Kana mentioned we hadn’t seen fall colours this year and suggested multiple places before landing on Oze. We didn’t actually go to Oze but instead Senjougahara which is next to or part of the same giant park. I had been to Oze more than 10 years ago and loved it. This hike was also incredible. Bonus points because it is flat.

I can’t drive so Kana did all the work to get us there and back. The drive in was uneventful but we hit traffic on the way back which was unpleasant.

The hike itself was lovely. I took a few photos on my 5D which I still need to process. Here are some photos from my phone or kana’s phone though.

At the start of the hike there were a ton of kids and a lot of them would say こんにちは or “hello” to me and then giggle haha. I was originally replying in Japanese but eventually switched to English with “Hi~”. Kana was joking that the kids would now start saying hi to the next foreigner they see.

If folks haven’t been to this part of Gunma I highly recommend it. It’s an easy hike, beautiful colours, and they even run busses from Shinjuku to here so it is pretty accessible.

Before heading back we got some coffee at a random guest house cafe and next door was a house with so many cats. The more I looked the more cats I saw.