aRound on Mt Raizan & Mt Ihara

After last grey & dull run to Mt Imori, 

i had promised my shoes a sunnier one.

The 5:30 AM fish-market was done and half an hour later i was on my way.

And see, indeed the sun is making early risers Happy People...

This small village is at the base of the mountain range 

(with Mt Ihara and Mt Raizan) just to the south-west of Fukuoka.

I parked the car around the corner and i was all ready to go!

Ain't it spring?

This area is a main source for Fukuoka's drinking-water.

All the green is...soo freshly green and the water looks so drinkable indeed.

I had done this trail-run twice before.

Once with somebody else who knew the way..

....once by myself....and so i got lost.

(of course that 2nd time i hadn't seen this little stony temple, half way to the top of Mt Raizan)

As long as you find the right trail and stay on it...

there are plenty of markers.

At the top of Mt Raizan...

somewhere in the distance is Mt Ihara.

See also the GE map (below), 

there is the big difference between the N side and S side of the range:

Brown and Green.

Cold dry N wind and warm wet S wind.

Parts of the ridge-trail is like this. 

Early spring it's fun, easy and good going.

In summer, the leaves are crossing the path....

and hiding the pot-holes & the odd snake.

Close to Mt Ihara's top.

Too bad the sun was disappearing and the wind became chilly.

Down the hill, a happy reminder we are in Spring.

 The trail, R = Mt Raizan, I=Mt Ihara.

This loop was done in 3 and half hours.

And it was Magic!

By the time i arrived at the Fukuno-Yu...(hot spring)

it was......raining.

Perfect timing.

Salute

From Sy Alishan to Mt Imori (and back)

It's Sunday Morning.

Today it looks like a dull, grey day.

What to do?

Well of course, first help out at the fish-market. 

Always fun and exciting, thou in winter the fish variety is small:

long-legged octopus, small crab, some eel, a few shakko and of course plenty of

konoshiro.

After the market, back on board, have coffee & breakky and quickly get changed into running gear.

From the cockpit of Alishan we can see some mountains in the distance...

(yes it's a great place!)

One of the peaks is Mt Imori....

Let's goal-it.

As you can see, it's grey outside.

 Mt Imori should be there in the distance......

Anyway, here we go. 

Next picture stop is on the bridge close to Meinohama Harbor.

Alishan in on the other side of the pond....

...a 180 turn-around, Mt Imori should show-up...

Not today.

By times in life, one has to cross some lines....

We don't see them anymore, but when we get overseas visitors, they are always amazed why ...and so many overhead power lines etc.

This picture is the railwayline near Imajuku.

BTW,  Mt Imori should be there: dead right center.

FM ( we have CSs, so handy, on almost every corner...in the city), 

a last stop before going into the Jungle. 

Also from here, we should see Mt Imori.

Hehe, finally some Color to the Day.

Yep, on the right track to Imori Yama.

And there She is.

 The path is easy and well marked. 

But this map is a puzzle...

At the Top... it's only 382 M

(still a mountain if you grew-up in Holland).

 View from the Top: Indeed, what a Grey Day.

The All Aluminium Tori and the map of Mt Imori.

The Course.

According to GE it was a 20+ K run. 

With some nice Ups and Downs.

At the start it was 20 degree C, by the time i got back to Alishan it was raining, howling from the NW and only 10 degree C.

So.....what do you think.....i did at the 

Fuku-no-yu in Kotabe?

Salute

To Konoshiro the Day

Didn't i write in last post how nice it is to be here in Meinohama Fishing Port 

and how well we are looked after?

Well, here comes the flip side: Not seldom does my telephone brippbripps me at 1900 h.

"yapu-chan, yapu-chan, jikan aru? 

Ima takkusan sakana arimasu!!"

Other words....Can you please come and help us, we have a lottttt of fish...

Of course!

So, i hoist myself into my fisherman's outfit and

go and help our friends on Sumie Maru 

to clear " a mountain" of 

konoshiro.

  Meinohama Fishing Port at night. 

Sumie Maru fishes for konoshiro only in winter time, 

tonite it's a good nite: 

No rain Nor snow...Just cold.

Despite the fact this night Marinoa's Ferris Wheel isn't lit-up,
 it's still romantic, don't you think so?

From L to R: Kunitoshi, Miyoko, yours, Etsuko and Eiji.

Non-stop for a few hours.

Today it's not that much, just 4 hours work 

and about 650kg of konoshiro.

My record "sit-in" was from 8 PM till 5 AM!

So plenty of time for contemplating the day.

After clearing the fish from the net (usually 1-by-1), 

they end up in boxes of 4kg and are brought by small

K-truck to the main fish-market in Hakata.

Left to do: tidy up the boat,  the net 

and clean our selves as it is a messy and smelly fish.

This is what konoshiro looks like, 

aka kohada or gizzard shad.

A great website: What to Do and How to Eat konoshiro

is  HERE.

Salute.