Ebinokogen
When I rode up to the Ebinokogen, the fog was the thickest I have ever seen. I had a few metres of visibility in front and the endless winding roads going up to the top of the mountain required extra care.
As the morning frost melted away, the fog also retreated and revealed a scenic camping ground. The area also has a hotel as well as a few shops. It was rejuvenating to be up here in the cool of the forest with the smell of pine trees all around.
Ebinokogen is home to one of the highest and largest ice skating rinks in Kyushu. On the weekends, it is especially busy. There are typically cars lined up with ice skaters itching to get into the park. However, on this overcast and cold wintery day, the rink was serene and calm with only a few eager ice skaters happily gliding across its icy blue surface.
I hadn’t been ice skating for quite a long time but courageously dared to give it a spin (literally). Ice skating and rollerblading are things I did quite often when I was a child so it felt strangely familiar yet my adult brain was freaking out for the fear that I would do a tumble and fall on my face. After a few rotations around the rink, I found my footing and became accustomed to the slipperiness of the ice beneath me. I would love to have come back here to spend a day ice skating with trees and mountains behind me and the cool mountain air whipping at my hair.
