Tokyo Days 46 - Mount Mitake (Part 2)

After taking a short break, it was time to get back on the road. Considering it was still quite early in the afternoon, I decided to check out the attractions at the periphery of Mount Mitake's forest hiking trail.

Down the well paved staircase.

The road less traveled? No, thank you. I will stick with the paved path.

Such a cute bench!

Eventually I hit a point where there were no more paved roads.

Every step I took brought me deeper into the forest, things were quickly moving into serious hiking territory.

I even stumbled upon a helipad, presumably one used for emergency situations.

Because the area surrounding the helipad had to be clear of trees, it offered a really good view too.

Can you spot the spider?

The path I took was headed towards an observation point

A hut for hikers to rest while taking in the view.

These benches surely have seen better day.

600 meters, piece of cake!

Okay, maybe not. I have a feeling I am going to regret this.

Look at those trees!

Step after step, 600 meters felt a lot further than I had expected.

The pathway was fairly steep but, thankfully, it was wide.

One wrong step and things could go down hill very quickly though, caution advised.

Again, look at all those trees!

This looks haphazard, just my kind of trail.

After a considerable trek, I finally arrived!

The waterfall is real!

It was not very large but, considering they are not very common in Japan, this is perfectly fine.

More haphazard pathways.

The forest and greenery surrounding the waterfall was particularly beautiful possibly due to the close proximity to a water source.

Time to head for the Rock Garden.

First, more climbing.

More climbing later, I find out the Rock Garden is a 120 minute course! Looking at the time, I realized I did not have the time considering it was getting pretty late. At this point, I was getting pretty exhausted. So, I packed up my camera gear and focused on getting back in one piece.

You can definitely count on it!

With a return ticket, I took the trip back down the cable car.

In closing, I have nothing but brimming positive words for Mount Mitake which became a truly memorable experience. Despite the long travel time, that does not faze me on the thought of returning in the future. Truly a recommended destination to spend a day! With that, comes a close to our Mount Mitake feature. Once again, thanks so much for reading and have yourself a fantastic day ahead!