1... CITY PAGE | Halloween at Hoikuen 2

reiho fuji
november-december
no.
144
PHOTO: KIYOMASA MIYASHITA
IN THIS EDITION
1...
2...
3...
4...
5...
CITY PAGE | Halloween at Hoikuen
FUJIYOSHIDA & THE WORLD | Voices from Abroad
INNOVATIVE INITIATIVES | For all of you sweet tooths
BLURBS & BABBLE | Fujiyoshida on the App Store?
EVENTS & INFO | Hiking with Hilsendeger: Shakushiyama
2
CITY PAGE
AT HOIKUEN
Imagine this, forty-some Japanese five year olds dressed up in
homemade costumes, singing and dancing to a catchy pop
rendition of “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.” There are few
things quite as adorable, and we got to see it happen at NINE
different preschools. Think it gets dull after about the fifth time?
You’re wrong. It gets better!!
We started off this year’s program with warms ups and focused on
getting the little ones comfortable. We began by teaching
greetings. Enthusiastic HELLOs and HOW ARE YOUs were followed
by giddy laughter and satisfied grins. Next we moved on to some
good ol’ TPR and taught the classic “Head, Shoulders, Knees and
Toes” with a little pop twist. Merging movement with language not
only helps with learning but also with retention. We encouraged
each preschool to include this song in their everyday song routine
as a fun way to keep the little ones engaged with English. Next time
we go we’ll be sure to add another song to their routine! After
warm ups we moved on to talking about Halloween. After sharing
some of the stories and traditions associated with this mysterious
holiday, we moved on to games and ended with some trick or
treating. Without a doubt one of the best parts of our fall season
here at the International Affairs Desk!
updates from
I
A D F U J
I
ANNUAL IAD CHRISTMAS EVENT
The annual “IAD Winter Party” hosted by the International
Affairs Desk has been set for December 14th, 2014 (Sunday)
・This is a children’s event for ages 3 to 8
・Those interested in participating with their children
must contact the International Affairs Desk. This is
not an open event and sign-ups are necessary.
・Those interested in helping out as volunteers should also
contact the International Affairs Desk.
WEBSITE UPDATES:
・The “Residents” page containing pertinent information
for local foreign residents has been updated.
・The homepage now contains an “Explore” tab with links
to neat new social media and smartphone apps!
・Our “InstaFuji” feed now scrolls at the bottom of our
home page showcasing all photos taken and tagged
in Fujiyoshida on Instagram!
・The Tourism, Events, and Climb Fuji pages are currently back
under construction.
Contact us at the International Affairs Desk
(+81) 0555-24-1236
[email protected]
fujiyoshida_iad
www.facebook.com/iadFUJI
www.city.fujiyoshida.yamanashi.jp/div/english
TOP 4
Autumn Foliage Viewing Spots
Right Here in Fujiyoshida City
Kaneyama Waterfall
Onshirin Commons Area
Yet another local hidden treasure
located in southern Fujiyoshida close
to the Fujiyoshida Road Station and
Radar Dome Museum. The water
that flows from this waterfall
originates from Lake Yamanakako
and travels through neighboring
Oshino Village before emerging here
in Fujiyoshida.
The Onshirin is a local governing
body that implements the historic
law of “iriai,” a set of communal rules
which dictate access and use of the
land. They are responsible for the
protection of our local forests. Their
headquarters are located within the
wooded area closest to Mt. Fuji and
has some of the best autumn foliage
Arakura Sengen Shrine
Museum of Local History
Home to the Chureito Pagoda, a
peace memorial and iconic symbol
of Fujiyoshida and of Japan, Arakura
Sengen Shrine offers a uniquely
beautiful vantage point for viewing
the autumn foliage.
Best enjoyed in the evening, the
autumn foliage light up at the
Museum of Local History is a striking
spectacle of fall colors. Enjoy a stroll
through the trees! Photo taken by
former Fujiyoshida ALT Sheena Turner
Viewable: Early Nov.
