12/100 🏔 日本百名山 🇯🇵 Nihon Hyaku-meizan

I landed in Narita last night then drove to the in-law's house in Utsunomiya. The next morning Asaka, Leif and I drove two hours north to Inawashiro. We drove to the ski resort and took two lifts up the south side of the peak, saving us 1500 ft of gain. The hike was broken up into 3 sections; steep, gradual and steep. Asaka's research suggested the hike would take two hours, but I figured out early on that this was wrong because we had 2,500 vertical feet between the top lift and the summit. I quickly rationalized that Asaka read 2 hours to the top, not roundtrip. Meanwhile, we both had to carry babies; I had Leif on my back while Asaka had one in the belly. She is more than 7 months pregnant. In addition to the extra weight, it was super hot. Regardless, Asaka and I were the fastest up and down the peak that day. It was super crowded near the summit, giving the peak a Colorado 14er feel. I beat Asaka to the top by about 10 minutes. I rehydrated and took in the views of Lake Inawashiro and Lake Hibara. Asaka tried telling me one of the lakes was a bay connected to the Sea of Japan. What??? The last lift down was scheduled for 2:10pm, giving us a little more than an hour to get all the way back down. It was doable, but I knew we would be cutting it close. We hurried down as fast as we could, having to stop every few minutes for a traffic jam. It doesn't seem like downhill has the right of way over here. Also people don't move over. When given the opportunity, Asaka would shoot by every slow ojisan and obasan on the trail. There should be a rule where if a 7 month pregnant lady passes you, you should be banned from the mountain for at least a year. The whole day I was showered with endless compliments; sugoi, kawaii, great father, etc. It was nice at first but by hour 3 it started to get old. We made it back down to the lift at 2:06pm, giving us 4 minutes to spare. Then we drove an hour north to the onsen where we plan to spend the night. This one could have been planned a little better, but that's what happens when you delegate. There were two bonus peaks I would have liked to climb, but it was just too hot and we didn't have enough time. In the end, I am satisfied with our peak, and looking forward to the rest of the trip.