Outside is simply the best place to be - and I can't say that often enough, especially at this time of year. Even though it feels like it's almost summer, the days are still super pleasant and it's just fun to go out of the house. And as I unfortunately sit in front of the screen far too much during the week, at least on the weekend I wanted to take the opportunity to go out with my little team. Even though we didn't leave home quite as punctually as we had planned, we didn't let that stop us from heading out for a little hike.
But what am I saying - little hike? We had chosen a mountain that was right by the sea and which we had already climbed a year ago. That time from the other side and from a higher starting point. And it was precisely this mountain that we wanted to climb again, this time starting at METER ZERO!
And meter zero means exactly from the water's edge. After first standing on the sandy beach and holding our hand in the sea, we soon stood on a few rocks and took another look into the super clear water. I almost felt like going for a swim!
But we wanted to get up high that day, and the first thing we had to do was climb these stairs that would take us up the first few meters. There is a lighthouse on top of the cliff, which we had already visited several times before and which we will see more often today.
So first a few big steps and up the stairs.
We moved on with confidence, full of anticipation and in a good spirit. And I can already see something gleaming up there!
That's right, there are two small orange lilies blooming in front of me, which are a great prelude to the hike ahead.
And we have already reached the gleaming white lighthouse, to which there are usually other visitors venturing up as well.
Because from here you already have a great view of the sea and the beach below. But we are aiming even higher today!
And that's why our path now leads in this direction, up the mountain ridge. It was a little rockier and steeper at the start, but we didn't want to let that stop us.
Our path led upwards and we had to be very careful where we walked at times. But even the little ones in my small team mastered it with flying colors, and with some occasional help.
And here we are, with the lighthouse now below us. Even though we are already puffing and sweating a little, we have only covered a short distance and most of the way still lies ahead of us.
So on we went, into the mountain, which looked so wonderfully fresh and green at this time of year, and simply invited us to come further up.
At same places, hard-working hands had built a few steps that made it a little easier to walk up here.
Here and there you had to climb a little over rocks and roots, but that was simply part of the fun.
And the higher we got, the better the view became. We had already covered quite a bit of altitude and the coastal road below us was getting smaller and smaller.
And it wasn't only green around us, there were always a few other colors to marvel at. Like these small yellow flowers, which belong to a type of stonecrop.
Or the many purple chive flowers here in this meadow, which immediately made me think and wonder whether they were edible. But then I decided to pass out on this one.
After all, we wanted to keep going and still had a long way to climb. As we were walking along the ridge, occasionally we had to walk down a little, only to go up again shortly afterwards.
But it was fun and we had the perfect weather. Pleasantly warm and sunny with the occasional refreshing breeze. And there was nothing but nature around us - it couldn't have been better.
Here we passed a few wild azaleas, which were still in bloom up here and gave the whole area a wonderful red touch.
Here we passed a sign telling us that we had already covered 900 meters. It felt like a lot more, but as we were mostly walking uphill, everything took a little longer. And there was still more than double the distance ahead of us, but that couldn't discourage us.
The lighthouse was getting smaller and smaller and we had already climbed a long way up the mountain. From now on, it would be a little easier and not quite as steep, as our path now led us right into the forest.
And suddenly it was only 747 meters to go. But as it continued to go up and down a little, it took longer than expected.
But there were already traces of civilization, at least those of the past. Here in this house, people no longer rest and relax, although the metal chimney looked so shiny as if it had been put on the roof only a week ago.
The last few meters we found the carpet rolled out for us. Well, not quite, but at least the planks were laid out. It was now much easier and we were able to really pick up the pace at the end.
And then we were there! Exactly 481.7 meters above sea level, which we had all mastered to the millimetre. We had started from the water's edge and were now standing at the top of this beautiful mountain. It had taken us a total of 2 hours and 20 minutes, which meant we'd managed a pretty decent time.
There was a hut nearby, which this time would have been a great place fot taking shelter, and a few statues. Here, for example, is a Buddhist Bodhisattva statue....
..and this one of Yokoyama Taihei, a businessman who lived during the Taisho period. Well, there must be a good reason why he was immortalized up here.
And there was also a toilet, which we didn't need that day. But at least everything had been thought of.
We walked another 500 meters until we reached this viewpoint, where we rested and refreshed ourselves. It was a wonderful place, with a great panorama over the plain in front of us with its many small villages and the countless rice fields in between.
There was another building standing at this place, this time made of concrete, but again it was not accessible. Unfortunately, it was also not clear whether it was being used these days, and if so, for what.
But that didn't matter, because we wanted and also needed to get back, as we weren't planning to spend the night up here. After passing the highest point of the mountain once again, we came to this signpost. There were three descents in our direction and our route was the one in the middle.
Well then, off we go back down the same path that had led us up before. The start was quite easy and comfortable, the steep part would only come at the end.
We were moving quite quickly and soon the sea came into view again. Our ascent to this mountain may be the most strenuous, but it is probably the most fun - and you are rewarded with the views that make this route the most attractive.
And this time, too, we found a few flowers to admire. For one, we have this Rosa multiflora
which is also called Japanese rose...
... and then a plant called linden arrowwood from the genus Viburnum. Thanks to the Internet, any layman can now brag a little about the names of plants and throw out some flower names.
The sea got closer and closer and the panorama got better and better. I would have loved to stay up here for a while and admire the view in front of me for much longer. But as the sun was now slowly setting, we continued on our way cheerfully and in quite a good mood.
But luckily we didn't overlook this little fellow. This small lizard enjoyed sitting and lingering on this warm stone and allowed us to take a photo before he disappeared into the greenery.
Now the path became rockier and steeper again and we had to be careful not to lose our balance. But with courage and a careful eye, we also mastered this part of the route, add we still had time to look around.
And then I could see the lighthouse again, which looked so peaceful and calm from up here. To be honest, I was in no hurry to get there at all.
But eventually we made our way back down the stairs that we had climbed up 5 hours earlier. And when we got to the bottom, we immediately had to put our hands in the water again - just like at the beginning, before everything started.
Here by the sea, we were greeted by this beach morning glory, of which there were plenty in bloom. What would our lives be without flowers and colors?
And at the end, as a great finale, I took a picture of the setting sun with the lighthouse on the cliff on the side. This is exactly where our hike started, which was quite strenuous at times, but a fantastic highlight of the last few weeks. We all had a great time and have resolved to climb this very mountain again soon. Maybe from a different side - but I'm sure I'll repeat this climb from the beach at some point. Let's see who I can persuade to join me....