Destination - Mt. Nokogiri!

It was a holiday last Wednesday... what to do? Well, we decided to take the Tokyo Wan Ferry across the bay to Kanaya port on the Bosso peninsula in Chiba prefecture and explore Mt. Nokogiri.

It's only about a 10 minute walk from the ferry landing in Kanaya to the Mt. Nokogiri rope way station.

All aboard the gondola and underway. The station attendant sees us off.

The gondola rapidly ascends up toward the mountain top.

Soon we we're gazing out over the bay we had just crossed and at a descending gondola.

On top of Mt. Nokogiri the view is spectacular.  Looking south down the coast of the Bosso peninsula.

And, looking down at Kanaya port and across the bay at Miura peninsula.

Emi poses by the sign marking the peak of the mountain.

After paying 600 yen each to enter the temple grounds on top of the mountain we climbed a whole lot of stone steps to reach the Jusshu Ichiran Observatory.

Then, we ventured along the stone covered path to discover...

 ...this enormous Buddha  carved out of the side of the mountain.

Next up we wondered over to the Ruriko Observatory. I called this the scary place because I'm a little bit afraid of heights.

Plenty of breath taking views up here.

Working our way down a lot more stone steps we passed by a bunch of small stone statues. No two are alike.

According to the brochure there are 1,500 of these statues around here. I didn't count them.

And then, we reached the largest stone figure of Buddha in Japan!

Again, according to the brochure this has a gross height of 31.5 meters. Twice as big as the big bronze Daibutsu in Kamakura.

It was time for a coffee break and a pee restroom break. There were several covered picnic tables nearby and we choose one with this spectacular view. We had packed a couple of thermoses filled with home brewed Colombian coffee - perfect! While not shown, take my word for it; the restrooms would earn a 5-star rating - they were pristine clean!  

A last look at the big guy and off we were heading back to the rope way.

Down we go! By-the-way, I gotta say, my legs were sore. One cannot believe how may steps there are going up, down, and all around the mountain top temple grounds. We had walked around for about 2 hours to see the sights. If one plans to follow in my footsteps, be prepared! It's a workout!  

After eating a meal at the ferry terminal we boarded the ferry to return to Kurihama. This is one of the entrances from the weather deck to the passengers seating area.

The Tokyo wan ferries are really nice. Quite plush and comfortable.

Underway - heading out to sea!

Gone are the blue skies from earlier in the day. The trip across the bay takes about 40 minutes.

Entering the port of Kurihama.

Making our approach to the ferry landing. This reminds me of my younger days when I was in the Navy.

With the ferry properly moored we departed the vessel via the covered gangway.

The motor vehicles conveniently drive out the bow of the ferry.

We're back on dry land. Mission accomplished! Time to celebrate!

That's right! After all that hiking around and time at sea, nothing tastes better than a cold bottle of Kirin lager beer.

And, a highball for Emi...cheers!

We were filled with a joyful feeling of accomplishment after all the day's events, however, I don't think anyone else in the bar noticed.

Thanks for stopping by!
Mike