EXPERIENCE YAMANASHI AND MORE _ EXPLORE YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

Today it was very warm. Although we are still in the middle of the winter season, Japanese apricot blossoms (ume in Japanese) began to bloom. They are the first to announce the arrival of spring. Japan is home to about 400 varieties of Japanese apricot trees, and their blossoms can be enjoyed nationwide from December to March. In Furoen Japanese Apricot Blossom Garden located in the city of Kofu in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, Japanese apricot trees began to bloom in early February. Here, there are more than 2,000 Japanese apricot trees of some 30 different varieties. I was luckily able to hear the singing sound of the Japanese bush warbler (Horeites diphone). They are also known as a signal of the arrival of spring in Japan.

Furoen: https://www.furouen.jp/english/

Japanese apricot blossoms: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_mume; Japanese Apricot Blossom Patterns: https://www.gov-online.go.jp/hlj/en/january_2026/january_2026-04.html

Japanese bush warbler (Horornis diphone): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_bush_warbler; https://ebird.org/species/jabwar; https://www.nippon.com/en/guide-to-japan/cs00066/

Furoen Japanese Apricot Blossom Garden, Kofu, Yamanashi, 2/24/2026

Additional Information:

Winter jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum), Furoen Japanese Apricot Blossom Garden, Kofu, Yamanashi, 2/24/2026

Winter jasmine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jasminum_nudiflorum

Temple juniper (Juniperus rigida), Furoen Japanese Apricot Blossom Garden, Kofu, Yamanashi, 2/24/2026

Temple juniper: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juniperus_rigida

Thunberg spiraea, Furoen Japanese Apricot Blossom Garden, Kofu, Yamanashi, 2/24/2026

Common greenshield lichen (Flavoparmelia caperata) and Palm ruffle lichen (Parmotrema tinctorum) on Japanese apricot blossom trees, Furoen Japanese Apricot Blossom Garden, Kofu, Yamanashi, 2/24/2026

Common greenshield lichen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flavoparmelia_caperata; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=172615

Palm ruffle lichen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parmotrema_tinctorum; https://lichenportal.org/portal/taxa/index.php?taxauthid=1&taxon=54568&clid=1052#

Also, please refer to the previous article on Furoen, February 10, 2024: https://yamanashietsuo.net/wp-admin/post.php?post=2625&action=edit

Mount Takao is located in Western Tokyo, in the city of Hachioji in the Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. It is a popular destination. The elevation of Mount Takao is 599 meters (approximately 1,965 feet).  Despite its low altitude, it offers panoramic views of Tokyo and Mount Fuji and beautiful autumn foliage. Mount Takao earned a prestigious three-star rating in the Michelin Green Guide Japan in 2007, and it boasts the highest number of climbers in the world, with approximately 2.6 to 3 million visitors annually.

Mount Takao offers six main, well-marked hiking trails ranging from a paved, beginner-friendly path to more rugged trails. All of them are accessible from Takaosanguchi Station. Key starting points include Kiyotaki Cable Car Station for Trail 1 (Omotesando) and Myoon Bridge for Trailr 6 and Inariyama trailhead near the Station.

Takaosanguchi Station is a passenger railway station located in the city of Hachiōji, operated by the private railway operator Keio Corporation. It is the main point of railway access to Mount Takao.

Takaosanguchi Station: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takaosanguchi_Station; Keio Takao Line: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kei%C5%8D_Takao_Line

Keio Line: https://www.keio.co.jp/global/?lang=en; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kei%C5%8D_Line

Kiyotaki Station, Takaotozan Railway: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takaotozan_Railway; (In Japnese) https://www.takaotozan.co.jp/timeprice/

Le Mont Takao, Michelin Green Guide Japan in 2007: https://dgaddcosprod.blob.core.windows.net/b2c-experience-production/attachments/cjnmvmmi409350omylpiokpmw-greenguide-all.pdf

Views from the top of Mount Takao, Hachioji-city, Tokyo, 2/22/2026

Mount Takao: https://www.takaotozan.co.jp/course/img/course_map_english.pdf; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Takao; Hachioji: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hachi%C5%8Dji: Tokyo Metropolis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo

We took Trail 6. According to the legend, when Kukai (Kobo Daishi) visited Mount Takao, he stayed in a cave at the Iwaya Daishi area to avoid the storm.

