Bicycle: 13 km
Hiking: 10 km
Train: 55 km
Total Ascent: 440 m
Average Speed: 17.7 km/h
Riding Time: 45 min
Hiking Time: 2:45 h
Weather: Cloudy and later some rain... but not on me, ~10 C
My first post with "hiking"... an activity I don't really like, because my eyes are normally glued to the ground so I don't actually see the surroundings through which I am hiking. Plus my knee isn't very happy with going downstairs (and yes... this hiking involved a lot of stairs). But Akame 48 waterfalls can be seen hiking only.
As I was there too late yesterday, I had left the bicycle at Nabari station, so that's where today's ride started. From there up to Akame it isn't very far. I had spotted yesterday a bicycle rack where I left the bike hanging and then set off into the ravine. At the entrance they told me yesterday that it would take 90 min to get to the last waterfall and 90 minutes back. I thought that sounded like a long estimation, but for the way in, it was spot on. I entered the ravine at 9:20 and got to the last waterfall at 10:50... took a 10 min break and had a onigiri I had brought along. On the way back I was however a little bit faster and made it back by 12:15. 75 minutes for the way back.
The path is along the ravine and follows multiple waterfalls from tiny ones...
I had noticed yesterday that in the ravine it was quite cold and today with the weather being already colder, I opted for long cycling trousers and my trusted Castelli ROS jacket. Which was a good combination, allowing for some underlayers to be taken off during the hike and put on later again.
Overall there were not many people on the hiking path. But one can imagine that in koyo period it will be quite full. Specially until the second major waterfall. After that the hike becomes a little bit more hard (after all, these are waterfalls... so to get to the one above, one needs to walk up and up and sometimes quite steep. So I think a lot of people only make it to the second waterfall... which means they are missing out on what I thought was the nicest of them all, Ninai waterfall (first picture above).
When I came back I had lunch in a small restaurant in the rather ugly village at the entrance. While eating it started to rain... but luckily rain radar showed (and weather conformed) a break in the rain a little bit later. So I waited it out, then got back on the bike and down to the next train station in Akameguchi, quickly disassembled the bike, headed to the platform, managed to get the bag on top of the bike and jumped on the train that arrived in that moment. Perfect non-planning.
Back in the hotel I had a long relaxing scrub in the hotels onsen, did put all my cloths in the washing machine and then relaxed in my room.
Tomorrow it is back to work for at least 1 day, but in Osaka. Tuesday weather seems to be fine, so I will take PTO. Wednesday is the local holiday... but it seems it will rain... so maybe some museum time? Thursday again rain, so I will work but Friday looks nice and sunny, albeit cold.
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