For mountaineering enthusiasts, climbing all of Fukada Kyūya's "One Hundred Famous Mountains of Japan" is a goal. People talk about "I have this many left" or "I'm 70 percent done." Meanwhile, climbers agree that one famous peak Fukada Kyūya forgot to include is Kurikoma-yama (1,627.4 m) in the Tōhoku region.
The massif spans Miyagi, Akita, and Iwate prefectures; the summit lies on the Miyagi–Iwate border. Beyond primeval forest, a stratovolcano of varied andesite emerges. The name Kurikoma is said to come from lingering snow on the west side of the summit in early summer, shaped like a chestnut horse (kurikoma).
Hot springs dot the area—Sukawa＝photo, Onyu, Yunokura, Yuhama, and others. The 2008 Iwate–Miyagi inland earthquake caused landslides that forced some inns to close temporarily or permanently. The Great East Japan Earthquake of March last year dealt a further blow. Yet with Tōhoku resilience, several springs have reopened and resumed business.
Sukawa Onsen in particular is called a representative famous spring of Tōhoku. Its discovery is ancient; Japan's three great historical chronicles (Heian-era histories) record the name "Sukawa." Famous as a curing bath where farmers brought cooking gear during the off-season to stay— that atmosphere remains. A large open-air bath about 10 meters square draws water directly from the source. Bluish-white cloudy water soothes climbing fatigue. Autumn in Michinoku runs deep, and foliage is nearly over. The curing inn has already begun winter preparations.
A year and a half has passed since the disaster, yet many in Tōhoku still live in temporary housing. To send scholarships to children who lost parents, The Mainichi Newspapers has established the Mainichi Hope Scholarship program at http://www.mainichi.co.jp/shakaijigyo/kibo.html. Apply to the Mainichi Shimbun Tokyo Social Welfare Foundation at Palaceside Building.