Viewable: Sept. ~ Nov.
Viewable: Late Oct. ~ Early Nov.
Viewable: Late Oct. ~ Mid Nov.
3
FUJIYOSHIDA & THE WORLD
VOICES from ABROAD
Here at the International Affairs Desk, our inboxes stay full
throughout the year with a variety of correspondences. Every
once in while, we receive messages from kind strangers with no
agenda, and no inquiries, who write simply to tell us that they
came to Fujiyoshida and enjoyed their time here. In this new
segment of our “Fujiyoshida and the World” page, we would like
to introduce the voices of the individuals who travelled from
around the world to our small city at the base of Mount Fuji and
left with lasting impressions.
WHO IS FREDERIC HANDWERKER?
“My name is Frédéric Handwerker :) I'm 28 years old.
I'm studying mechatronics engineering in Berlin.
I'm German and Belgian.
I was looking on google maps for a town or village close to
Fuji-San in order to find a good place from which I could
climb Fuji-San and to find a place to stay at. I chose
Fujiyoshida because it has a long tradition as a starting point
for the journey to the top of Fuji-San, because it is close to the
Fuji Goko and because it is having a good train connection. I
like to ride on trains in Japan as it feels like the best way to
enjoy the landscape and to see the people who live there.
It just seemed like a great place to explore.”
October 16, 2014
Dear Ms. Matson,
During my travels to Japan in 2010 and 2011 I had
the chance to stay in Fujiyoshida for some days
and it has left a permanent impression in my
heart. I enjoyed many things about it from the
delicious Udon I ate at many different
restaurants, the pleasant smell of the city, the
stunning sight of the surrounding mountains and
its friendly and helpful inhabitants.
I don't know if you are interested in it but I
write a blog about my travels and my woodworking
and metalworking hobbies on which I wrote several
articles about Fujiyoshida and Fuji Sengen Jinja.
Writing these articles makes me revisit
Fujiyoshida in my mind and enjoy my stay there
once again. I will write about it in future
articles as well.
I hope to visit Fujiyoshida again in the future
and to move to Japan.
With best regards,
Frédéric Handwerker
BLURBS FROM THE BLOG
◆ “The people in Fujiyoshida are really nice and friendly but most of them
don’t speak English so it is really interesting to talk to them because they
want to understand you and want to tell you things while you want to
understand them as well”
◆ “If you leave the main streets and start strolling through the smaller
streets you will come across many small shrines old houses and great
views of the surrounding landscape. There are many channels and rivers
running through the town and it is a really great base camp for exploring
the area around Fuji-san”
◆ “I like to remember the smell of this town as well.
It smells of freshly cut wood.”
★ Link to Mr. Handwerker’s Blog:
http://chiisai-fukurou.tumblr.com
*all articles written about Fujiyoshida can be
found under the Fujiyoshida tag.
ALTCORNER
What are you super into right now?
The start of the fall season and eating to build up fat reserves for winter.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
I’m aiming to be a surgeon. Medical school is difficult to get into in Canada, but I think I’ll manage it some
day, even if it takes me a few extra years.
What made you want to be a teacher? And why in Japan?
I did a lot of volunteer coaching back in Canada and I found working with kids to be very rewarding, even if
it has its frustrating moments. I’ve wanted to live in Japan ever since I watched my first Ghibli movie as a kid,
and the more I learned about the country, the more I wanted to go. I needed to take a few years off from
school for my own sanity, and the JET Program seemed like a perfect fit.
What is your teaching philosophy?
Kids will rise to the challenges you set for them as long as you can keep them from being terrified of failure.
Japanese students in particular tend to be perfectionists, so they really hate making mistakes in front of
others. Allowing them to check their answers with their classmates or letting them know they’re correct
before having them read out what they’ve written takes a lot of the pressure off.
