TNT Day 46 - otsu

 7 nov

Map 32 & 33: (airbnb) train back to ishiyamadera station -> Mt otowa -> nagara park -> streets of otsu -> minami-shiga station // train to otsu station (capsule hotel)

The next 3 days are forecast to be a little chilly with lows around 5°c and highs in the mid 10s. With that in mind I donned my long pants and shirt for the first time today.

The first stop after leaving my cosy little Airbnb was otsu station were I stashed my tent/extra gear as I was doing a day walk today and would be back at the capsule hotel above otsu station tonight.

Once I'd made my way back to ishiyamadera station I started the 3km walk to the otowa-yama trailhead. 1.5km in as I was consulting a Tokai sign a man ran out of his shop and asked me where I was trying to go, he then proceeded to walk down the road a little with me pointing out which mountain I would be climbing today and where the trail started.

But then, suddenly he was running back to his shop, asking me to follow him. Next thing I knew I was being bundled into a car and he started driving. After a short drive he dropped me at the trailhead, said his goodbyes and trundled back to his shop. So if you need roadside assistance I can recommend the レークオートマイカーセンター car dealership in otsu!

Now onto otowa-yama.

Some seats with a view.

Benches, a clock, a thermometer and an abundance of umbrellas.

The view from the top of otowa-yama was spoiler by some large electricity towers 

but there were plenty of other spots that gave a glimpse of otsu

And of Kyoto.

A deer trap; there was a danger sign, a motion sensitive camera and what looked like a spring loaded leg hold trap with some bait.

This angry little acorn led me on my descent of otowa-yama.

Crossed over nation route 1, the tokaido,

And into nagara park, where some areas where looking a little run down.

The streets the trail had me walking in otsu were lined with temples and shrines. As this was a slightly more touristy area you did have to pay an admission fee to go into a lot of them.

Ojigaoka Park.

I had to book two different accommodations in otsu as there didn't seem to be much availability. As I was eating my dinner at the capsule hotel I was graced with a great view of a firework display. About 15mins after it was over hoards of women in pink blazers started making their way up the street and to the train station. I worked out that they were all in otsu for a women in commerce/business function and thus a lot of the accommodation was booked out.

15.2km (+1.5km driven), highest point: 583m, elevation: +796m -819m