Maxi Danger Uncut

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Hiking Mt Yotei (Yoteizan)

It's been a while since I posted...nevertheless, better late than never!

So last weekend I spent a few days in Kutchan, Hokkaido, Japan. It's a beautiful region of the north of Japan, and the autumn colours were amazing. On this trip to Hokkaido I was keen to smash out some hiking, but after looking into the various options, the Kutchan/Niseko region seemed to be my best bet, to avoid the snow which is already starting to accumulate on the tops of mountains further north. That, and the bears that are on their final food gathering runs, which are routinely spotted in the national parks in the central/northern parts of Hokkaido!

Mt Yotei, taken from just west of Kutchan

Being without an international drivers license, public transport was my only option (short of hitchiking). I was using Sapporo as my first port of call, so I booked some accomodation in Kutchan using Airbnb and then caught the train to Kutchan. This was simple enough, with one change required at Otaru, to switch to the local Kutchan train.

The climb itself was a little bit of a mission, especially as the first time I attempted it (on the Saturday), the forecast was for prolonged rain. I checked the weather in the morning, and as it wasn't raining early on, I took a bit of a gamble and decided to go anyway. There are four different trails to get to the peak, I decided on the Kutchan (also known as the Hirafu) trail head. To get to the trailhead, I took a Donan bus which leaves from just to the left of the Kutchan train station (if you are looking at the station). Note that the buses don't run that frequently - so it's important to check the times. There is an information desk in the station that is open from 9am to 5pm that can help you with the timetables. The Niseko Bus company also runs services past the trailhead. The google location of the trailhead is here.

Donan Bus timetable from Kutchan Station to the Lake Hangetsu Trailhead

Note that the timetable above is for summer (2019) only. The top line is the departure time from Kutchan station. The third line is the approximate arrival time at the bus stop closest to the trailhead on Route 5, while the red underlined row is the return times from the Yoteizan-tozan-guchi bus stop. Note that note all services run on Sunday - for example the 6:40 first bus doesn't run - so check with the info office in the JR station or the Donan office (just outside the station) if you can.

The trailhead is about a ten minute cruise down route 5, the stop to get off at is Yoteizan-tozanguchi (tozan means mountain climbing in Japanese, while guchi means entrance).  The bus drops you off about 50 metres past a narrow road that leads to the hiking parking lot, and Lake Hangetsu campgrounds. It's about a 20-25 minute walk from the bus stop to the start of the trail - you have to take a slight right at the Lake Hangetsu parking lot to get to the trailhead.



The sign to the trailhead entrance from Route 5

The map at the Lake Hangetsu parking lot. Proceed straight/slight right for the Mt Yotei hike, left for Lake Hangetsu

Trailhead start

The hike itself is great. It is divided into ten stations. It's important to note that there is no food or drinks available for purchase in the park - so you have to carry what you need for the whole day with you. It's also quite a difficult trail - super steep, with plenty of scrambling required, ducking under tree branches, and the occasional climbing over and up tree roots and boulders. I wouldn't recommend you do this unless you are in decent condition, and mobile. From the blogs I've read, most people allow around 3.5 hours to get up and about 3 to get down. You can also do a circuit of the top which will take 30-60 minutes as well. It took me 6.5 hours to get up the trail and back, although I did spend a fair while stopped at the top for lunch and taking photo's. I also wanted to catch a bus home at 14:14 and get back to Sapporo from Kutchan in the afternoon, so ended up jogging down a bit of the path down. I wouldn't really advise this though given the rocky/slippery conditions, unless you really need to.

The other big things for me were the weather conditions, footwear and poles. The first day while it was raining, I got to the 9th station. The conditions were pretty miserable though, with sleeting rain, and gusty winds. So I took a right at the 9th station and sort refuge at the Mt Yotei hut. A dude I met on the trail had just come back from the summit, and reported 50km an hour winds, so I decided to head back down and give it another go the next day (Sunday). The rain had made the trail quite muddy and slippery, so decent boots with grip would be highly recommended. A lot of the trail is quite rocky as well, so stiff rubber soles would be advantageous. The other key for me was my 'hiking pole' - in lieu of proper poles, I used a 70 yen umbrella, and I have to say it saved me a few times from slipping over and also gave me much more balance on the way down.




Met this guy on the way up








Top of the Kutchan trail. Left points to the summit, while the sign going back is to the bottom. Note that in Japanese it says 'Hirafu descent'. Something to look out for if you circle the caldera. 

