Dashing Heights

I jolted awake to a train conductor trying to tell me that the train has reached its last station. When I got out to check the train map, I was so mad that I wasn’t even halfway! For some reason, on that one single railway, I had to wake up 4 times and take 4 trains to get to my destination.

Anyways, I had to catch up with my sleep on the train because I had a long night finishing as much work as possible, so that I’ll be able to hike the next 2 days guilt free. This time I will be climbing Mount Nantai and Mount Shirane, and I will be spending the night in my little blue tent. It will be my real first time camping solo!

Once in Nikko, I grabbed a map and headed to the information center to confirm the information that I know. I did my homework searching all the possible information I needed like which station to stop at, which bus to take, which route starts where, etc. But it’s always good to clarify if what I searched is what is true!

Anyways there was this Australian lady in purple infront the information counter enquiring about some bus route she was going to take. After she was done, I asked the Japanese woman at the counter which bus stop should I alight at to get to Mount Nantai. After confirming what I knew she went on explaining that I may not be able to make my ascent because: the trail gate closes at 12:00, the next bus comes in 5 minutes, and I need 50 minutes to get there!

Undeterred, I asked her where can I get my train ticket, bought it, and darted out of the room towards the bus stop. I would not let this time crunch so easily crush my carefully crafted plan. Once I stepped out of the building however, I was met with cold showers of rain and dark fluffy clouds. As I wait for the bus, I learned that the Australian lady I met earlier overheard my questions at the info counter, and coincidentally she had the same plans as I did. Henceforth I boarded the incoming bus with a new companion.

Stubbornly, we hoped for the weather to clear by 12:00, so that we can make our ascent. We alighted somewhere near Lake Chuzenji but alas, the weather had not ceased. The light shower even grew into a heavy rain, continuously pelting every inch of the ground.

-Rain over Chuzenji

Finally we were bent. We found a restaurant and had lunch in the midst of the storm, lamenting our foiled plan of ascent. In retrospect though, it could have been a blessing in disguise that I took so long to arrive in Nikko. If I had arrived any earlier, I would be ascending when the first drop of water hits the ground. Being soaked and stranded up in the mountain is definitely the least scenario I want to be stuck in.

Now introducing my new Australian companion: Sara, a 19 years old blonde haired sunkissed Brisbanite, has been travelling solo the past 21 days. I thought she was 23/25 years old as I would not have expected someone that young to be travelling solo. She is pretty crazy about taking photos, especially boomerang videos. The first time she asked me to help her take one, I saw that she had 500+ boomerang videos. It’s probably about 1000 now.

After lunch we decided to brave the rain to the bus stop and take the bus up to Yukumo Onsen and see if the weather clears. Along the way the sky didn’t look very promising, but upon alighting we were delighted to see the sun peeking out of the grey clouds. We were also greeted by a strong stench of rotting eggs that seems to be coming off the volcanic ground: sulphur!

With the more cheerful weather setting in we took this time to look around. We chanced upon a bunch of little wooden huts surrounded by milkish white pools of water. I looked it up and learned that the volcanic waters are originally emerald green in color, but turn milkish white once exposed to air. There was also an intense tirade of bubbles rushing out of the bottom of the pools. Those are sulphur dioxide and carbondioxide gas emanating from the magma lying in the depths of the ground, and that those huts are probably bath-huts. Thinking that the milky water were hot water, I tried to poke a finger in to try feel its temperature. I was deciding which finger I could live without and came out with the pinky. I was expecting it to be really hot but thank God for anti-climaxes, those were just lukewarm. Later I found a clear pool that was full of hot water. Even pools of water can teach us to not judge by color.

