Wildlife in Fukuoka!

On my hiking trips around Fukuoka, Japan I’ve come across a few wild animals. To get a better look, I bought a trail camera and set it up in the mountain near my house. I wasn’t disappointed in what I found! Below is some highlights and an introduction to my new wildlife channel. Check it

Deer fight in Inunaki!

October 21st I collected my trail cam from Mt. Gobekkan in Inunaki. It was sitting just off the trail for 2 weeks. I wasn’t confident I had the best spot, but I knew the mountain was full of deer so I knew I’d get something. And something is what I got! The SD card had

Tomidake Short Hike (遠見岳)

Tomidake (遠見岳) is a nice little (322.9m) mountain in Hisayama, Fukuoka prefecture. It’s only a short climb, but I think it’s a great way to spend a morning! The shrine at the trail head is a beauty and the peak has a good view. The trail starts at Inotenshokodai Shrine (伊野天照皇大神宮). Although not particularly big,

Mt. Kusenbu in Saga 847.5m (九千部山)

Mt. Kusenbu (九千部山) on the border of Saga and Fukuoka prefecture is listed as one of Kyushu’s 100 Famous Mountains. So it must be worth a look, right? Right! I parked my car at the Minami Hata Dam near Green Pia Nakagawa park and took the Sakuradani to Urushigatani course. The course runs alongside a

Mt. Tachibana’s Beautiful Trees

Mt. Tachibana (立花山) is a great hike not far from Fukuoka city. It has 3 things going for it – a nice city view, beautiful old camphor trees, and castle ruins. It’s also one of Kyushu’s 100 Famous Mountains. The 367.1 meter mountain lies in Shingu-machi (home to Kyushu’s only IKEA!). It’s a short hike

Military Ruins in the Kitakyushu Mountains (Takakura Fort)

Near the popular Mt. Adachi in Kitakyushu city, Fukuoka pref. sits Mt. Takakura. The peak is not worth writing home about, but hiding in the forest here you can find Takakura fort (高蔵堡塁). One of a few in the area, Takakura Fort is my clear favorite because of its relative remoteness and its size. Unlike

Inunaki Gobekkan Annex Ruins

On Wednesday morning I went to the infamous Inunaki Dam to once was Inunaki Valley Village to see some castle ruins. Inunaki Gobekkan (Annex) was built in 1865 as a kind of Fukuoka (aka Maizuru) castle no.2. Fukuoka castle’s position on the coastline was less than ideal. High ranking samurai Katō Shisho recommended this new

Mizumachi Ruins Park (水町遺跡公園)

Mizumachi Ruins Park in Nogata city, Fukuoka prefecture is home to a big group of Kofun tombs. Over 70 tombs were built here from the middle of the 6th century to the late 7th century. I was impressed with the size of the burial mound. The tombs are divided into 2 groups either side of

Ganjakusan (Soeda town, Fukuoka pref.)

Ganjakusan (岩石山 rock mountain) is a great little hike. The views are good and there’s a small replica castle near the foot of the mountain. I went on September 30, 2019 by train. The trailhead is about a 15min walk from Soeda station (Google maps). There’s also a big parking lot at Soeda park (Google

Tanuki! Trail Cam at Takatoriyama 20/09/20~27

I went to Fukuchiyama Dam early Sunday morning on September 20 to set up my trail cam on Takatoriyama. I picked it up the following Sunday and here’s what I captured! Tanuki! A tanuki is a Japanese raccoon dog. So glad to finally get one on camera even if it was just a brief appearance.