Today is Culture Day in Japan so many places had free admission. I had a hike of Mt. Myogi, our nearest mountain 30 minutes away, planned. K picked me up and we began the scenic drive through farm fields heading towards the crags of Myogi-san. It has such a jagged summit line. Another winding ascent, although shorter than Akagi, and we met up with the rest of the GAJET group at Nakanodake shrine’s parking lot. About twelve of us were hiking together. As we left, the policemen gave us a map and told us to be careful. I didn’t know this at the time, but on the neighboring peak, a couple went missing this past weekend. They found the man dead, but haven’t yet found the woman.

We did a nice loop that took us about 3 hours with some waits for the chain climbs. The chains already start right at the beginning. We went passed the four stone arches of Myogi. Only one part with the chains was a bit scary coming down, but the rest had decent footholds and handholds to use. The chains were mostly an extra precaution. The views were pretty awesome and definitely make me want to do the 6-8 hour summit hike! The autumn colors were beautiful, but a bit early still. If I get a car this month, I really want to go back. I got really hot, although it was cold in the parking lot with the wind blowing. Should have worn less layers. After we came down by the shrine, some people stopped for lunch. I hung out before four of us went to the sentou (public hot baths).

I forgot to bring a little towel aka washcloth with me so I had to buy one for a little bit extra. M and I had a lovely soak especially in the outdoor bath. The air was chilly and we had a fantastic view of Tomioka, Takasaki, and Maebashi. There was a road much further, but if you walked by the edge, you were definitely flashing people, haha. We got some ice cream afterward as you are supposed to consume milk products post-bath. We all decided to get some yakimanju in Tomioka and S, who has spent a lot of time in Tomioka, told K and I about some good places! We also went to a mochi shop that had daifuku which was cold, cream filled mochi. So yummy! I got pumpkin and tiramisu flavor. Definitely will be back. It’s also right by my school. I took K and M to my bakery and picked up some things there too. Then it was finally time to head back to my house. The hike plus sentou really knocked me out and I just wanted my bed.