Wet, Exhausted and Happy: A Windy and Rainny Hike Up Akanagisan

I was a man on a mission. I was going to see the sunrise from the Komauruyama Observatory at Kirifuri Plateau. Then I would hike up to Akanagisan Mountain. But first I needed to walk 11 kilometres from Nikko Station to the parking lot at the entrance to Kisuge-daira Park.

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Most visitors to Nikko Japan visit the shrines and temples. Many visit Nikko National Park and go up to Lake Chuzenji and the waterfalls on Yu River. Nantai Mountain, Senjogahara Marshland and Lake Yunoko are also popular. Kirifuri is a less popular part of Nikko National Park that gets a lot less visitors.

Kirifuri Highland Kisuge-daira Park is a highland famous for day lilies in spring and autumn foliage in autumn. You can take 1445 steps up Tenku Kairo to Komaruyama Lookout. From Komaruyama Lookout you can see the mountainside covered in lilies. On clear days you can see Nikko. Utsunomiya, Tokyo, Fuji and the Pacific Ocean.

It was not a clear day.

It was not a nice day for hiking

It was a windy and rainy hike up Akanagisan

I took a late train and arrived in Nikko Japan in the dark. I grabbed some food at 7-11 and started the 11km walk along the rode up to the parking lot for Kirifuri Highland Kisuge-daira Park. This is my second time doing the walk and this time I hiked with a night vision camera so I could get video of the deer and other animals that I saw. I got night vision footage of deer and a palm civet during my walk.

It started to rainand when I got to Kirifuri Highland Kisuge-daira Park fog started to roll in. I took shelter part way up the trail to Komaruyama Lookout. I made my way up to the lookout before sunrise. Once again I did not get a grand view. However, I saw many day lilies that Kirifuri is famous for.

The fog and train cut down on visibility. I could barely see any of Nikko. After waiting for sunrise I continued hiking up. I passed over Komaru mountains peek and continued up. The hike was exposed and windy but I kept hiking till I reached the peak of Akanagisan.

Wet, exhausted and happy I hiked back down the mountain and Kirifuri plateau. I stopped at Kirifuri Plateau Rest House to get a hot coffee before the bus came.