Mount Myojingatake [Me-Oh-Gin-Got-a-K] 明神ヶ岳 (1169m)
Access: Miyagino Bus Stop
In the autumn of 2020, strange forces (mostly related to COVID-19) had sent me to briefly live & work in the centre of Hakone National Park west of Tokyo. While living in this expensive tourist town and pinching every penny, hiking was pretty much the only activity I could afford. My other hobby (as you can see from these blogs) is writing, and so I spent most of my free time trying to go to local cafes to sit and write various projects (blogs and screenplays). There were some days though that the good local coffee shops (airstream cafe, one with a view, and this sweets cafe) were closed, and the only ones open were horrendously overpriced. One day, I had a bit too much free time and was searching around for cafes on Google Maps, and found there was a Starbucks here on the other side of the Hakone caldera. So, I made it my mission to climb over Mt. Myojingatake to get a well earned cup of caffeine.
From Miyagino bridge, there are two ways to climb the mountain. The first (longer) way is to the right up its neighbouring mountain with a confusingly similar name, Mt. Myojogatake. This path will take you to a clearing, shaped as a giant "big" kanji, which is part of a festival every summer. From the top of this slightly smaller hill, you can take a path over the mountaintops and gradually glide towards Mt. Myojingatake. The other path to the left is a much steeper trail, but it will bring you to the top within about 90 minutes if you climb at a steady pace.
View From the Hakone Daimonji Yaki on Mt. Myojyogatake
Steady upward, Slowly downward
During my months living in Hakone, this became my one of my go-to mountains for training. I climbed it at least twice a month, and despite getting fairly used to the course, that first hour would always leave me out of breath. Eventually by the time I made it to the top, the weather took a bit of a nasty turn, with dark clouds and cold winds and a hint of freezing rain, I decided not to stay up there too long. On a clear day, the view from the top will give you an amazing panoramic view of all of Hakone, and a straight view of the volcanic Owakudani. In winter, the top of the mountain can collect a lot of snow, so it's always a good idea to bring boots with some grip.
Snowy Summit (left), sign & Fuji-san (middle), and the day I hiked to get coffee (right)
Mountain Exit from Hakone
The path downwards to Minami-Ashigara city was much longer than the route I was used to, but it was also much more gradual. Still near the top, the path had collected a lot of snow and mud, so I had to be a bit careful with my footing. I continued downwards along the slope for a couple hours until I arrived by the grand Daiyuzan Temple. I'm always amazed at the scale of some of the ancient trees.
Although it is possible to take a bus from the shrine, I wanted to claim the title of walking the whole distance to the Starbucks, so I continued alongside the old forest road, which eventually opened up to the suburbs. Along the way, I found a local farmers house which was selling a bag of mikan oranges for only 100 yen, which is an unbelievable deal, especially while living in an overpriced tourist town. I remember the complete exhaustion of my legs, and although I was so close to my goal, I had to sit down at a park for a few minutes to give my body a short rest. After, I passed by the station and saw a statue of Kintaro.
At long last, just as the sun was setting, I had finally reached my goal. As I turned around, I saw an explosive fiery sky above hakone caused by the evening sun shining through the storm clouds. After entering the cafe, I quickly changed my sweaty clothes in the restroom. After finally ordering, I could sit down at long last. Now what to write about next...
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