"Solo trip. I had to squeeze this one in mid week because the weather forecast doesn't look favorable over the next few days. Sukai-san used to be a rather easy and straightforward hike, however the road from the west side is permanently closed, making it one of the tougher of the 100 Famous Mountains of Japan. I left Utsunomiya and drove to Nikko by myself. I arrived at the trailhead in the afternoon and started hiking at 2:50pm. The first 3ish miles is on a closed off road. The fact that a road even exists here at all is a testament to Japanese engineering. The last mile followed a nice creek though a peaceful forest. I arrived at the Koshin Hut right before 5pm and had dinner immediately (Yakisoba + Yakitori). I conversed with Akira who lives in a mountain hut on Tono-dake, which is near the more famous Mt Tanzawa. His English was just about as bad as my Japanese, but we were able to communicate enough. The hut was quite full for mid week. The bathroom was nicer than what I have at home. I laid out my futon and blankets and had a restless night's sleep. There was too much noise; people going to bed later and waking up earlier than me. I was last to leave the hut the next mo..." — seancasserly • May 9, 2023