I had been feeling the urge to get out and do Yamabushi training, and I’m happy to say that I’ll at least be able to do something like it on the first of July. Every year, they have a ceremony to celebrate the ‘opening’ of Mt. Gassan and this year I should be able to take part.

The reason it’s at this time of the year? Snow. Every year more than 10m settles on top of Mt. Gassan and it’s why the mountain has the latest ski season in Japan. The ski season starts in April! And when enough of the snow is melted, i.e. around July first, we can climb up to the top.

I’ve been up there in July a few times now, and there’s normally still snow that we have to walk over, using only a rope to stop us from falling down the snowy slopes.

It should be good, but Mt. Gassan is not a mountain to treat lightly. I’ve been up there in a thunderstorm when the rain stings your face.