfully with Mt. Daibosatsu and Mt Fuji to appreciate. Half an hour away and located in mountain is the Hamayarawa.hotel standing at an altitude 1260m. It’s a hideaway hotel surrounded completely by trees and with only 5 large Japanese style rooms. Many wild vegetables also grow around the hotel and most will find their way onto the menu for the night. Be prepared for an exotic full course mountain food meal, such as flowers of trout lily seasoned with soy sauce, wild boar hot pot, amadokoro or mountain asparagus tempura and bamboo shoot rice.
To climb Mt. Daibosatsurei begin with a drive of 20 minutes to the start of the mountain trail. It is a four hour climb to the peak from there. A lodge appears mid-way through the climb. Fukuchanso, as the lodge is called, has greeted many visitors over its 66 years including Japan’s Crown Prince and Crown Princess when they went mountain climbing. With views to Mt. Daibosatsu, it’s worth a stop of more than a few minutes. Making the time even more productive is the menu of warm dishes at the lodge, such as Stewed Oden and Meso Oden which is popular among visitors since the home-made meso is reputed for getting rid of tiredness which can set in easily during a climb. Another 40 minutes of trekking brings you to another lodge and a sign of Mt. Daibosatsu Toge which has an altitude of 1897m. It is windy around the area but the sights such as a lake make it worthwhile as the climb continues a little further over a rocky ridge that leads to the last stretch to the peak of Mt. Daibosatsurei which is well-hidden among trees.
Another peak to conquer for a memorable spring is Mount Haruna, one of the three Jomo Mountains and it’s tallest point, Mt. Kamongatake which has an altitude of 1449m.
What makes this range interesting is the fact that Mount Haruna is surrounded by Mt. Eboshi, Mt. Himuro, Mt. Tenmoku and other mountains to form a composite volcano.
It takes 1 hour to travel from Tokyo by train to Takasaki Station to reach the Jomo Mountains that include Haruna, Myogi and Akagi. Catch the bus to Misato which takes you to the foot of Mt. Haruna which looks gentle, but is really rather steep. To the south of Mt. Haruna is Kyu-Misatomachi is located at the center of Gunma. Before taking on the peak of Mt. Haruna, go around it and explore Lake Haruna. Flower enthusiasts will enjoy the trip for the many blooms that can be seen along the way. The fields of flowers are the work of a local volunteer group who decided to plant flowers in the wasteland areas. Now, they aim to create a town of flowers.
Beside the flower field is Minowajoato, built according to the landform of Mt. Haruna by Nagano.
The ancient road to Honmaru remains along with remnants of a river and an empty moat.
Near the Miinowajoato is Kimian which serves Joshu's specialty Okirikomi, and hand-made udon. It draws many locals because of its home style, with the noodle made from very good quality wheat from Koshu that is self-cultivated wheat. The udon is cut thick and
cooked in specially-made pots, flavored with self-made meso.
It is simple and rough food and no different from what was served as a meal during the Warring States Period.
Next, travel on to Kyu-Harunamachi which was a busy place in the past. The now quiet town offers an awesome view to Mt. Haruna and is the home to a plum tree forest.
Gunma is the major source of plum in East Japan and the town has some 120,000 plum trees which grow in abundance due to the basin that’s surrounded by the mountain, the warm, humid temperature and the soil of volcanic ash.
Not surprising, the locals have created many original plum-based dishes, such as sesame cakes with pickled plum and white bean paste. Take a walk around and try to find all 170 Dosojin, a deity of the village, some of which were made in the middle of the Edo period. Stay overnight at Kyu-Kurabuchimura, a mountain village which faces Mt. Sumongatake.
The Choju no Yu is located at the west of Mt. Haruna's root and is in a lodge style with views of terraced rice fields and a river. To relax, there is a Hinoki bath, an open-air rock bath which is surrounded by a grove. Dinner comprises of dishes from the area such as Sesame Tofu made with water from Mt. Haruna, ground sesame and kudzu vine; a dish of wild plants such as horsetail and wild rocambole and a hot pot of Haruna reared chicken which is very tender.
The next day, travel to Mt. Haruna's foot by bus. Stop by the Haruna Shrine built
1400 years ago out close to a rock outcrop. Many climbers stop here to offer prayers for a safe journey before climbing the mountains. As the shrine holds a farming deity, many farmers also come by to pray and bring home a talisman to protect against hail and storms.
Climb up from Haruna Shrine, to reach the Lake Haruna which was created from a volcanic crater.
As climbers head to the peak, there is a monumnet inscribed with a tanka by Takehisa Yumeji who had a studio in the area at the beginning of the Showa period.
A 10 minute walk from the monument is Suzuri-Iwa and just a little further is the peak, Mt. Kamongatake. The area could be covered still in snow even though it’s spring. |
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