Hike – Nikko Senjogahara Marsh 日光 戦場ヶ原

21 11 2009

Quick Overview

Yugawa

Yugawa

A nice and easy walk along a river from Lake Chuzenji 中禅寺湖 to Lake Yu 湯ノ湖.  There is a lot of beautiful scenery to look at along the way like waterfalls and the marsh.  It’s very popular when flowers are in season or when the leaves change in autumn.  Suitable for families, as it is mostly a walk up a gentle slope,  and there are many places to stop for a picnic lunch.  The area also has a number of other walking trails so it’s worth picking up a map (in English) at the Tourist Information Center in Tobu Nikko Station 東武日光駅.

Distance: 8km
Duration: 2 to 3 hours
Difficulty: easy
Season:  All year, however in winter the area does have snowfall.
Starting point:  Ryuzu Falls/ Ryuzu-no-taki 竜頭ノ滝 bus stop
Finishing point:  Yumoto Onsen 湯元温泉

Maps

A map of the hike  can also be viewed at GPSies

The Mapple 山と高原地図 map series number 13, which includes Nikko and it’s surrounds, can be bought on Amazon.co.jp. Note, these maps are in Japanese, but have some English and furigana.

The Hike

Ryuzu Falls

This hike follows Yugawa 湯川 to Yunoko 湯ノ湖, and is very popular and well signed.  From the Ryuzu-no-taki 竜頭ノ滝 bus stop, turn right and cross the road to get to Ryuzu Falls 竜頭ノ滝.  Here there is a small restaurant and souvenir shop from where you can take a picture of the bottom of the falls.  To the right is a small shrine.  Take the path on the left of the shrine to follow the falls to the top.  It’s not a very tall waterfall, and it should only take about 10 minutes to reach the top.

From the top of Ryuzu Falls 竜頭ノ滝, cross the road and follow the path that runs along side the river.  You will be walking in a lightly wooded area for about 10 minutes, until you reach another road.  Cross this road and stick to the path that runs along the right hand bank of the river.  There are a couple of alternative routes from here (on the left) if you want to go to Oshirogahara 小田代原.  Continuing on, you will walk for another 10 minutes until you reach another alternative path to Oshirogahara 小田代原 (over the bridge).  Follow the sign pointing to Akanuma 赤沼 for a short distance, and you will reach another sign post.

Entrance to Senjogahara

If you turn towards Yudaki 湯滝 you will enter the Senjogahara marsh 戦場ヶ原.  This portion of the walk is all board walks, and is really easy with a number of bench seats and tables along the way.  It’s also super pretty!  You’ll walk along the boardwalk for about 45 minutes until you reach a more wooded area and another sign post indicating another route to Oshirogahara 小田代原.  Keep headed towards Yudaki 湯滝 and Yumoto 湯元, and after 10 minutes there will be a sign post pointing to Kotaku Pond 光徳沼.  Again keep on to Yudaki 湯滝.

Senjogahara

From this point you are leaving Senjogahara 戦場ヶ原, but will still be following the boardwalk alongside the Yugawa river 湯川.  20 minutes along the river you will reach Odaki Falls 小滝.  From here you can take either path to Yudaki Falls 湯滝.  The path to the left is 15 minutes, and 10 minutes to the right.  At Yudaki Falls 湯滝 there is a toilet and some small shops with food.  Walk up the stairs on the right side of the falls to reach the top.  At the top of the falls is Yunoko 湯ノ湖.  You can walk around either side of Yunoko 湯ノ湖 to reach Yumoto Onsen 湯元温泉.  Both paths take 30 minutes.

Yunoko

In Yumoto Onsen 湯元温泉 the bus terminal is 3 blocks back from the lake on the largest road in town.  Just turn away from the lake at the Nikko Yumoto Resthouse 日光湯元レストハウス, and you’ll see it on the right.

To and From

As always, the following routes are just recommendations.  Please use Hyperdia or Jorudan’s Train Route Finder to find the most suitable route for you!

