hi all

i'd really like to try some bouldering outside and i have heard that mitake is a good place to go

if anyone here has been bouldering in mitake before, and (1) could tell me what it's like, (2) whether it's ridiculously busy on weekends, (3) how to get to the bouldering place from the station, and so on, please drop me a reply

also, does anyone know any good places to go bouldering and climbing other than mitake and yugawara that is nearish to tokyo (i.e. within reach for a day trip / overnight trip)?

any bits of sage advice floating around out there would be hugely appreciated :]

Can't help on the bouldering - I pretty much only climb routes when I go outside. Not sure why - just habit, I guess. (Also, I'm weak.)

For day-trippable areas around Tokyo, in addition to Yugawara, there are Jogasaki and Joyama down in the Izu area (as well as others that I haven't checked out yet). There are also areas up in Chichibu (Saitama), including Tennoiwa, Shoniniwa and Kawamata.

I'd recommend getting copies of the Nippon Hyaku Iwaba series volumes 2 and 3 (available at most climbing shops). Here are amazon links, so that you know what to look for:

http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%83%95%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%.../ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b

and

http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%83%95%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%...id=1205811645&sr=8-2

Have fun!

Edited to add: Jogasaki season is probably pretty much over, by now. The holds get unclimbably slimed with salt and condensation during the spring, summer and most of the fall. But Joyama is still nice, or at least it was this past weekend.

thanks a lot Bill, some good pointers there

i think will pick up a copy of that book and get myself up into Chichibu sometime in the near future