Mt. Mizugaki (瑞牆山) is the 2,230m high mountain belonging to the Okuchichibu Mountainous Region which places the Yamanashi Pref. and Tokyo. The peak features rocky formations and very good views of the surrounding mountainous such as South alps mountains and Mt. Fuji.
 

Mt Mizugaki is a famous mountain for the entry level hikers, kids, and students. The main route from Mizugaki-sanso is thus sometimes in very cloudy situation such that there is no place to park a car. However, there are some variation route for treking combined with Mt. Kinpu etc.

We have chosen a round tour route from Mizugaki-yama nature center.




The trail starts from the end of forest road for cars. 

Very quiet forest trail, stream of water, beautiful falls, Granite rocks...

From the top of Mt. Mizugaki, we could see the landscape of Mt. Fuji and South alps mountains.

瑞牆山
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E7%91%9E%E7%89%86%E5%B1%B1

Kakinotane（柿の種）is a common Japanese snack. It tastes like a senbei (soy source flavored rice crisps), but more small. It is said that the figure is like a seed of a fruits. There are some products with different tast and the most common one is with peanuts. 

 

 

Naeba Prince
Mikuni, Yuzawa-machi, Minami-Uonuma-gun, Niigata, 949-6292, Japan
 Hotel
 Snow Resort

Doragondora, the longest (5,481m) gondola in the world, is operated by Prince hotel group to connect two big ski resort, Naeba and Kagura(Tashiro). The line operates in winter and limited period in summer and autumn as well.

In autumn, the longest gondola operates for sightseeing of autumn color. The view from gondola is somehow special, it is like a sky walking.

We can walk the trail in the forest which is used for the Fuji Rock Festival.

Naeba Prince
Mikuni, Yuzawa-machi, Minami-Uonuma-gun, Niigata, 949-6292, Japan
 Hotel
 Snow Resort

You may have a impression about nuclear disaster at Fukushima power plant in March 2011. In fact, there are still a lot of people who cannot get back to their home due to the high radiation level, however, Fukushima prefecture is horizontally long shaped prefecture and there are few affects in the mountain side. There are many snowy mountains inland.

Mt. Aizu Komagatake (会津駒ケ岳)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Aizu-Komagatake
http://www.snowjapan.com/japan-ski-resorts/town/hinoemata

It will take 6-8 hours to hike up by snowshoes.

Spring is the time for a custom of cherry blossom viewing, which involves passing through or eating or drinking under cherry blossom trees. Cherry blossom start blooming from the south Japan in the end of March and move toward the north Japan, and finally finish at Hokkaido in the start of May.

Generally, in Tokyo or Osaka, in the middle of main island, it can be seen from the end of March to the start of April. The cherry blossom in full bloom is in a moment, say only one week or so.

In this year, we enjoyed cherry blossom viewing (Hanami in Japanese) around Tokyo.

In Chidorigafuchi:

In Akasaka:

At the river side of the Meguro river:

 Visit Japan in the end of the March and you may be able to enjoy them.

Though I don't know the correct English, Yukihatago-Lightning is the festival of lighted reproduced-tavern built by the snow.

Event page
Yukihatago Facebook event page

A picture is worth a thousand words... This year is 10th anniversary of this festival. Gassan-Shizu onsen flourished as village of Japanese-inn for practitioners of Shindo who headed to Mt. Gassan. Now, the tavern in period building were reproduced by snow.

A shrine.

Snow rabbit.