Japan Hidden Gems: Secret Islands

A wonderful day even if the weather was bad the first hours of walking (rain). The misty forest, the big old and mysterious trees and the little world of the moss are so beautiful and well preserved! We were two with the... more guide (who speaks English contrary of what is written on the website). Read that some people had problems with the guide but he has done the job seriously. Yes he walks quickly sometimes, but we have no choice: we need to go down for the last bus. The problem is the bus schedule (which should pass one hour later), definitely not the guide! So he knows exactly what he's doing, we walked quite well and we finally arrived 10 minutes before the bus departure! If you feel that you are not in condition to walk quickly in hard mountain road (the last kilometers) it's better to give up this activity, and please don't try it without a guide during winter because we saw a few irresponsible guys underestimating the dangers of nature (no crampons on icy path, no warm clothes, walking late...)! Personally, I like this kind of guide who looks severe at the beginning, but little by little you discover that he just ask you to do what you need to do. He is kind too: giving some of his hot miso soup for lunch, taking lots of beautiful photos for you (because I must say it's hard to take photos by yourself, no time to fool around), giving very useful crampons for walking in the snow (two minutes to put it on your shoes), talking with you... Finally it was an amazing natural and human experience!