It started when my superintendent asked if she could take me out to a local restaurant for our lunch break. Of course I agreed, and the next thing I knew she was having me go around from table to table in the restaurant in order to introduce myself in Japanese. The conversations were simple, that of a first grader, and spoken in broken Japanese. When I was speaking with a lady from one of the tables, it came up in conversation that some of my hobbies are onsens (Japanese public baths), and trail running in the mountains. It just so happened that her husband owned an onsen deep in the mountains, and he was going to bring supplies up to it the following day. The next thing I knew, I had been volunteered to help carry supplies up the mountain with him.

If you have ever been to Glacier National Park in Montana, then you can imagine what the roads look like when driving in the mountains of Japan. Narrow, cramped, filled with potholes, and there is no railing between you and a 500 foot drop. Heck, I'm surprised that they are two way roads with how narrow they are. None of those conditions deterred this man from driving at top speeds though. Every time we sped around the edge of a cliff, I clung to the interior of the car for my life. After a while, I just trusted my life to God and immersed myself in the magical scenery. The trees whizzed by as the little white truck speedily climbed the winding dirt road. Below us was a roaring river filled with rocks and gushing waterfalls, and yes, I was about 5 inches from the edge of the road with no barrier, so I could easily see down. After about 40 minutes we arrived at the trail head. I was happy to be alive.

Trails in Japan are just as treacherous as the roads. There are many times in my life when I have had to face my fear of heights, and this was one of them. I would be surprised if I returned to the U.S without having conquered this fear for good. I have already started trail running at top speeds on them, and there have been a couple close calls. It's difficult to capture the depth with any of the pictures I got, so you will just have to take my word for it.

Once we arrived at the Onsen I was welcomed to lunch and a quick bath. It was probably the best bath I have ever taken due to the sticky and oily nature of the natural hot spring. I met a couple other Japanese people, one of which was an ultra marathon runner and fisher. We spoke for awhile about the best races to run in Japan, and then I decided to take off on my own trail running adventure. It was a 10k run over a mountain to get back to Tabayama village, and I enjoyed every moment of it.

The next day I was back at it. I met up with Chifuyu-san, a middle aged woman whom I have called my first friend here, and we set off to the mountains to hike to the top of Mt.Kumotori. Chifuyu-san worked as a videographer in Canada for seven years, so her English is pretty good. I have found with most people that they can understand me when I speak in English, and I understand them when they speak in Japanese, so she spoke Japanese and I spoke English. Listening is easier.

Along the way we chatted, observed the misty trail, and took pictures of mushrooms and spider webs. I learned that in Japan, there is a profession called "mushroom picker." Due to the quantity and variety of mushrooms in Japan, one can spend an entire day simply looking for mushrooms. Below is a photo collage of our trek up the mountain.