・Name:
・Age:
・Hometown:
・Birthday:
・Hobbies:
Tristan Colterjohn
24
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
August 2nd
Reading, writing, cooking,
drawing, running, hiking,
finding excuses to avoid
practicing my Japanese
・School(s):
・Grade(s):
Fuji Hokuryo Senior HS
1st & 2nd years
What was your first impression of Fujiyoshida?
Honestly, it reminded me of the setting of Princess Mononoke, full of lakes and forest-covered mountains. I
also thought it was too hot, but thankfully it started to cool down quickly after I arrived. Then it got too cold.
Be careful what you wish for!
What is one major improvement you would suggest to the city?
More dogs. Not small dogs either, I’m talking dogs big enough to serve as sled-pullers in the case of
apocalyptic snowfall like we had last winter. Every family should have at least two. I’m not sure how exactly,
but I bet it will help the local economy.
What do you want the world to know about Fujiyoshida?
That we have better views of Mount Fuji than any other town on the map, that our hiking trails kick butt, and
that you’re outrageously lucky if you get the chance to live here. ■
4
INNOVATIVE INITIATIVES
㻹㼠㻚㻌㻲㼡㼖㼕㼅㼛㼟㼔㼕㼐㼍㻙
㼓㼡㼏㼔㼕㻌㼏㼘㼕㼙㼎㼕㼚㼓㻌㼠㼞㼍㼕㼘
䚷䚷䚷䚷䚷䚷㻺㼍㼗㼍㼚㼛㼏㼔㼍㼥㼍
䚷䚷䚷䚷㻿䚷䚷䚷䚷
㻌㻌㻌㻌㻱
㻌㻌㼃
䚷䚷䚷
ᵤᶇᶌᶂᴾᶗᶍᶓᶐᴾ
ᶄᵿᶔᶍᶐᶇᶒᶃᴾᶑᶕᶃᶃᶒᶑ
䚷䝟䜲䞁䝈䝟䞊䜽
㻌㻌㻌㻌㻌㻌㻌㻌㻺
୰䝜Ⲕᒇ䜎䛷⯒⿦㐨㊰䛜
⥆䛝䜎䛩䛜䚸㐟Ṍ㐨䛜
㤿㏉䛧䜎䛷䛒䜚䜎䛩䚹
ᐩኈ໭㯄බᅬ
᫛࿴኱Ꮫ
㟷ᑡᖺ䝉䞁䝍䞊
䚷䚷㻌⮳
䚷䚷䚷䚷䚷ᒣ஀⚄♫
䚷䚷䚷䚷䚷䚷ୖ⾜ᑎ
Fujisengen shrine
㼠㼛㻌㼘㼍㼗㼑㻌㼅㼍㼙㼍㼚㼍㼗㼍
㻌㻌㻌㻌㻌㻌㻌㻌㻌㻌㻌㻌㻌㻌㻌㻌㻌㻌㻌㻌㻌㻌㻌㻌㻌㻾㻝㻟㻤
᪂ ᒇ
䚷䚷䚷䚷ᶓ⏫䝞䜲䝟䝇
䚷䚷䚷㻌㻌㻌䚷㻾㻝㻟㻥
⚄♫ᮾ
ୖ ᐟ
㼠㼛㻌㼘㼍㼗㼑㻌㻷㼍㼣㼍㼓㼡㼏㼔㼕
䚷䚷すᛕᑎ
㻌ᚚ
㻌ᖌ
㻌ᐟ
㻌ᆓ
㻌䛾
㻌⾤
㻌୪
㻌䜏
䚷䚷ྜྷ⚈ᑎ
cake
䚷䚷᰿⚄♫
KIMURAYA
䚷䚷ᆅⶶᑎ
䚷䚷䚷䚷䚷䚷䚷ྜྷ⏣ᑠᏛᰯ
䚷䚷ᒣ⚄♫
Museum of
Oshi House
䚷䚷䚷ἲົᒁ
Japanese sweets
䚷䚷
bread
AMANO
KINTARO
䚷䚷ୖྜྷ⏣䝁䝭䝳䝙䝔䜱䞊
䚷䚷䚷䚷䝉䞁䝍䞊䚷ᐩኈ໭⛸㧗ᰯ
cake
ARBENT
㔠㫽ᒃᕷẸබᅬ
Fujisan stn.
