Susan Spann's Blog, page 21

Release Day For TRIAL ON MOUNT KOYA!

Today is release day for the newest Hiro Hattori mystery, TRIAL ON MOUNT KOYA! Every book I write becomes my new favorite, and this one is no exception. I consider KOYA my dual love letter to Agatha Christie’s AND THEN THERE WERE NONE (one of my favorite books, growing up) and one of Japan’s most sacred peaks. Koyasan (aka Mount Koya) is the heart of Shingon–esoteric–Buddhism in Japan. It’s a place where history, natural beauty, culture, religion, and some of the best food on the planet converge, and I fell in love with this holy place the first time I visited (on a

Koyasan! A Return To The Scene Of The Crime

Tomorrow morning (July 3 in Japan, though it’s only dawning July 2 in the U.S. now) I’m traveling to Koyasan (Mount Koya), in Wakayama Prefecture — one of Japan’s most sacred peaks and the setting for my newest Hiro Hattori mystery, Trial on Mount Koya, which releases July 3. As part of my ongoing project to climb 100 of Japan’s most famous peaks in a single year, I’ll be climbing and hiking on and around Mount Koya on July 3 and 4, to celebrate the release of this new novel. Mount Koya isn’t on the official list of Nihon Hyakumeizan (100 Famous

Climbing Mount Daisen – Hyakumeizan #13

Yesterday (Saturday, June 30) I traveled from Tokyo to Mount Daisen – a distance of almost 750 km – to prepare for this morning’s climb of Mount Daisen. It rained all afternoon, but the weather forecast suggested a two-day clear weather window approaching, and I wanted to be in position when it arrived. I spent the night at a lovely, welcoming temple – Sanraku-so – which sits immediately adjacent to Daisen-ji, at the base of Mount Daisen. Although I fell asleep listening to the wind howl around the temple, I awoke to a spectacular sunrise/moonset that promised a beautiful climbing day.

Mount Omine – and Tenkawa Gorge – Hyakumeizan #10

After my rainy climb of Mount Ibuki, I hopped a train to Kyoto, and then an hour south to Nara Prefecture (the home of the ancient capital city of Nara, but also many even more ancient historical sites – as well as mountains). The following morning, I traveled even farther south, to  Dorogawa Onsen (an onsen is a Japanese hot spring resort) and Omine-san, one of Japan’s most sacred peaks. It remains so sacred, in fact, that women are not allowed to climb it. Although the idea of banning women from places men can go raises many issues (and validly so) for many

Mount Ibuki – Hyakumeizan #9

This morning, I braved the rain in Nagahama (just north of Kyoto) to attempt a climb of my ninth hyakumeizan, Ibukiyama (Mount Ibuki: 伊吹山). At 1,377 meters, Ibukiyama is the highest mountain in Shiga Prefecture, and one of four hyakumeizan in the Kanto region. The climb started inauspiciously – with pouring rain – and my first sight of the mountain towering high above the surrounding plain gave me more than a little pause. Even so, I was already on the bus to the trailhead, and my research suggested the mountain would not be too difficult to climb in the rain. Lesson 1: Don’t trust the

The Hydrangea Festival at Hakusan Shrine

As I wait for the snow to melt on the hyakumeizan peaks, I’m also visiting sites of interest and festivals (matsuri) taking place around Japan. Flowers are a particularly important part of Japanese culture, and Bunkyo City, in Tokyo, celebrates five major flower festivals every year. Last weekend (June 9-10) was the Ajisai (Hydrangea) matsuri, celebrating the spectacular hydrangeas that bloom in Tokyo–and across Japan–each June. On Sunday morning, I hopped a train to Hakusan Jinja (Shrine)–site of the Ajisai festival–where over 3,000 hydrangea bushes were covered in spectacular blooms. My favorite variety have satellite flowers around a tightly-packed center: We had a hydrangea bush in

Zao, Kumano, Jizo, and the Sixth of the Hundred Summits

On Tuesday, I completed my sixth hyakumeizan – 1,841-meter Mt. Zaō in Yamagata Prefecture. As a complex volcano, Zaō-san has many peaks, the highest of which is actually Kumano-dake (hence the name on the summit sign in the photo). As the most active volcano in the Tohoku region of northern Honshu, Zao continually emits volcanic gases (and the summit smells of sulfur). I started my climb from the top of the ski lift near a statue of Jizō, the Buddhist deity often called the “excuse Buddha” (though technically he’s a Bodhisattva, because he delayed entry to nirvana to help others who are still suffering,

Snow on Mount Hachimantai (Hyakumeizan #5)

On Monday afternoon (Japan time), I climbed my fifth hyakumeizan — Mount Hachimantai, in Iwate Prefecture. The mountain sits in Towada-Hachimantai National Park, about 2 hours by bus from Morioka City. For reasons I’ll discuss in more detail in my book, 100 SUMMITS (Prometheus Books, 2020), I opted to ride the bus to the “Hachimantai Summit” visitor center, which sits only about a 45 minute hike from the mountain’s actual summit. The trail started off fairly flat, paved, and lined with bamboo grass–a pleasant walk in the (national) park. And then, without warning . . . it changed to this: The guides I’d

Climbing Mount Hakkoda – And Conquering Fear

Today’s climb of Mount Hakkoda–a volcanic range located in Aomori Prefecture, just south of Aomori City–actually involved three summits: Akake-dake, Ido-dake, and finally Ōdake (the latter being the highest peak in the Hakkoda volcano group). If you’re counting, that means I actually bagged three summits today, though for hyakumeizan purposes only Ōdake counts–and it counts as one. I started my climb at the top of the Hakkoda Ropeway, via the loop hike route that starts at the visitor center, passes through a pair of circular nature trails, and then leads up to the summits of Akake-dake, Ido-dake, and finally Ōdake, via a series

Climbing Mt. Iwaki

Today, I climbed Mt. Iwaki in Aomori Prefecture – my first Tohoku hyakumeizan. Tohoku is the northernmost part of Japan’s largest island, Honshu – the same island where Tokyo and Kyoto are located, but many hours’ travel to the north, via shinkansen (bullet train). It took me almost 7 hours to travel from Tokyo to Hirosaki, the closest town to Mt. Iwaki – four hours on a high-speed shinkansen, and another 2:45 on a local train. These mountains are spread all across Japan, which means I get to travel the entire length of the country while I’m climbing. Last night I