Autumn Shioji Hiking - Fungi and Mushrooms 2018.9.15

Autumn Shioji 四王寺 Hiking - Many Fungi and Mushrooms

2018/9/15

Autumn is here and we took the first hike of the season to Shioji. The kids came with me and we had to pack for rain as the weather forecast kept changing randomly. Luckily though we never encountered any thunderstorms and we were sheltered from the luck rain that did start by the trees. Malena actually said "Tanoshi" (It's Fun!) because it created a sense of adventure. 

The access for the hike was similar to previous Shioji hikes however after getting off the bus we used a different entry point to the mountain which I discovered the week before. Basically you need to head to the large sports hall building and walking up past it which should bring you to a lot of steps with some Tennis courts on your left side. Keep walking up and it looks like a dead end but actually there is trail on the left which leads to the top of the mountain. After reaching the took you follow the trail down into Dazaifu as usual. 

Here are some pictures of the day and in particular the crazy amount of Fungi we discovered; 

Good signposts which have English and benches look newish

This route up has lots of well managed steps and Although longer, it is actually an easier climb.

Rain coats on, walking through the forest.

The lake, the rain was falling hard but the kids didn't care. The were searching for turtles

This area is the site of an old fort and is exposed which gives fantastic views.

An ancient wall, part of Onojo castle. Every time I visit this area I find something new to discover

Enjoying the view

I liked the deep browns on this one

This was huge, about the same size as a soccer ball. Check out the comparison to the right.

The tomb of Sukeyori Sukeyosi Muto. Near the end/start of the trail in Dazaifu

Relaxing at the end of the trail at the ruins of the old government buildings. All in all in took about 4 hours from getting of the bus. This was with a stop for lunch and stopping to see sights on the way. Shioji is a truly wonderful hike which a great mixture of nature and history as well as varied terrain.

Autumn has just begun but there are plenty more hikes to get to. So we look forward to making the most of the dynamic time of year. 



We have also been hiking at Tenpaizan most weekends and we found some interesting Fungi there as well; 

A very strange type

Perched on a tree

A rude shape