View from the top of the Kutchan trail

The top itself is great - if it's a clear day. You can see views of the valley's below, and also of the caldera. Note that getting around the entire crater is pretty difficult - a lot of scrambling required, it's not an easy trail. They've used white paint to mark the trail, which was an interesting choice, given the amount of snow Hokkaido gets, and the white moss that is growing all over most of the rocks, but, hey, I'm not the boss of the mountain, so just roll with it.

Summit!


View of the caldera. No snow on the top, due to rain and sunshine the days before

View of Kutchan and Niseko, on the way down





Done!

Definitely a worthwhile hike. I have to say though that it is very weather dependent. Allowing a window of a couple of days to do this really worked for me - it would have been disappointing if I only had the Saturday to try and hike it while it was raining.

It turns out that the 14:14 Niseko bus back to town that I was trying to catch doesn't run on Sundays (dammit!), so instead of waiting 90 minutes by the side of the road for the 15:56 Donan bus, I headed back down the road to check out Lake Hangetsu. Thank goodness I missed the bus, because the colours and the views were amazing!

Mt Yotei from the road to Yoteizan-Tozan-Guchi

Lake Hangetsu. Autumn colours are amazing!








Very grateful that the 14:14 bus doesn't run on weekends! If you can afford the time, Lake Hangetsu is definitely worth a look. All in all it was a great day's hike. Would definitely recommend if you are in the area, and the weather is good. Check the weather, check the bus schedule, check your shoes, grab a pole (or an umbrella!) and get up there!

Thanks to these bloggers whose references I found useful:

Sidesnotes: During my time in Kutchan I went to Harvest Cafe and also Sekka Lab Dining and Bar. Both are about 5 minutes walk from the station. Harvest Cafe is a cosy little joint that does an excellently presented and tasty chicken karaage, amongst other things, and is a good spot to hang out and kill some time. Sekka Lab is a bit of a fusion/fine dining experience, in an incredible space and is a fantastic option for dinner.

Thursday, October 03, 2013

Gignami Upcoming Gig Guide (October)

Gignami Upcoming Gig Guide
It's coming up to festival season, and that means a heap of talent and a heap of sideshows are heading our way. This is shaping up to be one very decent summer...

  • St Jerome's Laneway Festival: The Jezabels, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Vance Joy, Haim, CHVRCHES, Daughter, Lorde and others. Sat 1st Festival, Footscray. Tix on sale to general public on Thu 3rd Oct, $150. Line up looks fantastic with heaps of emerging talent, this one is a must. As always the Laneway organisers are giving you a great opportunity to see a heap of acts 'before they were cool' - if that's your thing. Tickets on sale now, my guess is that they'll sell out in October: http://melbourne.lanewayfestival.com/  
  • 'Future Music Festival: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Deadmau5, Phoenix, Rudimental, Chase and Status and others. Flemington Racecourse, Sun 9th March 2014.  $171 general admission, $251 VIP package, $351 First Class package, this one is a real fiscal punch in the tits, although no doubt would be a great day out (if you can deal with the trippers).
  • OneRepublic, Palace Theatre (Bourke St), Thu 14th November, pre-sale through live nation, GP 3rd Oct: http://www.livenation.com.au/event/459851/onerepublic-tickets
  • James Vincent McMorrow, The Corner, Tuesday 7th January, $TBA, pre-sale tix 4th Oct - Mon 7th Oct - although not sure how to get access to the pre-sale tix yet... https://corner.ticketscout.com.au/gigs/1729. If you haven't heard of this guy,  he's an Irishman with a fairly mellow/acousticy vibe. Check out his version of 'Higher Love' linked below. I also really like his song 'We Don't Eat', also linked below.
  • Birds of Tokyo are playing at the Caulfield Guineas, Caulfield Racecourse, Sat Oct 12, $40 bucka beforehand or $45 at the gate. Risk of the acoustics being a bit shithouse however if you're like me you'll pick 1000 winners on the day and make a tidy profit. https://www.melbourneracingclub.net.au/spring-racing-carnival/tickets/beck-caulfield-guineas-day
  • London Grammar, Prince Bandroom, Thu 09th January, $45. Little exy for an unproven band, but these guys have been featured on BBC Radio 1, and the vocals provided by Hannah are absolutely off the charts. Oztix link: http://tickets.oztix.com.au/default.aspx?Event=38194
James Vincent McMorrow - Higher Love:



James Vincent McMorrow - We Don't Eat:


Sunday, August 25, 2013

Gig Watchlist and Free Music

Upcoming Gigs
Having skimmed the guides, here's a list of upcoming shows that may be of interest:


