December 25, 2010 - Iwadono Yama (岩殿山)
Cliffs near Iwadono Yama.
This mountain is only 634 meters high. Once you reach Otsuki Station on the Chuo Line you can see the towering cliffs of Iwadomo. After a short hike through the town, you will reach the mountain entrance. Suddenly, I turn around and realized I had a great view of Mt. Fuji. It was Christmas day and the snow was blowing somewhat violently across Mt. Fuji. .
Iwadomo has concrete steps that lead up to a temple and museum. Too many signs and plastic benches spoil the natural beauty At the peak, there is a TV antennna and some picnic area where you can take a break. This used to be a castle a few centuries ago. The flat area on the top was used for training excercises. Although there's only a a few markers left of this past, you can use your imagination.
After hiking to the top, the real trail starts and takes you over a couple of peaks that require some fun athletic climbing. There are about 3 or 4 locations where you need to grab a rope or chain and climb up a steep rock, It almost feels like an obstacle course.
Further on in the hike, you can see some pretty high cliffs that are a perfect place for eating lunch. I heard somewhere that this place is nicknamed "mini-yosemite." Well, it is pretty nice and there were only a few other hikers. Overall, this is a short, fun hike. On the other hand, it is right next to the freeway and has a bit too much concrete and plastic.
Hey, it only cost about 1500 yen for train fare. Overall, this was a nice one-day getaway from Tokyo.
Iwadomo has concrete steps that lead up to a temple and museum. Too many signs and plastic benches spoil the natural beauty At the peak, there is a TV antennna and some picnic area where you can take a break. This used to be a castle a few centuries ago. The flat area on the top was used for training excercises. Although there's only a a few markers left of this past, you can use your imagination.
After hiking to the top, the real trail starts and takes you over a couple of peaks that require some fun athletic climbing. There are about 3 or 4 locations where you need to grab a rope or chain and climb up a steep rock, It almost feels like an obstacle course.
Further on in the hike, you can see some pretty high cliffs that are a perfect place for eating lunch. I heard somewhere that this place is nicknamed "mini-yosemite." Well, it is pretty nice and there were only a few other hikers. Overall, this is a short, fun hike. On the other hand, it is right next to the freeway and has a bit too much concrete and plastic.
Hey, it only cost about 1500 yen for train fare. Overall, this was a nice one-day getaway from Tokyo.