From Tokyo 東京 to Nikko 日光, the easiest and cheapest way is the Tobu Nikko line 東武日光線 leaving from Asakusa 浅草.  The Limited Express (reserved seating) costs 2,620 yen and takes about 1 hour and 50 minutes.  The Rapid train (no reserved seating) is a little longer, but cheaper, at 1,320 yen and 2 hours and 10 minutes.

If you are travelling on a JR pass, catching the Shinkansen to Utsunomiya　宇都宮, and then the JR Nikko line 日光線 to Nikko Station 日光駅 would be faster.

From either the JR or the Tobu Nikko Station 日光駅, catch the Tobu Bus that’s headed towards Yumoto Onsen 湯元温泉.  The hike can be started from either the Ryuzu-no-taki 竜頭ノ滝 bus stop (as described here), or from Yumoto Onsen 湯元温泉 if you want to walk down hill.    To Ryuzu-no-taki 竜頭ノ滝 it takes 70 minutes (depending on traffic) and 1,350 yen.  To Yumoto Onsen 湯元温泉 takes 90 minutes and costs 1,650 yen.

If you want to spend some time in Nikko 日光 and see the sights or do more hiking, the Tobu All Nikko Pass covers the return trip from Asakusa 浅草 and all Tobu buses in a set area.  It’s valid for 4 days and costs 4,400 yen.  See this site for more information.

Links

Tobu Railways website – information about Nikko and Kinugawa (English) http://www.tobu.co.jp/foreign/index.html

Tobu Railways train timetables (English) http://www.tobu.co.jp/foreign/timetable.html

Tobu Bus routes and schedules in Nikko (Japanese) http://www.tobu-bus.com/pc/area/nikkou.html

Nikko Tourist Association – Lots of information about Nikko and the surrounds. (English)  http://www.nikko-jp.org/english/index.html

My Flickr photo set from Senjogahara http://www.flickr.com/photos/michelelisa/sets/72157622526837139/

Map of hike on GPSies http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=hpjtrradwajkqali

Useful Kanji

Nikko 日光
Senjogahara　戦場ヶ原
Lake Chuzenji/Chuzenjiko　中禅寺湖
Yunoko/Lake Yu　湯ノ湖
Tobu Nikko Station　東武日光駅
Ryuzu Falls/Ryuzu-no-taki　竜頭ノ滝
Yumoto Onsen　湯元温泉
Yugawa (river)　湯川
Oshirogahara　小田代原
Akanuma　赤沼
Yudaki (falls)　湯滝
Kotakunuma (pond)　光徳沼
Odaki (falls)　小滝
Nikko Yumoto Resthouse　日光湯元レストハウス
Tokyo　東京
Asakusa　浅草
Utsunomiya　宇都宮


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Oh happy day…

21 11 2009

Yesterday a new Supermarket opened up at the end of my street.  I’m so happy because now it will only take me 1 minute to go shopping!

Here’s a photo to show you just how close it is-


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Kimchi & Cheese flavoured Cup Noodles!

18 11 2009

I love trying out the seasonal flavours of different foods they release in Japan.  So I was particularly excited to try the new Kimchi and Cheese flavoured Cup Noodles that were released recently!

Here’s the dry noodles…

And after 3 minutes for soaking in some boiling water…

It’s ready to eat!

The flavour was quite nice.  Not too spicy, but not too mild either.  The only thing that was kinda funky was the reconstituted cabbage….  it was quite….  ugh.  Next time I’ll just pick it out (even though that won’t be *really* kimchi).  But, I’ll be buying these again!


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French Kitchen

15 11 2009

Yesterday I met up with a friend for a bit of a going away lunch.  We went to French Kitchen, in the Grand Hyatt Tokyo.

French Kitchen is a great place to go on the weekend.  From 10:30 they serve a champagne buffet brunch for only 6300 yen (plus tax).  This includes a glass of champagne, buffet, main course and tea or coffee after-wards.  The buffet includes eggs done to your liking, the best french toast you will ever have, cheeses, salads, vegetables, fruit, desserts, and home-made ice cream!  It’s so lovely and enjoyable, I wish I had more opportunity to go!

