Enchanted Forests around Shirakoma Lake

What?
Shirakoma Pond (白駒池) is Japan’s largest natural lake located above 2,100 meters. It features in many Japanese travel guides, partly because it is easily accessible by car, making it a popular destination for a day trip. The pond (apparently) has a mirror-like surface and is particularly beautiful in the colorful autumn season. It is surrounded by a moss-covered forest, dubbed Mononoke Forest after the Studio Ghibli movie. Many visitors enjoy the pond by simply following the wooden walkways around it, but if you fancy a little more exercise, why not approach it by crossing Mugikusa Pass (麦草峠) and Mount Maruyama (丸山　2,330m)? While the Mononoke Forest around the pond is fenced off apart from the walkways, the greenery around Mugikusa Pass is almost equally beautiful – and without any ropes serving as fences.
Where?
Located in the Northern Yatsugatake Mountains in Nagano Prefecture (長野県), Shirakoma Pond is accessible by public transport, although services are very patchy. Buses depart from both JR Yachiho Station (JR八千穂駅) and Sakudaira Station (佐久平駅), with just one departure per day from each station, and only on weekends and national holidays during the high season. The bus stop for the lake is called Shirakoma Pond Iriguchi (白駒池入口), while the same buses also stop at Mugikusa Pass. It is of course much easier to just take a car and park either at the pass or at the lake, as both have ample parking space. The road leading to the lake is closed during winter, however, generally from November to April.
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Hiking Around Tokyo *and trip.

Weather and Kiso-Komagatake , for me personally, are not a good combination.
Many years ago, I boarded the cable car with a friend, but we quickly hurried back down when snow started to fall. No views, no hikes, not even a simple walk.
I would have my revenge this time, but the weather forecast predicted rain, rain and a little more rain.
Instead of foolhardily following the plan, another friend and I decided to search for something more suitable in downcast weather. We pitched a few ideas back and forth, until my friend suggested the Mononoke Forest in the Yatsugatake Mountains.

I didn’t realize it while walking, but I had been here before. A long, long time ago, that cable-car-friend also took me on a drive and we made a brief stop at Shirakoma Pond. The only thing I remember, though, is the hilarious self-drawn street map and the cloudy and foggy state of the pond.
I mustn’t have paid attention very well… While the pond itself is just a simple pond, it is surrounded by wooden walkways crossing moss-covered forests, looking absolutely magical. And it has not earned the name Mononoke Forest for nothing. That was the impression I got in this dreadful weather, as the rain made the colors of the forest even more vibrant green.
Before we arrived at the pond, however, we decided to approach it by taking the path along Mugikusa Pass and over the peak of Mount Maruyama. Already at the very start, just past the Mugikusa Mountain Hut and mere meters into the forest, we knew we had made the right decision. The greenery was mesmerizing from the very start. The moss, the mushrooms, even the mysterious fog; it all added to a wonderful, fairyland-like hike.
Of course, in this weather, there were absolutely no vistas to be enjoyed. Near the peak of Mount Maruyama, there was a 360-degree panorama platform, but as we knew we wouldn’t be able to see anything, we skipped it without a second thought.

The hike from the parking lot to Shirakoma Pond was a beautiful one, and also a rather simple one. However, as the path was strewn with big rocks, careful navigation was necessary to avoid slipping. In places, the ground had also turned into mud pools, so a little concentration was needed. None of that spoiled the fun, though – we both agreed this (short) hike was absolutely worth the wet conditions.

Green.

I can go on, you know.

When we arrived at the pond, the boulderous and muddy path was replaced by a course around the pond on wooden walkways. If even possible, the ground around these wooden planks was even greener than the moss-covered trees and rocks at Mugikusa Pass.
The pond itself, on the other hand, was of course less enjoyable, as it simply looked grey and white, without much of a background because of the fog and clouds. But even so, we met more people here, and even people in plain casual gear. Many day-trippers had parked their cars at the nearest parking spot, an easy 10-minute walk away.
They all missed the mesmerizing hike through the forest, though. Their loss, not ours.

Early in the morning, on our way to the parking lot, we had seen many deer and a (dead) tanuki, but during our hike, wildlife was notably absent. Back in our car and driving down, we again encountered a few groups of deer.
If we had met them in the forest, we’d really have thought we were in one of Studio Ghibli’s movies.