  • Rufus, The Corner, Mon 23rd Sep, $20+bf. This is his fourth show, the other three have already sold out.
  • Asta, Northcote Social Club, Fri 4th Oct, $15+bf. Triplej unearthed winner a few years back, has got some great tracks behind her. Will probably sell out.*
  • Cosmo Jarvis, Northcote Social Club, Tue 15th Oct, $30.50+bf. 
  • Owl Eyes, Northcote Social Club, Wed 16th Oct, $23+bf. Being supported by Willow Beats and The Kite String Tangle, both of whom are cool. Also playing repeat shows on Thursday the 17th and Friday and 18th.
  • Imagine Dragons, The Palace, Wed 16th Oct, $60+bf.*
  • Matt Corby, Festival Hall, Fri 18th Oct, $50+bf. Having been obsessed with the guitar since he was a kid, and growing up being entered in shopping centre talent shows since he was 10, this guy is amazing live. Only limited viewing tickets left.*

*Gignami sanctioned event.

Free Music!
Checkout the following triplej unearthed artists for some free tunes (tracks in the top right of the triplej page):
Other Good Tunes:
Chvrches have released their latest single, 'The Mother We Share' this month. Great tune, ahead of releasing their debut album 'The Bones What You Believe' on 23rd Sep.

[Gig Reviews] Emma Louise; Chvrches; Gold Fields; Glass Towers

Emma Louise, The Corner, Friday 10th May.

Good show. Have only had limited exposure to her stuff, I was a bit shakey after the first couple of songs, given that they sounded nothing like the few songs of hers that I've heard (and liked). Thought it was of those "I've turned up to a show but she's nothing like I thought she would be like" moments, but turned out to be all good. She punched out her made-famous-by-like-a-version cover of Alt-J's 'Tesselate' which the crowd lapped up, which was a little surprising as I haven't seen very many (any?) bands do that before. Kept rolling through her tracks from there, some very decent tunes. Great musician, she has a bit of dreamy vibe to her songs and you can tell they mean a lot to her as they all tell a story. Would see again.


Gold Fields, The Corner, Saturday 13th July.

These guys were awesome. The lads from Ballarat smashed it. The crowd was definitely pumped for this, I think mainly because of the reputation of this crew being great performers. Showing up with two drummers was a definite plus, you could really feel the beat throughout the show. Great DJ's as well, they dropped 'Born Slippy' halfway through the set, which everyone went nuts to. Kept the crowd dancing from there till the end of the set, 10/10 would see again.


Chvrches, The Corner, Monday 5th August.

As soon as this show was announced I was all over it - mainly because of my love of this Scottish trio's song 'The Mother We Share'. Didn't disappoint, lot of energy, and continuing a recent trend, I fell in love with the cute lead singer during the gig. Amazing pipes, good vibe, would definitely see again. I think these guys are going to be big.


Glass Towers, The Toff in Town, Saturday 17th August.

Young band, some great music, but I just didn't like the cut of the lead singer's jib. Not sure if it's just me being citiest or not (he's from Sydney).

Sunday, May 05, 2013

Gignami Watchlist - Sunday 5th May 2013

Gignami's 'catchiest tune of the week' is undoubtedly Daft Punk's Get Lucky, the first single of their much anticipated forthcoming album Random Access Memories. Just makes you want to move, and is described by random iTunes reviewer jjalsop as "so good that I went out and made positive life choices after hearing it". Should come with an overplay warning though, the likelihood that this track will reach saturation point is high.

In other news, Bon Jovi is set on proving he's a good bloke by announcing an Australian tour, with thousands of $35 tickets to be made available. He'll be appearing at Etihad Stadium on December the 7th, tickets go on sale at midday on Monday 20th May from ticketmaster, and are sure to be snapped up. Hours of Bon Jovi karaoke led by the great man himself for 35 bucks? Ummm, YES PLEASE MOTHERFUCKER.

Other gigs that are on the watch-list:

  • Bob Evans (with Tigertown), Corner, Fri 17th May, $27.50
  • Pez, Sat 18th May, Northcote Social Club, $20
  • Birds of Tokyo (with Asta), Wed 22nd May, Hi Fi, $60
  • Money For Rope, Fri 24th May, Northcote Social Club, $15
  • Emma Louise, Corner, Tues 4th June, $20
  • Owl Eyes, Corner, Sat 1st June, $25
  • Gold Fields, Sat 13th July, $17.50
  • Alt-J, Festival Hall, July 30 (couldn't find a price - could be sold out)
On the 'to check out list', English duo Rudimental have recently released their debut album Home. If the rest of the tracks are anything like Not Giving In then it should be a good one. The lads also have a knack for good music video's, the clip for Waiting All Night is based on a true story and definitely worth watching.