䚷䚷䚷䚷ྜྠᗇ⯋䚷ྜྷ⏣୰Ꮫᰯ
SAINT-CLOUD
World Heritage
info center
㻼㻻㻿㼀㻻㻲㻲㻵㻯㻱
㼣㼑㼑㼗㼐㼍㼥䠖䠔䠖䠐䠑䡚䠍䠕䠖䠌䠌
㼣㼑㼑㼗㼑㼚㼐䠖䠕䠖䠌䠌䡚䠍䠕䠖䠌䠌
䛚Ⲕᒇ⏫
㔠㫽ᒃ๓
㻌㻌㻌㻌㻌㻌㻌㻌㻌
୰᭮᰿
䚷䚷䚷䚷ྜྷ⏣㧗ᰯ
Japanese
sweets
Qsta 1F
KIKYOYA
bread
ྜྷ㧗㏻䜚
㻲㼡㼖㼕㼥㼛㼟㼔㼕㼐㼍
㻯㼕㼠㼥㻌㻴㼍㼘㼘
㻼㼛㼘㼕㼏㼑㻌㼟㼠㼍㼠㼕㼛㼚
KIMURAYA
ྜྷ⏣㧗ᰯ๓
green tea
ice cream
䠎䠢䠖㼰㼟㼔㼛㼜
䠍䠢䠖㻿㼑㼘㼢㼍
䚷䚷䚷䚷䚷䚷䚷
HARUKIYA
䚷䚷䚷䚷䚷䚷䚷
ᕷᙺᡤ๓
䚷䚷䚷䚷䚷୰ኸ㏻䜚䠄䝣䝆䝃䞁䝇䝖䝸䞊䝖䠅
㻌㻌㼟
㻌㻌㼠
㻌㻌㼞
㻌㻌㼑
㻌㻌㼑
㻌㻌㼠
㆙ᐹ⨫
㻴㼑㼕㼟㼑㼕㻌㼟㼠㼞㼑㼑㼠
cake
䠢䠱䠦䠥䠵䠝
䚷㻿
㻌㻌㼔
㻌㻌㼛
㻌㻌㼣
䚷㼍
Fujiyoshida
TIC
䚷㻾㻙㻝㻟㻣
fish shaped pancake
cake
MARON
䜿䞊䝶䞊㻰㻞
ᐩኈྜྷ⏣
ၟᕤ఍㆟ᡤ
bread
Japanese
sweets
MARUYA
ᑠ䛥䛝ⰼᗂ⛶ᅬ
䜂䜀䜚䛜ୣ㧗ᰯ
᫛࿴኱ධཱྀ
୰ኸ఍㤋๓
䚷䚷䚷䚷䚷ኳ⚄♫
fish shaped
pancake
TENGUCHAYA
䚷䚷䚷䚷㻌㻌㻌㻌㻌㻌㻌
cake/ Japanese
sweets/bread
CHATERAISE
Japanese sweets
FUJIYA
Japaanese sweets
and baked cake
SEIGETSU
Japanese sweets
OWARIYA
Japanese sweets
䚷䚷
TOKYO-YA
䚷ᘚኳබᅬ
䚷䚷
䚷䚷䚷䚷᭶Ụᑎὴฟᡤ
᭶Ụᑎ㥐ධཱྀ
㻌㻌㻴
㻌㻌㼛
㻌㻌㼚
㻌㻌㼏
㻌㻌㼔
㻌㻌㼛
㼠㼛㻌㻳㼑㼗㼗㼛㼖㼕㻌㼟㼠㼚㻚
䚷䚷
䚷䚷
䚷㻌㻌㻌
㻌㻌㻌㻌㼏㼡㼘㼠㼡㼞㼑㻌㼏㼑㼚㼠㼑㼞
㻌㻌㻌㻌㼏㼕㼠㼕㼦㼑㼚㻌㼘㼕㼎㼞㼍㼞㼥
㻌㻌㻲㼡㼖㼕㼓㼛㼗㼛㻌㼎㼡㼚㼗㼍㻌㼏㼑㼚㼠㼑㼞
Ꮚ䠄䛽䠅䛾⚄㏻䜚
䚷䚷
す⿬㏻䜚
ᐩኈᏛⱌ㧗ᰯ
㻌㻌㼟
㻌㻌㼠
㻌㻌㼞
㻌㻌㼑
㻌㻌㼑
㻌㻌㼠
㼃㼑㼘㼏㼛㼙㼑㼠㼛㻌
㻲㼡㼖㼕㼥㼛㼟㼔㼕㼐㼍㻌㻯㼕㼠㼥㻌㻍㻍
᭶Ụᑎ㏻䜚
䚷䚷᭶Ụᑎ
᭶Ụᑎᗂ⛶ᅬ
cake
GEKKO
Japanese sweets
BENKEI
㻻㼙㼡㼞㼛㻙㼟㼑㼚㼓㼑㼚㻌㼟㼔㼞㼕㼚㼑
䚷
cake
TORAYA
㼠㼛㻌㻿㼔㼕㼙㼛㼥㼛㼟㼔㼕㼐㼍㻌㼟㼠㼚㻚
㼠㼛㻌㻻㼠㼟㼡㼗㼕㻘㻌㼀㼛㼗㼥㼛㻌㼍㼞㼑㼍
㻖㻌㼀㼔㼕㼟㻌㼕㼘㼘㼡㼟㼠㼞㼍㼠㼑㼐㻌㼙㼍㼜㻌㼟㼔㼛㼣㼟㻌㼑㼍㼏㼔㻌㼟㼠㼛㼞㼑㻘
This map was created by Ms. Machiko Kanda at the Fujiyoshida Tourist Information Center (TIC)
㻌㻌㻌㻌㼡㼜㻌㼐㼍㼠㼑㻌㻞㻜㻝㻠㻚㻥㻌㻲㼡㼖㼕㼥㼛㼟㼔㼕㼐㼍㻌㼀㻵㻯
㼍㼚㼐㻌㼕㼟㻌㼚㼛㼠㻌㼑㼤㼍㼏㼠㻌㼟㼡㼏㼔㻌㼍㼟㻌㼐㼕㼟㼠㼍㼚㼏㼑㻌㼍㼚㼐㻌㼛㼠㼔㼑㼞㼟㻚
located at Fujisan Station. Ms. Kanda has created several variations of Fujiyoshida maps including this
one which shows all of our local sweets shops. In Fujiyoshida there is store to fit everyone’s style, from
artsy cafe galleries to refined traditional Japanese sweet (wagashi) shops!
5
BLURBS & BABBLE
How to do Christmas in Japan
Le� �� ea� c��.... & ��e� ��i��
Christmas in Japan differs considerably from the traditions of the west, and
undestandably so, Japan is not and has never been a predominantly
Christian country. The religious connotations associated with the western
Christmas tradition have therefore not been carried over, although much
of the imagery has. Streets are lined with Christmas lights, shops put up
their tinsle decor, and holiday music fills the air. For those passing through
it may look like Christmas anywhere and for many westerners who live
here, this can be confusing. It looks the same but feels so different. To
make the most of it, however, one must adjust... and have fun in the
process! Curious about what advice the Japanese might have for
foreigners attempting to test the waters and make the most of Christmas
in Japan, we asked around and got the following unanimous feedback:
“They should eat Christmas cake and friend chicken!” Le voila...
