尾瀬 その２ 尾瀬ヶ原 １日目 / Oze Part. 2 Ozegahara day1
Today, I will stay at Ryugu Hut (龍宮小屋), a mountain lodge. As you enter Ozegahara after descending Nagasawa-shindo, you will see Ryugu crossroads (竜宮十字路) right in front of you, and turn right to find Ryugu Hut.
It was around 11:30 a.m., but I could already check in, so I just paid the bill anyway.
I decided to go up to Miharashi since the lunch at Ryugu Hut seemed to be only a simple meal.
I arrived at Miharashi. At first glance, “Oze Hut” was popular, and as the reviews said, the menu looked fashionable and was written all over the board. However, it did not sound like something I would want to come all the way to Oze to eat. Looking at the “Higekuma Cafe” across the street, this one seemed more conventional. I was starving, so I ordered a large serving of curry (+100 yen).
As the sun is setting, I went outside once again. Already I was aching all over my body.
I looked for a point of interest while watching the sunset, both near the Ryugu crossroads on the Mt. Shibutsu side and on the Hiuchigatake side, starting from Ryugu Hut.
The sun set and I headed back to the lodge.
Another thing I wanted to photograph in Oze was the starry sky; the moon would be setting after 23:00. Simulating the starry sky, I wanted to shoot the south face of the mountain from the Ryugu Crossroads outside the lodge.
With this in mind, I set my watch’s vibrating alarm for 23:00 and went to bed early, but in the end I couldn’t get up and woke up at 2:00. My body ached all over, but I persevered, packed my gear, and went out of the lodge.
Of course, I knew this was a “bear” area. But I only had to go a few dozen meters to the wooden path in front of the lodge. As I was walking cautiously along the path with my headlamp on, playing some music and a few dozen meters ahead of me, I heard a rustling sound. A large animal crossed the path, its eyes glowing in the light of the lamp. Oh no.
I immediately turned back to the front of the lodge to see what was going on. The animal does not seem to leap away from me at once, but rather moves around the marshland, keeping its distance from me, as if watching me carefully. Every once in a while, its eyes light up as it looks at me. I thought it was a bear, not a deer.
This is not the time for starry skies. But when I looked at the sky, it was full of stars. It would be a shame to leave without taking a picture of it. I had no choice but to try to take a picture in front of the hut, although I was dissatisfied with the composition. Of course, I was on the alert so that I could jump into the hut right away.