By the time we had finished lunch and done some shopping it had fallen dark, and we were able to catch the Roppongi Hills Illumination for this year.  Once again if you are in Roppongi during the evening, Midtown does have the better Illumination, but the Mori Garden Illumination is quite pretty and romantic if you want to stop there for a little.


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I *do* believe in fairies

14 11 2009

Yesterday the Sembei (rice cracker) fairy visited me at work and left me this –

Sembei!

Someone must have gone somewhere and brought back these for everyone.  I’m not sure who, or where they went, but thanks!  They were yummy!


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Baking – Chocolate Earthquake Cookies

9 11 2009

well, they didn’t move the earth for me, but these cookies were quite nice.  I’ve cooked a variation on these before with nuts, but I decided to keep to the recipe here (well, but I had to add some extra flour as the cookies were a tad runny) except for the icing sugar.

Chocolate Earthquake Cookies

From Super Food Ideas

Time:

15 minutes cooking

Makes 24

Ingredients:

third of a cup chocolate hazelnut spread
100g butter
three quarters cup caster sugar
1 egg
1 and a quarter cup plain flour
2 tbs cocoa powder
quarter tsp baking powder
quarter tsp icing sugar

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 180 degrees C, and line baking tray with baking powder.
2) Place spread and butter in a saucepan over low heat.  Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes or until smooth.  Transfer to bowl.
3) Stir sugar, egg, flour, cocoa and baking powder into the chocolate mixture.  Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
4) Roll level tablespoons of the mixture into 24 ball.  Sift icing sugar onto a plate.  Roll each ball in icing sugar.  Place balls 6 cm apart on the baking tray.  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.  Cool on a wire rack.


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Baking – Jam Drops

6 11 2009

Had a few opportunities to bake lately, and it’s all been win.

Here’s the recipe for Jam Drops (sorry I can’t remember the source)

 

blurry image from the iPhone....

 

 

Time:

20 minutes preparation, 18 minutes cooking

Makes about 25

Ingredients:

125g butter
75g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence
185g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp milk
Jam (any flavour will do!)

Method:

1)  Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.  Line a baking try with non-stick baking paper.
2)  Beat the butter, caster sugar and vanilla essence in a medium bowl until pale and creamy.  Sift the flour and baking powder together.  Use a wooden spoon to mix the dry ingredients and milk into the butter mixture.  mix to a soft dough.
3)  Roll small balls of dough with lightly floured hands and place on the prepared baking tray about 5cm apart.  Flatten each ball with a spatula to make them about 3.5cm in diameter.  Make a 2cm indent in the center of each with your finger or the end of the wooden spoon.  Fill each indent with jam.
4)  Bake in a preheated oven for 18-20 minutes or until lightly golden and cooked through.  Stand on the baking tray for 2 to 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.  Repeat with the remaining dough.  Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Happy baking!


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Hike – Kamakura Daibutsu Hiking Course 大仏ハイキングコース

28 10 2009

Quick Overview

Kamakura Great Buddha

A short hike that takes you from Kita Kamakura Station 北鎌倉駅 to the Great Buddha 大仏.  There’s lots of interesting shrines to see on the way, and a large park where you can have a picnic lunch.  A nice alternative to the crowded tourist areas in Kamakura 鎌倉.  Suitable for families, but not many shops if you need to buy food.

If you are interested in this hike, you might also be interested in the Kamakura Ten-en Hiking Course.

Distance: 5.8km
Duration: 60-90 minutes
Difficulty: easy
Season:  Suitable all year
Starting point:  Kita Kamakura Station 北鎌倉駅
Finishing point:  Kotoku-In (Great Buddha) 高徳院(大仏)

Maps

This map of the hike  can also be viewed at GPSies

There are a number of nice walks in the hills surrounding Kamakura 鎌倉.  The Mapple website has a map of the area that includes trails – http://map.mapple.net/_mdspot_sc40000_sidG01401136102_lon139.5506925_lat35.3307686111111/index.htm, but is only in Japanese.  The trail head for the Daibutsu course is marked by the flag, and trails are marked with a blue dashed line.

