I decided to talk to every hiker I passed on Mt. Iwate

In this hike, I thought it'd be really fun to show you some of the other people who have come to hike Mount Iwate, where they come from, and what they thought. Good morning! It is a beautiful day here at Mount Iwate. I'm at the Umagaishi trailhead, which is the best one to do in the early spring. I need to get back in shape, you know? I'm going to be doing Mount Fuji a few times later this month. Four or five times, I think. Without further ado, off we go. I'm starting this hike a little after 9.15. It shouldn't take me too much longer than six or seven hours. I take my time, and the sky is blue. It is a perfect day. Just about 10 minutes into the hike, it looks like I'm passing my first other hiker. He's brought his ice axe with him. Well, that was a friendly guy. He's from Kanto, from central Japan. I guess they're always hiking various mountains. You can see they've got the ice axe, crampons, they've got all the gear. I did not bring my ice axe or my crampons today because when I came on Saturday, just three days ago, I didn't need them. So, just lightening my pack today. Look at that sky! Just a little bit of cloud sitting there above the summit. Perfect! Man, I need to get in better shape this spring. I'm really feeling this. Here's the first patch of snow just after the fifth station. All these people going up nice stairs made of footprints. This part right here, I remember from three days ago when I was here on Saturday, is the first of two of the sort of be careful, sketchy, watch out parts. You can see it's really steep. You wouldn't want to slip down, and the snow is really slippery, and you can also sink in and twist something. Deep holes in the snow too. That's really deep. I want to go in there. It's always nice when people recognize me. That's cool to be called a super famous YouTuber. This right here is the sketchy part of this hike that makes you a little bit nervous. I'm gonna put the camera down. When you're going up something like this, you kick your toes in to make sure it's like going up a stairs, and when you're going down, you, of course, kick your heels in, also like a stairs. It's actually really wet snow, and it's not so bad right now. Konnichiwa. Well, at the station lodge, and I'm gonna have one of these Dr. Jelly things. They really make a difference in terms of getting muscle cramps for me and give me another second charge. It's almost cheating. They're so effective. Recently, I started climbing, and I really enjoy this area. Except this area, I don't climb, basically. The second person today who I've met who knows me from before. Well, in that case, I've actually met him before, though he does also know the YouTube channel. It's that kind of day. Fun, fun. It's funny. Today, I'm basically just chatting with like half the people I pass. It's different than I'm used to hiking. It's not just a hello. It's a stop and talk, but yeah, people are friendly, and it's rare to have so many people coming and climbing this mountain from near the Tokyo area. That guy was from Saitama, so yeah, it's nice. The final ascent up to the edge of the caldera is upon us. A lot of people going up, a lot of people going down. Konnichiwa. Do you speak English better or Japanese better? What's, what's his name? Mukar. Moka. Moka. Moka. Oh, cute. Cute. Wow. Hey, where are you from? America. What state? Minnesota. Wisconsin. Wisconsin! Upper Midwest! Unite! Yeah. Nice. Are you living in Japan now? Yes, I am. I'm a daigaku insei. Oh, wow. What are you studying? International business. Fantastic. Well, Wisconsin, that's so awesome. Yeah, yeah, Madison, Wisconsin. Yeah, what do you think? Twin cities or? Twin cities, yeah. Nice. That's so cool. I don't see too many Midwesterners, so. I do not either. Yeah, yeah. Too windy to talk, but here it is. The wind is too strong to say anything. Beautiful day, though, but the wind is so strong I'd better talk to you when we get down a little farther. It's pretty cold up here, too, as you can see from that snow. It's completely different than it was three days ago. So I made it back down to the area right near the Furutai Lodge, and this is where I like to relax. There's a really nice rock back behind me here that is dedicated to Fudo Myo, one of these fierce bodhisattva protectors. And I find it a really nice spot to just relax, stay out of the wind, eat a sandwich, and have lunch. It's been such a windy day. I haven't been able to talk much or tell many stories, but it's been nice to be meeting all these other hikers who've been coming from all over the place. The main answer that I got, it seems, from most people on why they came and why they chose Mount Iwate was just because, you know, they're going up and doing a number of mountains in Tohoku, and several people are aiming to get all of the Hyakumeizan, the hundred famous mountains. And of course, Mount Iwate is one of the Hyakumeizan, as is Hachimanta and Hayachine. Got three of them, I think, here in Iwate Prefecture. No one's at the station lodge anymore. Looks like everybody's gone back. Well, as usual, the way down requires a lot more attention to footwork to the way up, so I'm going to put the camera away and just enjoy a quiet descent. I hope it was fun to come up with me today and see some of the other people who are hiking Mount Iwate. As always, a little reminder, if you don't know, I'm available for guiding services, both in the mountains and in the villages and everywhere in between. Feel free to hit me up. How to do that is in the description. Thank you so much for watching, and I'll see you on the trails.