I just got back from my second trip to Okutama. I want to say right off the bat that some how I lost about 30-40 pictures of Nippara cave. If you've been in Mammoth cave, think that except Japanese: smaller and more cramped. Still, it has some very interesting rock formations and a few big open areas.
Captured out the window of the bus from Okutama station.
From the peak of Mt. Kumotori: 2017 meters tall. That's Mt. Fuji in the background.
Sunrise at the lodge.
I would give you a detailed narration of the trip, but basically it boils down to: hiked for 5 hours straight, stopped at the lodge for the night, ate dinner, woke up at 4, ate breakfast, hiked for 5 more hours, and walked around Nippara cave.
The one thing that makes for somewhat more interesting reading is I did get to try a real onsen. After two long hikes without a shower, both me and Louis both thought the onsen was a good idea. Basically, it is the same as the small private one I went to before in Nikko: you pay to get in, strip down, wash, and then soak in hot water that is pumped up from the ground. I asked if my tattoos would be a problem, and they said they were ok, so that was cool. We only got to soak for a little bit, as we had to make an express train and there was a half hour wait before we were admitted to the onsen (a lot of other hikers felt the same way as we did, but got there earlier).
While riding the bus back to the train station, an old Japanese guy next to me started trying to talk to me in English. After a few minutes, his wife looked over and then said "David-san?" I had run into one of my teachers from my junior high school. We talked for a little bit, and then parted ways at the train station.
Tomorrow, I recuperate a little, double check the weather, and get ready for my hike up Mt. Fuji Wednesday/Thursday.
Cheers,
The one thing that makes for somewhat more interesting reading is I did get to try a real onsen. After two long hikes without a shower, both me and Louis both thought the onsen was a good idea. Basically, it is the same as the small private one I went to before in Nikko: you pay to get in, strip down, wash, and then soak in hot water that is pumped up from the ground. I asked if my tattoos would be a problem, and they said they were ok, so that was cool. We only got to soak for a little bit, as we had to make an express train and there was a half hour wait before we were admitted to the onsen (a lot of other hikers felt the same way as we did, but got there earlier).
While riding the bus back to the train station, an old Japanese guy next to me started trying to talk to me in English. After a few minutes, his wife looked over and then said "David-san?" I had run into one of my teachers from my junior high school. We talked for a little bit, and then parted ways at the train station.
Tomorrow, I recuperate a little, double check the weather, and get ready for my hike up Mt. Fuji Wednesday/Thursday.
Cheers,