The Hike

From Kita Kamakura Station 北鎌倉駅, take the south west exit and head out to the main road.  Before leaving the station area, it’s possible to access Engakuji Temple 円覚寺, the second in Kamakura’s top five Zen temples, from the east side.  Continuing on the west side of the tracks, take a left and follow the road for about 5 minutes.  On the right you will pass Shokozan-Tokeiji Temple 松岡山 東慶寺.  This used to be a nunnery that was also a sanctuary for women seeking a divorce. Grounds include a garden and Treasure house, and entrance is 100yen (not including the Treasure house, which is a further 300yen).  Another 5 minutes along the road, and you will see Jochiji Temple 浄智寺 on the right.  This is the start of the trail.

Entrance to Jochiji

God of Luck

Jochiji Temple 浄智寺 is another of the five main Zen temples of Kamakura. Grounds include a garden, well, bell tower, and statue of the god of luck.  Entrance is 200yen.  To continue hiking, follow the road alongside the temple on the left.  At the end of the road the trail heads up into the hills.  Follow this path to Kuzuharagaoka Shrine 葛原ヶ岡 and Genjiyama park 源氏山公園.  Kuzuharagaoka 葛原ヶ岡 is a shrine built on an execution ground from the Kamakura Period.  From here the park is along the path to the right.  This is a good place to stop and rest.

In approximately the middle of the park is a road to the right leading down to Zeniarai Benten Shrine 銭荒弁天.  Here you can wash your money to make it double, or buy a talisman that a priest will bless by striking a flint over it.  The shrine is on the right of the road through a stone tunnel.  Once you are finished here, continue down the road to the residential area.  Follow the road until you reach a Y intersection leading to the right with signs pointing to Sasuke Inari Shrine 佐助稲荷.  Walk along this road to the end and up the stairs to the shrine.  Keep climbing the stairs that lead up behind the shrine until you reach the top (don’t worry, it’s not far!)  At the top you can rejoin the Daibutsu Hiking Course 大仏ハイキングコース by turning left.

The rest of this trail only takes about 20 minutes to finish, and you will come down hill and exit on Route 32 next to a tunnel.  Just turn left and follow the road to the next corner, then turn left again.  On the left is Kotoku-In 高徳院 and the Great Buddha 大仏.  Entrance is 200yen, and an extra 20yen if you want to enter the Buddha.  The Kamakura Daibutsu 大仏 is the largest outdoor Buddha in Japan and certainly worth a look.

To and From

As always, the following routes are just recommendations.  Please use Hyperdia or Jorudan’s Train Route Finder to find the most suitable route for you!

From Tokyo 東京, catch the JR Yokosuka line 横須賀線 to Kita Kamakura 北鎌倉駅.  It takes 50 minutes and costs 780yen.  Or from Shinjuku 新宿 you can catch the JR Shonan Shinjuku line 湘南新宿線 to Kita Kamakura 北鎌倉駅.  It takes 52 minutes and costs 890yen.  Trains run regularly on these lines.  Sometimes a train won’t take you the whole distance and you might need to change to go further on.

From Kotoku-In 高徳院 buses leave regularly from the entrance to Kamakura Station 鎌倉駅 for 190yen approximately.  Or you can walk the 1.4km back to the station.

