The trip to the top of Fujiwaradake took around two and a half hours. The trail started out winding through beautiful groves of pine trees standing tall in a serene silence that one could only find in a lush forest, far from the city. It started to get a little muddy as we approached the peak, but the trail was well kept, and only a few of us had problems with the slipperyness. From the beginning, we began tracking our progress with the signs that read 3me, only to discover that 10me was not actually the top at all! At the fake top, a few of us stayed behind in the warm shelter of the shacks after lunch, while the rest of us finished the twenty minute walk to the actual peak. Most of us were getting so cold that we welcomed the movement, even after the arduous climb. The view from the peak was breathtaking, with lush, rolling, green mountains on one side and a wonderful view of the distant Nagoya City on the other side. Since the air was so clear, we could actually see the twin towers of Nagoya Station from our 1,000 meter high vantage point!

On the way down, we were quite disappointed that an alternate route to the bottom was closed due to the oncoming winter, and unfortunately we had to give up our plans to visit a mountain temple on the way down. But we weren’t too disappointed since the extra time we gained was spent in a local izakaya and ramen shop near the train station. Nothing like a few beers after a long day of hiking! About half of us couldn’t get enough of a good thing and, after returning to Nagoya, made our way to Tengu to finish the evening with beers and raw oysters. We must have looked like a horde of starving savages, covered in mud and ordering what seemed like everything on the menu! On a full stomach and images of the beautiful view from the top of Fujiwaradake fresh on our minds, I’m sure that every one of us slept like babies that night!

Jennie December 2002