The middle of November and another three day weekend. It seems that all Japanese people go out to see the fall colors at this time. I went to meet my friend in Hakone and even though the weather was a bit cloudy there were lots of people lining up and crowding into the train to get there. Regardless, I met my friend and we had a nice time walking around the area, going to Gora Park, eating at a fairly famous restaurant, staying at a ryokan, visiting the geysers at Owakudani, hiking up the mountain, and taking the boat across the lake. It was very similar to the last time I visited Hakone, 5 years ago.

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Another beautiful weekend for mountain climbing. I invited a friend of mine to go climb Tounodake, the second highest mountain in the Tanzawa area. I have climbed many of the other mountains in the Tanzawa area with my hiking club, but have never gotten to Tounodake before. It had been over a year since I climbed Mt. Takao with my friend, and since then he too has started to climb many other mountains. It was great chance to show my friend the Tanzawa area and also finally climb Tounodake.
From the top of Tounodake, the view of the surrounding area is amazing, especially on days like the one we climbed where the air was cool and very clean. Pictures can not describe just how far you can see, from Mt. Fuji to Tokyo, Yokohama, and even Saitama and Chiba. Also, the Fall colors were in full bloom.

Because of a server crash this is the second time I have to post this.

Every year in Fall I climb Mt. Takao to see the Fall colors. It was great timing when I was invited by my Swiss friend to go mountain climbing. However, he also wanted to bring along his one year old daughter, so Takao was a perfect choice. The cool and a bit cloudy weather was also very nice. For most of the time my friend carried her, but along the way he let his daughter walk around and explore the mountain. She is one of the cutest kids I have ever seen. She loved walking around and picking up things. For most of the time she and I played a rock collection and trading game. Although still a bit early, the Fall colors were also quite beautiful.

The third of November is "Culture Day” a national holiday in Japan, and for the holiday my friend invited me for a drive up north to Chichibu to see some fall colors and a famous shrine. The fall weather was cool and the air beautiful, another perfect day to go see the fall colors. Chichibu, in Saitama north of Tokyo, is mostly mountains and fairly famous for its fall leaves. It is not a convenient place to get to by train and buses, so it was nice to have a friend with a car.

The fall colors were beautiful.

The entrance to Mitsumine Shrine

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As it is steadily becoming Fall in Japan the weather is getting colder and the color of the leaves on the tress are changing. This is probably my favorite season in Japan. The hot and humid summer is finally over and the air is much cleaner - perfect mountain climbing weather.