Bus tour to Mt. Ibuki (2) - Efforts for revival of wildflower

From Yoro SA, it wasn’t very distant to get to Mt. Ibuki Driveway. We could enjoy exciting views as the bus climbed up the mountain. When we arrived at the parking lot near the summit, it was 12:10. We should be back by 15:40 after enjoying hiking freely. When we got off the bus, it was so foggy that we couldn’t see anything beneath the mountain. In the toilet near the parking lot, there was no toilet paper set inside, because it would soon get wet because of the weather. But you could buy some from a vending machine.

Between the parking lot and the summit, there were three routes. The eastern route was for climbing down only as it was longer and more difficult to walk than the other two routes. The center route was the shortest but the steepest. So, we took the western route. Near the starting point, there was a statue of Kannon or Goddess of Mercy who helps you succeed in love.

 Since last Sunday was our national holiday “Mountain’s Day”, there were volunteers of Ibukiyama Moribitonokai. According to their website, this is an organization that informs visitors about nature and culture of Mt. Ibuki and conducts awareness-rising activities about importance of environmental conservation. First, we got a brochure about flowers on the mountain at the starting point. Soon after we started walking, we noticed that the peak flower season was already over. However, there were still many yellow flowers in bloom. According to a brochure, they are Senecio nemorensis.

My mother found mugworts.

On our way to the summit, there was another volunteer, who taught us the names of flowers. It was also interesting to hear about the weather on the mountain. According to him, beautiful sunrise could be seen from there the day before.

As we climbed up higher, we could see more flowers in bloom. This one had a bee.

But the road became rougher.

This is a field of meadowsweet. Six years ago, members of Ibukiyama Moribitonokai planted young plants of meadowsweet for their revival as they were decreasing significantly because of climate change and for some other reasons.

It was also interesting to see big rocks.

On Mt. Ibuki, it was easy to come closer to some rare insects. This is a butterfly on a thistle flower.

It took us about an hour to get to the summit. It’s time to have some refreshment. Mt. Ibuki is the highest mountain in Shiga Prefecture with a height of 1,377 m.

My mother and I drank Fanta and Mitsuya Cider respectively. Mitsuya Cider is just a carbonated soft drink first made in 1884 and totally different from English cider. Though it was foggy, it was still refreshing to drink it.