Sunday, April 28, 2013

[Gig Review] - The Temper Trap

The Temper Trap, Festival Hall, Wed 24th Apr 2013.

After a multi year stint in London, the Temper Trap have finally returned to their home base for an Australian tour. The crowd was definitely pumped to welcome the boys back to their hometown, with the first song of the night (Love Lost) setting the scene for a great night. The playlist throughout was a good mix of songs from both Conditions and The Temper Trap, with the added bonus of one new unreleased song from the album that they have been working on thrown in. I didn't quite catch the name of it, but it sounded good. Stating the obvious here but the lead singers' (Dougy Mandagi) voice is amazing, extremely high range but powerful enough to still hold on to masculine undertones.
What made it for me, along with the tunes and the vibe of the crowd, were the visuals. The lights and coloured smoke created some pretty decent silhouettes, especially when he was banging his drums up the front of the stage for Drum Song. The girls were also quite taken with his dance moves - or should I say dance motioning - really giving meaning to the saying "It's all in the hips"... And despite its inherent sketchiness, Festival Hall is ok if you're on the floor, up the front with a decent view of the stage. 
They finished with Sweet Disposition, and forgive me for sounding like one of the fashion-retarded douche-bag coaches off The Voice, but it was a moment. The crowd went nuts, great way to end the night by having the Temper Trap and the entirety of the Festival Hall crowd belt it out together.


Photo Acknowledgement: Marnie

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Sunday, February 17, 2013

[Gig Review] - Paul Kelly and Neil Finn

Paul Kelly and Neil Finn, Palais Theatre, Sat 16th Feb 2013.

The PCE (pre-concert excitement) levels were approaching maximum prior to this event. Ever since I saw footage of Crowded House's farewell gig at the Opera House in front of a hundred thousand people in '96, I've wanted to be involved in something as monumental. With the added (massive) bonus of Paul Kelly thrown into the mix, this was a chance to perhaps re-create a little of that excitement. Lisa Mitchell opened, and crunched out a solid performance. My personal favourite was her tune 'Walk With Me'. 
The main act didn't disappoint - Paul Kelly and Neil Finn are a lethal combination. Kelly's voice is just amazing, and the performances of his Australian-heartland-describing classics were bang on. Neil Finn was incredible as well - and from their on-stage banter you can tell the two of them are obviously very comfortable with each other, on a personal level, as well as musically. The only detractor was the stiffness of the crowd - even after being invited by Finn to sing along to 'Better Be Home Soon', most of the lame fucks pretty much sat there, which was a bit disappointing.
All the crowd favourites were belted out, including 'Fall At Your Feet', 'Don't Dream It's Over', 'Dumb Things', 'How to Make Gravy' and 'To Her Door'. Hard to choose from so many available, but my personal highlights were Finn performing Kelly's 'You Can Put Your Shoes Under My Bed' (with Kelly on the harp), Finn singing 'Private Universe' (having Kelly on backing vocals just took it to another dimension), and also just experiencing the character seeping through Kelly's vocals and soulful harmonica solo's. Sensational night (best night eeeva?), would be very keen to see them in a more relaxed atmosphere, where the keenest amongst the crowd can surge to the front and belt out the classics in full voice. Here's hoping they play at the Cox Plate this year. With Syme, Fi and Sarah.


Saturday, January 19, 2013

What I Listened To In 2012

Recently voted for my fave tunes for the hottest 100. This is what I was listening to in 2012:


  • Thundamentals - Brother {Like A Version}
  • Ball Park Music - Coming Down
  • Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Same Love {ft. Mary Lambert}
  • Chet Faker - I'm Into You
  • Cub Scouts - Told You So
  • Haim - Forever
  • Gossling - Wild Love
  • Of Monsters And Men - Mountain Sound
  • New Gods - On Your Side
  • Skrillex - Bangarang {ft. Sirah}

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Article Of The Week: Money Can't Buy Happiness

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Book Review: Freedom [Jonathan Franzen]

Pretty intese book, mapping the politics and dysfunctions of a midwestern American family during the noughties. I found the writing style pretty heavy, although the book did hook me, as I found it hard to put down. Themes were quite interesting, in that Franzen examines in detail the relationships between a family unit, friendship and fidelity, using them to also explore American politics with a focus on environmental issues during the period from just before 9/11 to mid Iraqi war. I guess I would say it was a bit of sad story but gets points for depth and uniqueness. A quick google search seems to imply that this book has been heavily lauded, I give it three and a half out of five.