-Little bath huts

-Milkish vs Clear pool

Anyways afterwards we went to the Onsen that draws water from these volcanic sources and went in to try it out. When we got in the onsen lady handed us a sheet of instruction paper in english. She did not even try to speak Japanese to us; it must’ve been Sara who looks absolute tourist with her obvious non asian characteristics. The sheet suggested that we not bathe for more than 30 minutes as the high sulphur content would cause nausea and vomiting after long exposure. At first I was wondering “Why would people bathe in water that smells like rotten eggs?” then I remembered my old Chemistry teacher Ms Lim; “The rotten egg smell is from hydrogen sulfide!” So the sulphur minerals suspended in the water are not the source of the smell, hydrogen sulfide gas is. In short, the water is not smelly, the gas coming out of the ground is.

It was a Tuesday and thus I had the whole onsen to myself. It was like my very own large private onsen. The milkish sulphur water was crazy hot. I had to spend 10 minutes diluting the scalding hot lava with cold water before it was bearable enough for to dip my limbs uncooked. The Japanese believe that bathing in these sulphurous onsen, also called Iou-sen, confers health benefits as the mineral contents of the water supposedly “detox” your body. I for one are not into these things, but it was a cool experience finally bathing in a volcanic onsen!

-My private Iou-Sen session

Once we were done with the bath, we met back up in the guest tables and sipped Japanese Ocha and nibbled some snack. The green tea was alright but the snack was misleading; I thought it was a piece of sweet sponge cake, but it was an overly salty crisp rise cracker. When we looked out of the window, the weather was clear, so we decided to find a trail to walk on!

-Post onsen tea time

Just as when we leaving we heard a loud crashing above us. I thought it was an imminent earthquake we were going to face, but when I looked up I saw a red nosed monkey prancing on the rooftop! It then did an acrobatic leap from the roof onto an adjacent tree and began munching on its berries. Just when I thought that was cool, I looked back and saw a big pack of red noses and a pair of deers. Some of the monkeys had their babies clutching the back of their mothers, a cute sight to behold. If only this was a petting zoo.

-Are the deer and monkey buddies?

We walked along Yuno Lake, down to Yudaki Falls, and trod along the ensuing river towards Akanuma, and took some amazing pictures!

It was honestly one of the most peaceful and serene walks I have ever done. It had the same feel as the Ochudo trail back in Fuji. In just a short 4 hours of walk we managed to walk alongside a beautiful lake, a majestic waterfall, and a quiet creek.

We ended the hike in a timely manner; just before sunset. We then took the last bus back: Sara to her hostel all the way back at the train station, and I to my campsite near Ryuzu falls. By the time I reached my stop, it was pitch black. I was wondering how in the dark was I going to be able to find my campsite. I took out my headlamp and began groping into the darkness.

My futile search was met with ropes barring my further advances. Not wanting to possibly trespass into people’s property, I decided on setting camp on a patch of grass nearby. I clench and grit my teeth as I pitch my tent in that chilly night. Upon spreading my tent’s base on the said patch of grass, I was acquainted with its long time inhabitants. I could only say they were not very friendly. Swarms of them buzzes around my headlamps and I was just hoping they do not fancy ear holes over grass patches..

I set up my cooking gear to start preparing my dinner: an instant soup my roomate gave to me. She said I just have to add hot water, which is ideally convenient for camping. Unfortunately though, I did not have water. I only had sweetened water that I only found out was sweetened when I replenished my water supply. I made the worst culinary mistake by making my soup with that water. It tasted like sweet and salty vomit. The only reason I finished it was that it was the only hot food available. Luckily I had some beef jerky and my trusty Raymonds to supplement that dinner.

Just before I was about to sleep, I heard a loud growl coming from the distant depths of darkness beyond my tent. I had no idea what that was but it reminded me that I had to pee. Bravely, I ventured out into the dark to pee, while suppressing the dozens thoughts of a hungry human eating bear. My courage was awarded with a relieved bladder; one I was praying for to stay empty till the sun comes to my rescue. To make my night worse: I kept hearing sounds of broken branches like as if they were being stepped on. Fatigue made a very good pair of earplugs though!

—- End of day 1