Iwaya Daishi Caves, Mount Takao, Hachioji-city, Tokyo, 2/21/2026

Kukai: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C5%ABkai

Buttress root-like roots of a muku tree (probably), Mount Takao, Hachioji-city, Tokyo, 2/21/2026

Muku Tree (Aphananthe aspera): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphananthe_aspera; Buttress root: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buttress_root

Mosses growing on trees, Mount Takao, Hachioji-city, Tokyo, 2/21/2026

Polypore mushroom, Mount Takao, Hachioji-city, Tokyo, 2/21/2026

Polypore mushroom (Trametes versicolor): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trametes_versicolor

Upside-down fern, Mount Takao, Hachioji-city, Tokyo, 2/21/2026

Upside-down fern (Arachniodes standishii): https://mikawanoyasou.org/sida/ryoumensida.htm; https://jpfern.la.coocan.jp/names/721.html

Views of Hachioji and beyond, the Tokyo area including Ikebukuro and Shinjuku from Mount Inari, Mount Takao, Hachioji-city, Tokyo, 2/21/2026

ITINERARY

(START) Kiyotaki Cable Car Station – (Trail 6) – Myoon Bridge – Biwataki (waterfall) -Mount Takao, Takao Visitor Center – (Inariyama Trail) – Mount Inari – Inari Shrine – Kiyotaki Cable Car Station (GOAL)

Time: 3h 22min (Rest: 40 min), Distance: 7.2 km, Ascend: 501 m, Descend: 503 m

Fugaku Fuketsu (Wind Cave), Narusawa-village, Yamanshi, 2/16/2026

Common reed and Mount Fuji, Oishi Park, Kawaguchiko-town, Yamanashi, 2/14/2026

Common reed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phragmites_australis

Lake Motosu and Mount Fuji, Nakanokura, Minobu-town, Yamanashi, 2/14/2026

Lake Motosu: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Motosu

Mt. Fuji’s selection as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site: https://www.fujisan223.com/en/reason/; https://www.pref.yamanashi.jp.e.aao.hp.transer.com/miryoku/fujisan/heritage.html; https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1418/; https://www.fujisan-3776.jp/en/index.html

Ice pillars, stalagmites, and stalactites, Fugaku Fuketsu (Wind Cave), Narusawa-village, Yamanashi, 2/12/2026

Icicles and stalagmites, Narusawa Hyoketsu (Ice Cave), Narusawa-village, Yamanashi, 2/12/2026

Above the entrance of Fugaku Fuketsu (Wind Cave), Narusawa-village, Yamanashi, 2/12/2026

Beside the entrance of Narusawa Hyoketsu (Ice Cave), Narusawa-village, Yamanashi, 2/12/2026

Lots of footprints, Aokigahara Forest, Narusawa-village, Yamanashi, 2/12/2026

Mount Fuji, Mount Omuro, and Kitadake (Mount North), views from the top of Koyodai Resthouse, Narusawa-village, Yamanashi, 2/12/2026

Wind Cave and Ice Cave: https://www.mtfuji-cave.com/en/wind_cave/

Aokigahara: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aokigahara

Mount Omuro: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_%C5%8Cmuro_(Mount_Fuji)

Mount Kita (north): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Kita

Mount Fuji: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Fuji

Tokaichi, or the Tenth Day Market, in the city of Minami-Alps in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, is a historic, 400-year-old traditional open-air market held annually on February 10th and 11th (Feb. 7th and 8th in 2026) to herald the arrival of spring. It is a massive market known for selling everything “except cat eggs and horse horns,” featuring traditional wooden crafts (mortars, pestles), local food, and Daruma dolls.

Food stands: kebab, taiyaki (fish-shaped cake with sweet red bean paste), yakisoba (stir-fried noodles), okonomiyaki (Japanese savory pancake) and the like, Tokaichi, Minami-Alps, Yamanashi, 2/08/2026

Onigawara are decorative roof tiles placed at the ends of the roof ridge, often depicting the face of an oni (Japanese ogre) or other designs. The city of Minami-Alps is recognized as the production site for Koshu onigawara. The Wakakusa district in the city has a long history of tile-making, and today the Wakakusa Kawara Kaikan (Tile Museum) preserves this tradition and allows visitors to experience making these crafts.

“Koshu” historically refers to the former Kai Province, which is largely equivalent to modern-day Yamanashi Prefecture.

Onigawara (Decorative ridge-end tiles): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onigawara

Onigawara, Wakakusa Kawara Kaikan, Minami Alps, Yamanashi, 2/08/2026

Shachihoko are mythical Japanese creatures with a tiger’s head and a carp’s body. They are also placed as roof ornaments on Japanese castles and temples to serve as protective, fire-extinguishing spirits, usually appearing in male-female pairs. Shachihoko are also made in the Wakakusa district using the local clay.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shachihoko

Shachihoko, Wakakusa Kawara Kaikan, Minami Alps, Yamanashi, 2/08/2026

Koshu Onigawara: https://www.pref.yamanashi.jp.e.aao.hp.transer.com/shouko/kogyo/densan/onigawara_01.html

February 6, 2026. It was unseasonably hot and sunny. The maximum temperature in the city of Kofu in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, was 17.9℃ with a minimum temperature of -2.0°C.