Monday, July 30, 2012

The Arm

Walking home, came up to the last intersection before my house and there were the blue police lights everywhere. They had cordoned off part off the street. Had to cross over to the other side to get to my house, and I looked across to see what was going on. Lying on the road with a black plastic cover draped over it was a shape - it remained a shape, until I noticed the arm poking out. Rough. Someone isn't going home tonight. Someone won't get a chance to be happy, ever, ever again. I think that's the first dead body I've ever seen. Unless I've been to funerals and seen open caskets, but don't think so.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Article on The Regrets Of The Dying

Pretty decent article, which outlines the key messages a palliative care nurse has gleamed from taking care of those about to die.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2012/feb/01/top-five-regrets-of-the-dying

Saturday, December 17, 2011

"Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity."

Today's quote of the day: "Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity."
- Horace Mann

Monday, November 21, 2011

Einstein's Views on Religion and Ethics

Continuing on the religious theme, came across an interesting write up on Wikipedia today, about Einstein's views on atheism and agnosticism. Old Alby labelled himself an agnostic, saying that "the problem involved is too vast for our limited minds". He firmly believed in ethics, saying "The most important human endeavour is the striving for morality in our actions...Only morality in our actions can give beauty and dignity to life...A man's ethical behaviour should be based effectually on sympathy, education, and social ties and needs; no religious basis is necessary." Apparently he didn't rate atheists: "I do not share the crusading spirit of the professional atheist whose fervor is mostly due to a painful act of liberation from the fetters of religious indoctrination received in youth". Interesting!
I've been thinking lately that atheism, as the opposite of belief in God, is an act of belief in and of itself, believing in the non-existence of God. In the same way that an atheist would reject christianity's certainty that God exists, how can the atheist be certain that God does not exist? So where does that leave me? As an agnostic - I guess.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Book Review: The Life Of Pi

Book: The Life of Pi, Yann Martin.
Rating: Average. Won the Booker Prize in 2002 but I can't see what the fuss is about.
Review (Spoiler Alert): So this is the story of a religiously included Indian kid that gets lost at sea. It has a pretty religious bent, which maybe is why I didn't dig it. Upon reflection, one of the reasons I didn't really like it that much is one of the themes of the book. I just didn't quite buy it. The protagonist, Pi, might say well that's your choice, much the same way that you can choose whether or not to believe in God and the stories of the major religions. His choice to believe in God(s) and religion is based on the fact that viewing the world through the religious lens is a "better story" and makes life more pleasant, for Pi.  He makes the distinction between believing in the Bible/Qu'ran/Hindi texts literally, but rather chooses to believe in the moral themes and lessons they teach. 
Strangely relevant - if I'd been a little less cynical when reading this book, I probably would've enjoyed it more. Can the same be said about God and life? 
As far as the story goes it definitely wasn't a book that I couldn't put down, but I guess I have to give it points for being thought provoking. Big props for Sparknotes for breaking the themes down, I enjoyed reading the analysis after I finished - although I guess this is cheating in a way...

Goal Tracking - Oct '11 Status Report

Another belated entry, but better late than never...
Here's the wrap up from October:

  • Writing: 24 Blog Entries - Amber. Couple of entries posted in Oct, bringing the grand total to 19. Admittedly they have been quite short and pretty lame, but points for trying.
  • Reading: 24 Books - Red. Finished 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez in October, so the running tally is now 7, a long way short of the yearly target. The book was pretty interesting in that it was the first one I've read that uses the style magical realism. I didn't love it, but it did have an interesting ending.
  • Listening: 15 Gigs - Green. Pretty good month for music. Saw Bill and the Jerks, The Russ Walker Duo and the Feremones, bringing the total up to 11. Only 4 to go!
  • Save: $$$ - Amber. Doing ok. Can do better though by setting myself a budget/and or giving myself an allowance, and saving the rest.
  • Contribute: Red. Done NOTHING.
  • Health and Fitness: Amber. October was pretty good, fair bit of running and yoga. 
  • Work-Life Balance: Work Less - Amber. Did pretty well on the meditation, also only a few nights spent working late in the office. Headed up to Byron at the end of the month which did wonders for the mental fitness. 
So the exec summary: massively underperforming on the reading and contributing, however other areas are pretty good. Socially it was a good month, went to the Cox Plate with Foles and Syme which was a great day out. JD came home and caught up with him on a Saturday night which was cool, ended up back at mine with JD, Grundy and Foles just talking rubbish and reminiscing about old times. Good fun.