CHRISTMAS CAKE
FRIED CHICKEN
Ask any Japanese person what they consider to be the
highlight of the Japanese Christmas tradition and they
will almost always begin with Christmas cake. Bizzare?
Yes... Adorable? Yes... Delicious? YES! It’s unclear how
and when this was adopted in Japan and mainstreamed
in the way that it is now, but one thing is for certain, it is a
must for those trying out a Japanese Christmas.
Some families will buy or bake plain cakes and decorate
them together, but many will order theirs months in
advance at local bakeries and cake shops. Check out
what beautiful cakes you can find in one of our many
local cake shops! (See Ms. Kanda’s “Sweets Map” on
opposing page for locations )
ABEND
Fried chicken is the equivalent of roasted chicken,
turkey or ham in the U.S. It is a Christmas dinner staple
and most families place their Christmas fried chicken
orders months in advance. Live in Fujiyoshida and
looking to get in on this Japanese Christmas tradition?
Lucky for you we have a couple of local options!
NAKAYA CHICKEN
◆
仲屋チキン
1-2 Midorigaoka, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan
アーヴィンド ( 富士吉田店）
◆
1-8-1 Shinnishihara, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan
CHATERAISE
◆
シャトレーゼ ( 下吉田店）
5144 Shimoyoshida, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan
FUJIYA (Located in Selva)
◆
不二家
5-24-1 Shimoyoshida, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan
GEKKO CAFE
◆
A longstanding local favorite and go-to for those in the
neighborhood, Nakaya Chicken has got you covered for your
fried chicken needs this Christmas season (be sure you make a
reservation!) Located within short walking distance from Gekkoji
Station in the Nishiura neighborhood. TEL: 0555-22-3154
KFC Fujiyoshida
◆
KFC 富士吉田店
2-33-12 Shinnishihara, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan
カフェ月光
318 Shimoyoshida, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan
KIMURAYA
◆
MARON
まろん
木村屋 ( 富士吉田店）
2 Kamiyoshida, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan
◆
561-1 Shimoyoshida, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan
TORAYA
◆
トラヤ
1025 Shimoyoshida, Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi, Japan
KFC has made its way to Japan and even to our small city at the
base of Mount Fuji! Reservations for Christmas fill up fast so be sure
to make yours as soon as possible. Reservations can be made
online @ www.kfc.co.jp or in-store. TEL: 0555-20-1171
6
Mon
Tues
Wed
Thur
Fri
Sun
Sat
31
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
753
26TH ANNUAL FUJIYOSHIDA CULTURE FESTIVAL
SAT
1
SUN
2
(11/1) ~ (11/3)
Calligraphy Exhibition
Entrance of Fujisan Hall ( ふじさんホール入口）
(11/1) ~ (11/3)
Art Exhibition
3F Civic Hall Conference Hall ( 市民会館会議室 )
9:00 ~ 17:00
Haiku Competition
Shimoyoshida Comm. Center ( 下吉田コミセン）
11:00~ 16:00
Flower Arranging Exhibition
3F Civic Hall ( 市民会館 3 階小ホール )
(11/1) ~ (11/3)
(11/2) ~ (11/3)
Yukima Tea Ceremony
3F Citizen Hall Japanese Style Room ( 和室）
Matsukaze Tea Ceremony
3F Citizen Hall Japanese Style Room ( 和室）
(11/2) ~ (11/3)
SUN
9
TUE
11
SUN
16
SAT
29
SUN
SPECS
30
10:00 ~ 17:00
10:00 ~ 17:00
8:30~ 16:30
8:30~ 16:30
Poem Chanting Competition
3F Civic Hall ( 市民会館 3 階小ホール )
10:00~ 17:00
Fuji Five Lakes Wind Orchestra
Fujisan Hall ( ふじさんホール )
14:00~16:30
Taisho Group Koto Performance
3F Citizen Hall ( 市民会館 3 階小ホール )
19:00~ 21:00
Kabuki Performance
Fujisan Hall ( ふじさんホール )
12:30~ 17:00
Elevation:
Total hiking time:
Difficulty:
Risk:
ACCESS
Tues
Wed
Thur
Fri
Sat
1
2
3
4
5
6
8
9
10
11
12
13
IAD 14
WINTER
PARTY
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
