Marathon

The IAAF World Championships Marathon in Osaka.

Before the Marathon

The IAAF World Championships are being held in Osaka this week, and I thought I should do something for it. I woke up very early to head over to the Marathon route. On the way I found someone who hadn't woken up yet.

Niigata Mountains

What a fabulous hike up Hiuchi-yama and Myoko-san. These are two mountains on a well-marked trail of 21 kilometres in length just north of the Nagano border in Niigata prefecture. I was blessed with great weather. The trail-head at Sasa-ga-me is at about 1300m and it was a day's climb to the summit of Hiuchi-yama at 2462m.

I camped overnight beside the Takidani-ike mountain hut at around 2100m and then climbed nearby Myoko-san at 2446m. It is hard to believe it was only a change of 350m in elevation because it was an arduous climb, taking over three hours. It was another three hours to get down the mountain. My legs were stinging and I was exhausted to the bone but I was also thrilled to have climbed my first real mountain in Japan.

Next time I climb, however, I think I should leave the D80 and VR 80-200mm lens at home, opting for something much LIGHTER instead.

See more pictures of "Niigata Mountains" are at my an-fi photo gallery.



























See more pictures of "Niigata Mountains" are at my an-fi photo gallery.

Lake Nojiriko

From Kanazawa I took a train into Niigata prefecture and then into the northern edge of Nagano prefecture where I camped near Lake Nojiriko.

Ishikawa Beach

The first photo in this series is of the view I had when I poked my head out my tent in the morning, at a campsite north of Kanazawa. It is not as pristine as it looks -- there was a nearby road with traffic all night long. Just over the ridge is the Japan sea.

Kanazawa

Kanazawa is another city known as "little Kyoto". (Just how many of them are there?). Capital of Ishikawa prefecture, it was one of the few major cities in Japan spared from U.S. bombing runs in World War Two. As a result, it boasts some picturesque historical areas in the centre of the city where it was a real treat to walk beside canals flanked by old wooden houses.

Kanazawa is the first stop on my short summer camping trip, also stopping on a beach north of Kanazawa, Lake Norijiko in Nagano, and a mountain in Niigata.

More of Kanazawa at the an-fi gallery.













More of Kanazawa at the an-fi gallery.