Anri and Sara by the keyhole tomb

Yup, we did it again!  For the second time in as many weeks, I took the kids up to the mountains for some exercise and a nice, rewarding view.  This time we went to the Mori Shoguzuka keyhole tomb, a place I have taken the kids many times before.

This keyhole tomb sits on a mountain top near Anzu no Sato, where Tomomi grew up.  It was a ruin until the a decade or two ago, when an effort was made to restore the site to its former glory and make it part of a historical park.  Now, it makes for a great hike that even small kids can do, if you take the right course.

And that is the old trail up the mountain, not the new one.  The new trail, while nicely built, is too much for a two-year-old like Sara to handle.  It is made mostly of log steps that are far too steep for her little legs.  Even five-year-old Anri would hae a hard time on these steps.  The old switchback trail, while steep, is more manageable.  Sara got tired and asked to be carried a few times, but she walked up most of the way.

The kids having a little picnic at Mori Shogunzuka

At the end of the trail is the main keyhole tomb, surrounded by smaller mounds in the earth that were lesser tombs.  Some of these are downhill and make a great picnic spot — though I don’t know if having a picnic there is really allowed (nobody has scolded us yet).  From our picnic, we enjoyed the view and even got to see a few shinkansens passing below.

The day we hiked up to the keyhole tomb, there was a small children’s fair being held on the lawn next to the little recreated Jomon village at the base of the mountain.  We ran into a few of Anri’s friends and some kids I teach there.  Lots of people got a kick out of seeing us geared up for climbing, with Noah as luggage!