What better way to recover from my first (ever) 10K run of the previous day? Well, going for a walk obviously. This, however didn't seem so obvious to my brain, that tried its best to prevent me from waking up by "mistakenly" pressing the stop button instead of snooze on the alarm (not that snoozing it is a much better idea in the first place). Despite its best efforts, this only delayed the inevitable by a mere hour, and after the recurring monologue I keep having with myself, aka "is it really worth going? it's kinda late, kinda big drive for what it is, etc etc" - once again a desperate attempt of my brain to prevent me from doing anything - I was on my way to Nikko. I had originally intended to go check out the famous Kegon Falls, and then make my way to the Unryukeikoku Falls over the nearby summits. This proved to be more than I could chew, much further than I had initially envisionned, and my body state definitely not up for a 25km/2000m+ hike and the inevitable forray off the beaten path to find the falls, not to mention the limited remaining day-time. No matter, they can wait until they finally decide to freeze over, which considering how sharply the temperature drops in the evening, and the onset of snow and windblown frost on the nearby summits, shouldn't take long!

Staring at the Kegon Falls now in late-autunm condition, I couldn't help but wonder whether it had every beeen mixed-climbed. This high-flow waterfall certainly is impresssive, falling nearly 100m over the lid of a massive overhanding wall, and crashing down on the rocks below, where it is joined by many smaller streams leaking through the wall itself. This seems far too perfect a place not to have been attempted. From the pictures I could find, it does seem that for the most part it does form, although I suspect that the main pillar must rarely - if ever - be in condition. It sits at the rather low altitude of 1600m, and is not very deeply enclaved away from the sun. I'll certainly keep it in mind, and try to find out more information!

Although I didn't get the change to go have a look this time around, it seems that the Unryukeikoku Falls (雲竜渓谷 or Cloud Dragon Valley) offer a sure bet for a good ice climbing day. They are located deep in the mountains of Nikko, in a ravine between the rugged peaks of Mt. Nyoho and Mt. Akanagisan. More information can be found on the japan-guide blog post. See some images below for inspiration

Mt. Nantai is one of the landmark "100 Famous Japanese Mountains", it rises from the north shore of Lake Chuzenji (Chuzenji-ko). On its summit lies the Okumiya (rear shrine) of Futarasan-jinja Shrine, one of UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site “Shrines and Temples of Nikko”. But of course, not having done my research beforehand, I didn't know that and simply set out to make my way up the slopes, while contemplating my ice climbing dreams. From Kegon falls, I headed up the nearest path I could find, which as it turns out ended up being a road for the first 5km. Not as boring as it sounds though, as it provided me with a nice easy walk through the sunny forest with occasional clear views on the magnificent lake beneath. Follows a much steeper trail straight up, passing though the 9 "stations", most of which would make for a perfect bivy hut, one of them is being even equipped with a sleeping bag! Reaching the summit, I am greeted by the shrine and its statue, and a fellow japanese hiker, eager to teach me about the 日本刀 (nihontō), those large Janaese Swords that are commonly placed on or near the peak's summits. This one is particularely massive, and with the most perfect sunny weather, one couldn't ask for a better view.

I made my way down slowly to spare my ankle, still recovering from its bouldering-induced-injury), just in time to catch the sunset over lake Chuzenji. Now it's more than time to get in shape for the winter season, looks like there is a lot to be done!