Lenticular clouds in a hot day, Kofu, Yamanashi, 2/06/2026

Mount Hinata is located in the Hakushu area in the city of Hokuto in Yamanashi Prefeture, Japan. The summit elevation of Mount Hinata is 1,660 meters (5,446 feet). Mount Hinata lies on a ridge extending north from the ridge connecting Mount Kaikoma (Kaikomagatake) and Mount Nokogiri in the Akaishi Mountains (Southern Japanese Alps). The mountain is typically accessed via the Yatateishi Trailhead. 

Peak of Mount Hinata (the triangulation point), Hakushu-cho, Hokuto-city, Yamanashi, 01/25/2025

Gangahara panoramic viewpoint for Mount Kaikoma (Kaikomagatake) and the Yatsugatake Mountains, a slope with exposed granite rubble, Mount Hinata, Hakushu-cho, Hokuto-city, Yamanashi, 01/25/2025

Gangahara panoramic viewpoint, Mount Hinata, Hakushu-cho, Hokuto-city, Yamanashi, 01/25/2025

Mount Hinata, Hakushu-cho, Hokuto-city, Yamanashi, 01/25/2025

Mount Hinata, Hakushu-cho, Hokuto-city, Yamanashi, 01/25/2025

Snowy Trail, Mount Hinata, Hakushu-cho, Hokuto-city, Yamanashi, 01/25/2025

Snowy Trail, Mount Hinata, Hakushu-cho, Hokuto-city, Yamanashi, 01/25/2025

Snowy Trail, Mount Hinata, Hakushu-cho, Hokuto-city, Yamanashi, 01/25/2025

ITINERARY

(START) Ojiragawa Gorge Parking Lot – Yatateishi Trailhead of Mount Hinata – Mount Hinata – Yatateishi Trailhead of Mount Hinata – Ojiragawa Gorge Parking Lot (GOAL)

Time: 5h 21min (Rest: 23 min), Distance: 7.5 km, Ascend: 925 m, Descend: 927 m

FYI

Akaishi Mountains: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akaishi_Mountains

Mount Kaikoma: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Kaikoma; Mount Nokogiri: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Nokogiri_(Akaishi)

Yatsugatake Mountains: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yatsugatake_Mountains

Shakagatake or Mount Shaka and Kurodake or Mount Black are located in the Misaka Mountains, a mountain range located in the city of Fuefuki in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, situated between the Kofu Basin to the north and the Fuji Five Lakes region to the south. The summit elevation of Shakagatake is 1,641 meters (5,384 feet) and that of Kurodake is 1,793 meters (5,883 feet). The Misaka Mountains is a popular hiking destination.

Views from the peak of Shakagatake (Mount Shaka), Fuefuki-city, Yamanashi, 01/24/2026

Views from the peak of Kurodake (Mount Black), Fuefuki-city, Yamanashi, 01/24/2026

Trails between Shakagatake (Mount Shaka), Mount Fukoma, and Kurodake (Mount Black), Fuefuki-city, Yamanashi, 01/24/2026

ITINERARY

(START) Lily of the valley Colony Parking Lot – Trailhead of Shakagatake – Mount Fukoma – Shakagatake – Mount Fukoma – Shakagatake & Kurodake Branch Point – Kurodake – Lily of the valley Pass – Lily of the valley Colony Parking Lot (GOAL)

Time: 5h 19min (Rest: 24 min), Distance: 8.8 km, Ascend: 861 m, Descend: 860 m

Kayagatake or Mount Kaya is located between Hokuto-city and Kai-city in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. The elevation of Kayagatake is 1,704 meters. The trailhead of the mountain is near Kayagatake Fukada Memorial Park in the city of Nirasaki in Yamanashi Prefecture. 

Mount Fuji from Kayagatake, Kai-city, Yamanashi, 01/17/2026

Mount Fuji from Kayagatake, Kai-city, Yamanashi, 01/17/2026

Yatsugatake Mountains from Kayagatake, Kai-city, Yamanashi, 01/17/2026

Yatsugatake Mountains from Kayagatake, Kai-city, Yamanashi, 01/17/2026

Views from the top of Kayagatake, Kai-city, Yamanashi, 01/17/2026

Parmotrema lichen (Parmotrema tinctorum) and Cypress-leaved plant moss (Hypnum plumaeforme Wilson), Kayagatake, Kai-city, Yamanashi, 01/17/2026

Herpothallon lichen (Herpothallon japonicum (Zahlbr.) G.Thor), Kayagatake, Kai-city, Yamanashi, 01/17/2026

Peppercorn laurel (Lindera glauca) and the leaves of Sawtooth oak (Quercus acutissima Carruth), Kayagatake, Nirasaki-city, Yamanashi, 01/17/2026

ITINERARY

(START) Nirasaki-city, Kayagatake Fukada Memorial Park Parking Lot – Trailhead – Meiwa (Rock) – Kayagatake (Peak) – (descending rout) – Trailhead – Kayagatake Fukada Memorial Park Parking Lot (GOAL)

Time: 4h 23min (Rest: 39 min), Distance: 6.6 km, Ascend: 785 m, Descend: 787 m