Links

Kamakura Today  http://www.kamakuratoday.com/e/index.html an English site with information on the sites in Kamakura

Tokeiji Temple http://www.tokeiji.com/pc/en/

Mapple Map of Kamakura in Japanese http://map.mapple.net/_mdspot_sc40000_sidG01401136102_lon139.5506925_lat35.3307686111111/index.htm

Map of hike on GPSies http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=krlwluqtzmqdquny

Useful Kanji

Kamakura　鎌倉
Daibutsu (Great Buddha) 大仏
Hiking Course ハイキングコース
Kita Kamakura Station　北鎌倉駅
Kotoku-In  高徳院
Engakuji 円覚寺
Shokozan-Tokeiji　松岡山 東慶寺
Jochiji　浄智寺
Kuzuharagaoka 葛原ヶ岡
Genjiyama Park　源氏山公園
Zeniarai Benten　銭荒弁天
Sasuke Inari　佐助稲荷
Tokyo　東京
Yokosuka line　横須賀線
Shinjuku　新宿
Shonan Shinjuku line　湘南新宿線


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tickled pink

25 10 2009

In a way, not much has been happening lately, but on the other hand, lots has.  We’ve just finished the mid semester exams and sports day at school, and during that time I had a number of days off.  Now its the 5 week hard slog until end of semester exams and winter break.

Because I’ve had extra time off, and because the weather has been great (well, barring that late typhoon on Oct 8th), I’ve had plenty of time to go hiking.  I’ve actually gone 3 times this month, which has me at a never before achieved physical fitness level (^-^)v

Firstly I hiked from Mt Takao to Mt Jimba.  It was probably the hardest hike (barring Mt Fuji) that I have done to date.  Mainly because it was 19km.  But I survived and had a great feeling of accomplishment afterwards.  It was actually really good timing, after the typhoon, because the sky was really clear and I could see Mt Fuji, Tokyo, and even all the way to Mt Tsukuba, which is pretty rare.

Last weekend I went to Hakone for 3 days 2 nights.  While I was there I did two hikes, the first from Gora to Hakone Yumoto, and secondly a walk around Lake Ashi.  The Gora hike was pretty hard, and I have to admit that I was kinda freaked out about the possibility of seeing a bear.  The hike around Lake Ashi was a lot easier, and I actually meet with a friend I had made at the summer camp I worked at, which made the hike really pleasant.  And of course I went to onsen and had a massage, so it was also a pretty relaxing weekend.

On Friday I decided to go to Nikko for the day and walk the Senjogahara marshes.  I was a little disappointed I was too late for most of the leaves changing, but despite that, it really was a beautiful walk.  I think I might try to go again in summer next year.

I worry a little that I’m somewhat of an addictive personality.  I really seem to have caught the hiking bug, but I also know I’ll probably only be able to go once a month from now, at least in the winter months.  But I’m totally excited about using my new thermal cup when I do go hiking –

Thermal cup/mug thingyopen thermal cup

Is it possible to have a thermal bottle/mug fetish?  because I swear I have about 6 things now….  Anyhow, this one is specifically designed for hot drinks, and is really easy to use.  Its kinda sad, but I’m particularly impressed with the pouring cap –

openclose

You just push down on the red button to open the spout, and to close you push the tab on the side in!  Very smart – I like that you don’t have to touch the spout.  I tried it out on Friday, and I was also surprised at how long the water inside stayed hot.  It’s supposed to keep it at 70deg for 7 hours or so, but it lasted longer!  So now I’ll be able to take tea with me when I go hiking.  How exciting!!Azuki Flavoured Pepsi

Apart from hiking not much has been happening, however there are a few things that have tickled my fancy.

At 7-11 the other day I spotted Azuki (sweet red bean) flavoured Pepsi.  Only in Japan…

It wasn’t flavoured cola, but more like flavoured sprite.  Actually, it wasn’t bad, however it really didn’t taste much like azuki to me.  But I’ll try anything once.

I also got a delivery of bulbs the other day, in the hopes that come spring I’ll have a lovely pot of lovely flowers.  I planted them up this morning, and here’s what it looks like now –

one day, I'll grow up into beautiful potted flowers....Let’s just hope I don’t manage to kill them…  I’ll post photos when they bloom…  If they bloom…  Really, I’m good at killing plants….


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Yellow leaves and Yudaki Falls

25 10 2009

From my walk in Nikko last friday along Ryuzu Falls, Senjogahara, and Lake Yu. Some really really pretty scenery, and some lovely changing fall leaves! Check out my flickr set!


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