Fungi, fungi baby (on Mt Kirito)
Hike date: October 3, 2026
Despite the rare good weather I was unable to go far today, choosing to head to Mt Kirito, a small but popular satoyama local mountain in nearby Shiojiri. I’ve climbed Kirito many times, but today I decided to complete the loop hike by trying out a little used and overgrown path that I’d never walked before.
I started early at the Shimosaijo trailhead confident that I wouldn’t at that time meet oncoming traffic on the narrow forest road. There was only one other car at that time. I ignored the bear warning signs and was soon climbing the steep trail towards Mt Boranomine, immediately struck by the huge amounts of fungi growing in the forest. Unfortunately I have no knowledge about which varieties are edible and which would ruin my weekend so I took a few photos and continued the climb. After a few ups and downs and more trailside fungi I was at the Mt Kirito summit and contemplating the overgrown pathway I had come here to try. My mind went back to the bear signs but I ploughed forward and was soon on a long undulating ridge admiring the fungi on either side of the trail.
The path was easy to follow and I was soon wondering why I’d never tried it before. There were more ups and downs, some steep slippery slopes and lots more fungi, including some slopes that had been roped off by the local mushroom hunting club with deadly warnings for non-members who ventured onto the precious west-facing hillside. The locals seemed very keen to protect their mushroom mountain.
Click here for more information about Mt Kirito.
Comments