Want to experience a hike of a lifetime? Join property princess Soo Yi Xin as she explores Japan’s mountainous peaks with the housing fratenity colleague
At the mention of Japan, the words “sushi”, “onsen”, “ra-men” and “sakura” often im-mediately springs to mind. Whilst Japan is well-known around the world for its food, culture, heritage, and ultra-polite people, it is also an amaz-ingly scenic country with beautiful land-scapes. In fact, about 73% of Japan is mountainous with hiking being a pop-ular sport amongst the Japanese people.
The most famous mountain in Japan is none other than Mount Fuji – Japan’s iconic mountain which is also the highest mountain in Japan. While most of my Japan trips witnessess me binging non-stop on food, in August 2018, my friends and I decided to embark on a challenge – to scale the sacred Mount Fuji, standing tall at a majestic 3,776 metres above sea level.And, not only that but we decided that we would also take on the challenge of scaling the second tallest mountain in Japan – Mount Kita (towering at a height of 3,193 metres) as part of our You Only Live Once (YOLO) trip. That’s right, you only live once – so you should try being at the highest point in Japan at least once!
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Our journey started with us waking up as early as 5am with us embarking on a hike up Mount Kita. The morning air was chilly but as the sun rose, our bodies slowly warmed up and we were happily hiking upwards, navigating our way through the beautiful forest while appreciating various remnants and bright flowers peppered along the way. We reached the rest house at around noon time and were happy to tuck into a hearty lunch. Only to discover at this point that we had taken the wrong route altogether!
If truth be told, we actually got separated from our guide and two other hikers at the start of the journey but assured ourselves that we were hiking “just a little slower”. After fumbling around guided by maps and deciding upon a meeting point, we were back on track again. This time, the real challenge finally set in with the path starting to become more treacherous with huge rocks and boulders, steep bamboo stairs, narrow ridges that could send you flying with any slight mis-step appearing at various parts of the trail. Eventually, after a long hike taking about nine hours, we finally reached the top of Kitadaki where Mount Fuji can be seen as it were, floating above the clouds.
Never mind that a supposedly seven hour hike stretched on to over nine hours because those long hours were accompanied by so much fun, laughter and merriment. Never mind that we got lost and took the wrong route, because that happily led us to an unexpected feast of gyudon and ice cream up on the mountains. And then, we were rewarded with that incredible view of Mount Fuji, so all those resulting sore muscles were worth it.
The next day saw us descending Mount Kita. We rested the evening before continuing on our second hike with the highlight of the trip this time being Mount Fuji.
This time around, we started the hike in the evening at 7pm and hiked throughout the night, watching as the bustling lights of Tokyo slowly went to sleep around us.
It was raining most of the night but even this couldn’t dampen our spirits and it is noted that a few among us even had beer at the rest stop! We all agreed to take a short rest from 12am to 4am and continued onwards on our journey for the final push to the summit.
So worth the effort as this was the most beautiful sunrise I have ever witnessed in my life. Sitting high above the clouds, we watched as the first rays of light peeked through the clouds, slowly turning the sky into a palette of vibrant yellow, orange and blue hues. As we reached the Torii gate with the sun gleaming through, it was as if we had reached the gates of heaven. Up on the summit, we indulged in a warm bowl of udon washed down by hot chocolate. After the meal, we selected some lovely souvenirs to buy back before heading down and feeling the full wrath of the scorching sun on our backs.
Hike-travel is something that I’ve never imagined doing and is probably not the first itinerary that has crossed people’s mind when it comes to travel. Many tavellers would be looking to relax instead of hiking for hours on end. But having experienced this – this really is one of the things that should be on everyone’s bucket list as it is an experience of a lifetime that will leave you in awe of nature and speechless at its beauty.
This trip remain as an unforgettable journey that cements in a lifetime of memories, the best of friendships and camaraderie.
We only live once – so let us live while appreciating the wonders and beauty of nature around us and far away – exploring Mother Nature’s highest mountains and deepest oceans as there is so much to learn and plenty to love.