Snow in June

 

So a few weekends back I went for a drive into the mountains with Yuka. We headed up through Kusatsu onto one of the legendary mountains of Jomo.

Shirane-san.

From Wikipedia:
Mount Kusatsu-Shirane (草津白根山 Kusatsu Shirane-san^?) is a 2160 meter active volcano in Kusatsu, Gunma, Japan. It is called Kusatsu Shirane to differentiate it from the Mount Nikkō-Shirane on the other side of Gunma Prefecture. The summit of Kusatsu-Shirane volcano, located immediately north of Asama volcano, consists of a series of overlapping pyroclastic cones and three crater lakes. The largest of these is Yu-gama, an acidic turquoise-colored lake with rafts of yellow sulfur floating on its surface.

Not the first time I have ever been up this sulphorous beast but it was the first time I got to do it in my car. And as you may have guessed, the actual place was nothing compared to the drive there. 
Though to be fair it was one of those days that made you wonder at the splendour of this planet. The beautiful day also meant I could see Yu-gama which was obscured by mist the last time I went.
  Ok so maybe the destination was epic. While not as energising as the Typhoon was last year, I absolutely love the potential for disaster that active volcanoes represent. The sheer un fathomable power that they can unleash is mind-blowing, and while it would spell my certain death I would love to be there when it goes BOOM.

“I absolutely love the potential for disaster that active volcanoes represent”

I mean the only death better than that would be a heart attack while doing fun things in bed with all the members of SCANDAL and Koda Kumi… Or even better doing fun things in a bed with all the members of SCANDAL and Koda Kumi that happens to be in a hotel on an volcano!!!!

OK that was a bit of a tangent.

It was a great trip really. I got to drive in the mountains which is reason enough to do anything. I got to see snow in summer (albeit packed leftover snow), I got to escape the stifling head of Shibukawa and I got to spend some time with Yuka.