Name: Exploring the Japanese Countryside Outside Tokyo: Mt Koubou | Life in Japan Episode 170
Uploaded: 2022-05-02T17:40:33.000Z
Duration: 13 min 10 s

We're hopping on the train and heading out to Mt Koubou,

基礎受動態

which is said to be one of the easiest mountain hikes near Tokyo,

初心者でも楽しめる山だそうです

but will this easy hike be more than we expected

弘法山は 登りがいのある山でしょうか？

Find out in this episode of Life in Japan.

今年は積極的に 外出したいと思っています

This is fun, but you better be there and get on.

あいにくの曇りですが 今日は登山に行きます

This year we've been more intentional with getting out and exploring more of the world around us,

and today even though it's cloudy, we're going to conquer a small mountain.

To get there, we've chosen to ride the Romance Car down to Hadano

where we will get off an ascend the nearby Mount Koubou.

It is pretty glorious, huh? A lot of space.

Riding on these trains is really relaxing

普段なら山が見えますが 今日は雲りです

Big windows, lots of space, it's the way to travel.

Normally you can see those mountains over there no problem, but today? A little bit cloudy.

田植えを一度体験してみたいわ

子供達と田植えをしてみたいです 出来る場所を知っている方 教えて下さい

I want to plant rice. If somebody knows how I can do the rice-field thing...

I really want to try a rice-field with my kids.

So if any of you know how I can do that, please let me know.

There's the ridge we're going to be walking.

So it's about a 15 minute walk from the station to the trailhead.

And you can even see where we're going up here on the ridge.

And the ridge is supposed to take a couple of hours to hike.

It looks like we're going to be walking a little ways.

And the girlfriend's getting ready to hike. Taking the jacket off.

This is supposed to be one of the easiest hikes for beginners.

Yes, it gradually goes up and then gradually comes back down.

桜の時期に来てもいいでしょう

And very beautiful, especially in Sakura.

Well, it's not Sakura now, but maybe we'll want to come back during that time.

Because this first part just goes up, up, up

この後の勾配は きつくないと聞いています

And that makes sense, you're walking up the the peak.

But helpfully, from what I've heard, the rest of it is nice and level and then goes back down.

So pay the price right up here, up front.

Whew! Getting towards the end of the stairs!

Oh, I think this is it, I think we made it to the first part of the top.

弘法山は初心者向けの山でもありますが

関東富士見百景に選ばれた 山でもあります

One of the mountains that we're going up is not only one of the easiest hikes that you can do in the Tokyo area,

今日は曇りなので 見えないかもしれません

It also has one of the best views of Mt Fuji

ホビットに出てきそうなトイレです

Well, one of the 100 best views from the Kanto area.

I don't think we're seeing Mt Fuji today,

But it would be fun to come back and see what that looks like.

Look at these bathrooms, they look like little hobbit holes. How cute.

クマが出没するかもしれないらしいです

And it looks like we still have a good point of the climb to do

Nate's bring me hiking on a trail in the Tokyo area that I have to watch for bears.

初心者向けの山ですが 楽勝という訳ではありません

Yes, send Ruth up in front to scare them away!

It might be considered easy but it's not that easy.

展望台の頂上を見てみましょう

Here comes the last little bit because I can see the observation tower up there.

That means we're at the top! The rest of it should be downhill from there, yea!

Let's go see what it looks like on top of this lookout tower. That looks interesting to me.

曇りですが それでも綺麗な景色です

Ruth's like "I don't need a lookout tower, that's alright."

Can you see it? Very faint, the outline of it.

Well no doubt about it, it's beautiful up here. It's not even a clear day, and it's beautiful.

桜の木です 春には綺麗でしょう

見てみたいです 登る価値があります

ウィルキンソンレモンとフルーツウォーター

This part right here is famous during Sakura because these are Sakura trees.

It would be really pretty. Help the climb not feel so bad.

晴れた日の景色は 素晴らしいでしょう

And a vending machine with Wilkinson Lemon and Fruit Water!

You can imagine that on a clear day, this looks awesome here.