REPORT

With the goal of seeing the Onuma-ike Pond in early summer, I set out early in the morning from the trailhead beside the Maeyama Summer Lift. Incidentally, the lift operates on weekends and public holidays from 6/20 (Sat.) to 10/18 (Sun.), so it was not running today. The steep climb from the junction with Shijuhachi-ike Marsh toward Mt. Ura-Shiga was demanding, making my first glimpse of the cobalt-blue waters of the Onuma-ike Pond (pictured) all the more rewarding.
[Mt. Shiga Hiking Course・Onuma-ike Pond]

At Shijuhachi-ike Marsh (pictured), I found freshly blooming urajiro-yoraku, hime-shakunage, and watasuge cotton grass, while kobaikei-so had just begun to flower. Along the trail, a visitor from Kanagawa Prefecture told me, “What beautiful scenery. I came up to Shiga Kogen by bus yesterday and stayed overnight. On my way home, I’m planning to stop at Yudanaka Shibu Onsen for a relaxing soak.”
[Mt. Shiga Hiking Course・Shijuhachi-ike Marsh]

Visitor numbers were about average for this time of year, but the flowers are running about a week to ten days ahead of schedule thanks to the early snowmelt. Around Hasuike and Maruike, the Nikkokisuge day lilies (pictured) were already peaking. I parked along National Route 292 and enjoyed a short walk on the Nature Discovery Trail.
[Nature Discovery Trail・Hasuike]

The vast carpet of Nikkokisuge stretching out before me was simply breathtaking. Speaking of Nikkokisuge, I’m particularly looking forward to seeing the blooms at the Higashidateyama Alpine Botanical Garden, which is reached via the Shiga Kogen Golden Line that began operating on 6/20 (Sat.). (※You can see what it looked like two years ago here.) Before heading home, I stopped once more at Hasuike, where I found lotus flowers blooming quietly along the water’s edge.
[Nature Discovery Trail・Hasuike]

　
[Shiga Kogen Opening Information]
* Period … Yokoteyama Skylator and Sky Lift 4/22 – late October (*scheduled), Shibu-toge 1st Romance Lift After snow removal – Early November (*scheduled), Shiga Kogen Golden Line 6/20 – 11/1, Maeyama Summer Lift 6/20 – 10/18 (Sat, Sun, holidays and reserved days), Takamagahara Summer Lift 8/8 – 8/16.
* Summer Lift Fees … Shiga Kogen Golden Line round trip 1-day pass / Adults JPY3,000, Child JPY1,800, Takamagahara Summer Lift round trip / Adults JPY1,200, Child JPY800, Maeyama Summer Lift one way / Adults JPY600, Child JPY400, Yokoteyama Sky escalator and Sky Lift round trip / adult 2,200 JPY, child 1,900 JPY, Shibutoge Romance Lift round trip / adult 2,200 JPY, child 1,900 JPY.
　　
＊*Click here to purchase photos found in this report.
　　　
reported by Snownavi