Sunday 31 March 2019

Aburayama 油山 Spring Hike 2019.3.23

Aburayama 油山 Spring Hike 2019.3.23

Spring is here! We are in the middle of the short spring time period known as Hanami (Lit. Flower watching). It is a great time of year where the parks and nature areas are filled with blossoming trees and people enjoying the spectacle by having picnics under and amongst the trees. It is also a wonderful time to go hiking as the weather is getting warmer but the humidity is still relatively low this makes it the perfect time to visit and revisit the best hikes. 

The first of a few I have been on is to head back to Aburayama. This time we drove to the car park area (Costs 400 Yen for the day payable in cash at the toll gate before entering the mountain). From there we hiked up the mountain and took in the sights under the new seasons conditions. For more info. on visiting Aburayama check out the previous posts for some routes 1 2 3






The changing colour of the trees makes for a wonderful image. The blossoming trees mixed with the greens.  

Sakura buds about to bloom

View from the summit

Summit sign






The sakura blossoms in full bloom. Not all of the trees had reached full blossom but the ones that had looked great against the clear blue sky! 
Sakura: Cherry blossom

Part of a bee hive

A badger set?



Wednesday 27 March 2019

Nijodake 二丈岳 Hike - The start of spring 2019

Nijodake 二丈岳 Hike - The start of spring 2019 2019.3.17

I recently went up Nijodake to mark the start of spring. There was no new route to this hike, the only difference being that I started from the car park near the Yuranaiko bridge (Which has free parking) instead of the station. Below are a collection of the wonderful spring sights I was treated to. For more information on visiting Nijodake, which to my mind is one of Fukuoka's best and most under appreciated hikes check out my post from last year below. Nijodake summer hike

I highly recommend Nijodake for a spring hike. Itoshima has to be one of the best and most varied areas to hike in Fukuoka. Luckily the Itoshima local government produce a range of free hiking maps for each mountain region. More information can be found on their local government website including downloadable maps here



Nothing like daffodils to indicate spring is here!




fellow hikers on the trail









The triple waterfall








The views were as impressive as ever! 
The sea around Itoshima really is fantastic