Was I ever going to get there? Four trains later and an hour and a half bus ride I was finally deposited at 1090m at a mountain temple. Hard to believe it but I was still in Tokyo.
I started off alone but in Japan in the weekends you never stay lonely for too long and I was grateful to catch up with other hikers.
Soon the sun disappeared and it began snowing, thick heavy flakes soon covering the ground. After a good climb I reached a log hut that was full that night, I shared a bedroom with 12 other women laid out like sardines sleeping on a very thin mattress. Going to the toilet was quite something at midnight.
Foreigners are suprisingly rare in the mountains, I've seen only one or two. I had plenty of locals keen to try out their English on me that night in the mountain hut. They are truly impressed that I come from New Zealand and many know about the Milford Track.The next morning I was on the path to the top (2018m) to fantastic clear skies at 4.30am. This is what greeted me and made the experience almost life changing until a large number of people arrived in my footsteps.
The Japanese Alps look very much like our Southern Alps in the this photo. Theres too much snow to go there at this time, thats the next adventure. 
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