(The following is a translation of the e-mail which was sent to Japanese customers.)

This is Kanako Yoshida from YOUYOUANG.
How are you doing?

Today in Maebashi, the sound of the wind woke me up in the early hours of the morning. It was just as wild as the secret hot spring "Mikurigaike Onsen (mountain hut)" that I went to on the weekend. (lol)

Yes, this week I went mountain climbing for the first time in 11 months since Mt. Kilimanjaro.

I left home by car at 5 am → took an electric bus from Ogizawa Station to Kurobe Dam → took a cable car from Kurobe Dam to Kurobedaira → took a ropeway to Daikanbo → from here I took the last trolley bus in Japan (which will end on November 30th and will be replaced by an electric bus from next year) to Murodo where the mountain lodge is. It was just around noon when I arrived.

The weather forecast said it would rain, but when we arrived, the sun came out, so we first took a walk around the area.

Mikurigaike Pond on that day was a vivid blue color and beautiful, and since there was no wind, it was like a mirror.

It seemed to be a full moon, and when I woke up the next day, the morning moon was still dimly visible.

The weather was better than forecasted the next day, so we discussed and decided to attack the 3003-meter peak of Mt. Oyama, Tateyam. We set off wearing winter clothes from head to toe in case the weather suddenly changed, brought waterproof gloves to protect against rain and snow, and chain spikes (anti-slip chains that you put on your shoes).

In the morning, the ponds was still covered with ice, and it was a monotone world. It was a beautiful morning, so quiet and still.

We climbed slowly, acclimatizing to the altitude. The weather looked like it would hold, or rather, it was hot. I took off neck warmers and jackets and put them in my backpacks along the way to adjust my body temperature.

The shrubs gradually disappeared and the terrain became rocky. We walked on a path of frozen snow, stones, and dirt and finally we reached the triangulation point. But from here, it was scary.

We climbed dozens of meters up the icy stone steps with no chain clutching a coin as an offering, to the shrine at the summit.

The view from the top was amazing, but I was so scared that I could only stay in the middle. (lol) I just prayed for safety for the day while feeling scared. It was slippery on the way down, so I put on chain spikes and, thanks to God, I was able to get down safely.

As we were heading towards the station on the last day, chatting about "As this time, the weather was good for mountain climbing, if we could meet the rock ptarmigan, everything would be the best thing ever," we noticed some people holding cameras. There it was! A ptarmigan which had molted into its pure white winter feathers. It didn't run away at all, but instead pecked at something and walked around.

It was so cute that its legs were covered with fur, probably because it lives in a cold place.

There are only 40 days left of this year. Time flies.

Please take care of yourselves before the busy end of the year.