Bonooreyama (棒ノ折れ山)
October 16, 2010 - Mt. Bonoore
Bonooreyama is located about 90 minutes from Ikebukuro near Hanno City in Saitama. After taking a short bus ride from Hanno station, the scenery changes to small town Japan and the smell of cedar. After passing the large dam and man-made lake, we began hiking up a trail that criss-crosses a waterfall. The trail is quite rocky and can be somewhat dangerous as you continue to cross the wet rocks.
Hiking up the waterfall and through the giant rocks is the best part of this hike. There's a real sense of adventure as you hike up the rocks. As long as you take it one step at a time, its no problem.
After passing by the waterfal and through the rocky sectionl, we continued up the broken logs that you often see on hiking trails. These logs used to keep the trail from eroding. Eventually, erosion wins and the logs are reduced to a broken mess.
The peak of Bonooreyama is a nice open view after hiking through the dense cover of the cedar trees. The view from the peak is a nice reward for the 2 hours it takes to hike up to the top. You can look over other mountains down to Ikebukuro in the distance. There are some susuki grass which adds a nice Japanese touch.
The hike down the mountain goes through the cedar forest. The cedar trees block out much of the sunlight. This works out great in summer if you are looking to escape the heat.
After reaching the end of the hike, there is a great udon shop and onsen. Everthing seems to be made of cedar wood, which has a nice cedar smell. This is a great escape from Tokyo.
Bonooreyama is located about 90 minutes from Ikebukuro near Hanno City in Saitama. After taking a short bus ride from Hanno station, the scenery changes to small town Japan and the smell of cedar. After passing the large dam and man-made lake, we began hiking up a trail that criss-crosses a waterfall. The trail is quite rocky and can be somewhat dangerous as you continue to cross the wet rocks.
Hiking up the waterfall and through the giant rocks is the best part of this hike. There's a real sense of adventure as you hike up the rocks. As long as you take it one step at a time, its no problem.
After passing by the waterfal and through the rocky sectionl, we continued up the broken logs that you often see on hiking trails. These logs used to keep the trail from eroding. Eventually, erosion wins and the logs are reduced to a broken mess.
The peak of Bonooreyama is a nice open view after hiking through the dense cover of the cedar trees. The view from the peak is a nice reward for the 2 hours it takes to hike up to the top. You can look over other mountains down to Ikebukuro in the distance. There are some susuki grass which adds a nice Japanese touch.
The hike down the mountain goes through the cedar forest. The cedar trees block out much of the sunlight. This works out great in summer if you are looking to escape the heat.
After reaching the end of the hike, there is a great udon shop and onsen. Everthing seems to be made of cedar wood, which has a nice cedar smell. This is a great escape from Tokyo.