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Home > Diaries > 2009 > 136 |
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MOUNTAINS are a strong part of the Japanese culture. It is in their blood to climb their local mountains. Like many other cultures they see something deeply spiritual about their mountains. I was climbing Shari Dake in one of the remotest corners of Hokkaido during their brief summer. Shari Dake is a dormant volcano towering nearly one and a half kilometres above the surrounding farmland. The day had started off fine, but on the crater rim the tops were shrouded in a cocoon of thick cloud. Near the top of the last rise before the summit stood a small metal temple. It was no more than thirty centimetres high. Perhaps this was where the locals sought a blessing for a safe final ascent to the summit. It stood here amongst pine trees that stood no more than ten centimetres off the ground flattened by the severe cold climate experienced here over most of the year. Blog from today: |
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