As the rainy season front was still sitting in the north, the weather forecast said that it would be clearer closer to the Kanto Plain. I checked various mountain ranges, but this was the only area where clear skies were forecast, so I went out again to the Chichibu massif.

Last time I stayed in a tent at the Shogen hut and climbed up to Nishi Goteniwa, but this time I decided to stay in a tent at the Kasatori hut from Sakuba-daira, traverse Kasatoriyama, Karamatsu-o, Nishi Goteniwa the next day and walk down to the San-nose trailhead from Gooin-daira.

Once off the mountain, I didn't want to walk even 1 mm on the paved road, so I parked my car at Minshuku Miharashi and used my secret weapon to get to Sakubadaira.

What feels comfortable in the mountains is around 0°C, and when the temperature exceeds 5°C it feels hot (when there is no wind). However, the weather forecast this time showed 26°C at around 1500 m altitude, which was an unusual situation where we had to worry about heat stroke in the mountains. At night it was about 15°C, but during the day it was around 20°C. Still, the forecast for Tokyo was 37°C, so it was cooler in the mountains.

Anyway, the heat stroke warning was at disaster level. On that day, 40°C was recorded in Shizuoka Prefecture.

From Sakuba-daira to Kasatori Hut took 1 hr 40 min CT. No matter how leisurely I climbed while taking photos, I arrived before lunch. Rain was forecast for the afternoon, so I was glad to pitch our tents before the weather broke.

It is a blessing to escape the Tokyo heat and take a nap in the natural breeze.

There was a brief shower, but it soon stopped, so I spent the rest of the day watching deers and relaxing. In the evening, everyone gathered for a chat.

Everyone wears a tenugui (hand towel) from the Kasatori Hut around their necks.
The design shows the symbol of Kasatori Hut - the deer, Mt Kasatori, the water stream from Mt Kasatori and the smoke from the chimney.
The design is not stylish at all (laughs), but this ruggedness is conversely good! Everyone says, ‘I like this ruggedness’!
Each tenugui is 500 yen.
The tent site rental fee is an unbelievably low 800 yen, so they bought them with the intention of helping the huts as much as possible. I thought to myself, ‘Well, that's a nice way of thinking’, and then two men chatting together gave me a tenugui as a present.
Sometimes someone buys me a beer.
However, this is the first time in my life that someone have been bought a tenugui (hand towel) (laughs). I will treasure it as a souvenir of my trip.

The sun rises early on summer mornings. The sun is already high in the sky while I'm slowly tidying up. Many of the morning rush group of day hikers have already arrived.

The gentle slope up to Kasatori Hut is pleasant for the legs, but the last 100 metres or so is a steep climb. However, it is not difficult to climb as the distance is short and people have stepped on it to make it look like a staircase.
When I climbed Mount Kasatori before, at the end of February, the landscape was white and brown, but in this season of blazing green, the final steep climb seemed more powerful.

After enjoying the panoramic view of the three highest mountains in Japan in first to third place, I reached the real summit with its triangular point. Beyond that, the traverse path begins. In places, there are signs from the Forestry Agency that read ‘Green Corridor’.

It is really .......
It was like a secret path hidden behind a green curtain.
After passing Mt Kasatori, there was suddenly no sign of anyone, and after being passed by a couple of people with day bags on their backs, I didn't see anyone else until I reached the forest road.

Karamatsuo is a mountain in the Okuchichibu mountain range between the Gan and Shogen passes, and although it is the highest peak in the Tama River system at 2109 m above sea level, it is not climbed very often. Perhaps it is a sense of adventure and a unique spirit of exploration that makes people want to go to mountains that few people choose to climb.
However, the heat and the ups and downs made me want to go home, but once deep in the mountains, it is not so easy to return. I had no choice but to keep going.

Below the summit was a fairly steep rocky climb, and I sat down on one of the rocks to catch my breath.
After a short rest, I started climbing again. Suddenly, I reached the summit. There was no view, it was a passing point on the road and too plain.
However, I was deeply moved by the fact that, despite this humble location, I had reached a landmark on the map: the highest point of the Water Source Forest. Many people in Tokyo have no idea where this water they drink comes from. I stood there.