7
National Public Holidays
November 3rd
Bunka no Hi ¦ 文化の日
Culture Day
November 15th
Shichi-go-san (7-5-3) Ceremonies
November 24th
Kinrokansha no Hi ¦ 勤労感謝の日
Labor Thanksgiving Day
December 23rd
Tenno Tanjobi ¦ 天皇誕生日
Emporer’s Birthday
*holiday on 23rd
Hiking with Hilsendeger
SHAKUSHIYAMA
SHAKUSHIYAMA
Compiled by Trevor Hilsendeger
YAMANASHI
TOP 100
18:00~ 19:30
1598 m
1.5↑1.5↓(3hrs total)
Moderate
Little
① From 忍野役場前 (Oshino Village Office) bus stop
ADVICE
Mon
13:00~ 16:30
Theatrical Recitation
Togawa Oshi Pilgrim’s Inn ( 御師旧外川家住宅)
Buyou Traditional Dance Performance
3F Citizen Hall ( 市民会館 3 階小ホール )
December
November
Sun
EVENTS & INFO
follow the signs to Oshino junior high school.
② Go past the school until you hit a T intersection
and turn left. Take the very first road to the right.
③ Follow this road up the mountain for about 1 km
until you reach the high point in the road.
④ You will see a maker indicating the trailhead on
your right. From here, just follow the signs.
The section leading up to Takazasuzan is very
steep and the small loose stones make it very
slippery. Try climbing this section off the trail (to
the right) to get better footing
Fall is by far the best season to hike. Not only do the beautiful autumn
colors make the scenery more beautiful, but the cooler air and the smell of
fallen foliage enhance the experience for the other senses as well. Also in
the fall, you will get much better views than you do in the summer as the
clouds are much higher in the sky. You also get see the contrasting snow
covered peaks on some of the higher mountains around. Taking all these
factors into consideration, I am thinking that 杓子山 (Mt. Shakushi) would be
the perfect hike to introduce this edition of Reiho.
Mt. Shakushi lies between Fujiyoshida and Oshino Village. Oshino is a
sleepy little village that is famous for it’ s Eight Ponds (Oshino Hakkai), it’ s
soba and it’ s second-to-none views of Mt. Fuji. Oshino is surrounded on all
sides by steep mountains, except for the south where Mt. Fuji can be found.
This is how Oshino got its name 忍野 (The concealed field). I called this
village home for nearly 9 years and climbed this mountain from every
possible angle. Although there are many routes, the most standard one has
you ascending via the 高座山 (Takazasuzan) course.
The first 30 minutes of the course are spent walking along a bumpy service
road that you shouldn’ t be surprised to see 4x4s on. After this is a short stint
through a forested area before you start slipping and sliding up the slopes of
Takazasuzan. After you reach the top of this 1304m peak, the trail dips down
back into the trees and it is a beautiful hike the rest of the way to the summit
of Mt. Shakushi. If you are lucky, when you come to the hang gliding center
you will be able to see one take off!
A small shrine, a picnic table and a marker indicating the peak (complete
with bell to ring) can be found on the top. If it is a clear day, you will be
amazed at not only the views of Mt. Fuji and Lake Yamanaka, but also at
the fact you will be able to see as far away as Oshima and Enoshima! The
summit will be a great place to consider your route down as there are a
variety of options. In addition to descending the way you came, you can
also continue in the same direction to Nijumagari Pass (which takes you
back to the village). On the way there, there is another trail you will intersect
that leads back down to Oshino too. So enjoy the views, take a break, say a
prayer, ring the bell and hike back down safely on your chosen path.

Download Report