Hiking to the Heavens

Last weekend I chose a beautiful area in Ueno in which to go hiking. As always, I never really know what I'm getting myself into because of the lack of roman characters on hiking guide-posts and trail markers. In a way, it makes the experience much more satisfying...it makes me feel as if I am the only one who knows about this area because I have no previous knowledge of the particular hike or any idea of what to expect. For instance, a Japanese-literate person would know beforehand that so-and-so hike has a breath-taking view overlooking the area, an amazing waterfall, etc. But with me it's a crap shoot.

This particular hike was unlike any other hike I'd ever been on. Why? Well, for starters, a road abruptly ends where the hike begins, as if the road was put there just to get to the hike (keep reading...you will understand later). Secondly, at the beginning of the hike there is a beautiful statue with offerings laying near its base. As I start my hike I wonder why, but quickly forget about it as the climb ascends toward the orange peak above.
The hike constantly followed a crystal clear mountain stream climbing higher and higher. As the hike passed the 90 minute mark I was beginning to ask myself, "what's up here?" because I was getting no clues with the surrounding nature. Soon I would get my answer.


I came across a huge granite slab with kanji criss-crossing from right to left and top to bottom. "What is this doing way out here?", is the first thing I ponder. Then I noticed some English at the very bottom of this marker.

On August, 12 1985, Japan Airline flight 123 crashed into Mount Osutake after mechanical problems. 520 people perished. There were four survivors. I climbed further to find many shrines and memorials for the people who died. As I rested at the top near the main memorial, I started to think about that day back in August. It was very eerie and peaceful at the same time. The trees were young and a different species compared to those on the nearby mountain peaks. The plane obviously cleared an enormous path of these trees out. Also, the orange foliage from the leaves kept making me think of a blazing fire about 20 years earlier. I could hear chickadees chirping away and the wind cutting paths through the jack pines. It was so beautiful and peaceful--a good place to be a final resting spot. The serenity would be temporarily interrupted as the sound of jet engines rumbled miles over head--a constant and creepy reminder of what took place that fateful August day.



If you want to learn more about JAL 123, click here. If you want to learn about the flight path and final cockpit recordings, click here.