Hiking in Sasayama

A buddhist temple was close to our trailhead and a group of buddhists were chanting and praying as we headed up the mountain. I could tell our early rise and hour and a half drive would be well worth it.

We dabbled in some bouldering


And took breaks to catch our breath and take in the amazing views of the valley.


At the summit, we commemorated our 725 m hike, and had lunch. We shared kaki (persimmon), edamame, & mikan (mandarin orange). Pictured are; Tsutako-san, Kazuumi-san, Yuka-san, Chikanari-sensei, and that cute American couple.


The trip back down was rough on the knees, and I was sad it was over so soon. But we were rewarded at the bottom with a mini-festival that was going on. We watched some kids perform a dance, and everyone released balloons with a message. The mountain is called "small money mountain" (I forget the Japanese) and apparently is dotted by ruins of old buddhist temples. Hundreds of years ago, this mountain chain was a place to find peace and mental clarity. Still rings true today.