TNT Day 16 - rain: check

 23 Sept

Map 9: (tent) Hozumi shrine -> Mt ryuso -> Wakayama -> ushizuma // bus to shizuoka city (capsule hotel)

Little drizzle, misty, clearing in the afternoon. High 10s to mid 20s.

Well the rain was back this morning but fortunately the winds were nowhere to be seen. I was packed up and ready to go by 7 but gave the weather till 8 to improve. It didn't so I set off into the misty morning resigning myself to getting a little bit damp from the light drizzle.



All of the road walking over the past couple of days meant it was time for some stairs, and the ascent to yakashudake and monjudake peaks of Mt ryuso didn't disappoint. There was no view from yakashudake but monjudake delivered, I could see mt Fuji,

the southern Alps, 
and suruga bay!

It was a balmy 17°c at monjudake - I even put my raincoat on for the next little section of trail (until I started sweating in the stuffy confines).

As today is a holiday and better weather than yesterday I  was expecting to see many more people hiking and visiting the shrine. By 8am I'd seen at least 8 people enter the shrine and carry on up to Mt ryuso, and by the time I reached monjudake peak I'd seen about 20 people, mostly day hikers but also a couple of trail runners.

Down the mountain I went, passing Wakayama peak before eventually hitting the road into ushizuma.



The first sight of ushizuma was a valley of productive (and some not so productive) tea fields.



There is a 8km detour in place once you get to akebono bridge (trail collapse around yuyama pass), which takes you along the main road. Instead of grinding along this section today I have taken the bus into shizuoka city for some sightseeing, there are a couple of museums and attractions that I'm keen to see, unfortunately as today is a Monday public holiday it means most things will be shut tomorrow, so I will be staying until Thursday morning. I also need to find a mobile phone repair shop as the cracked screen on the phone I've been using for navigation has finally given up.

I also came across my first 100 yen (or closest I've seen anyway) vending machine while walking to the family mart and bus stop in ushizuma. Most vending machines I've seen so far are priced from around 140 to 210 (up to 250 in some remoter locations).



9.6km (stepping off trail at 1pm) (200km mark)


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