From Grandeco Snow Resort, a ski resort located on the southern slope of Mt. Nishi-Azuma, we were transported to the mountainside by a gondola lift. It was a pleasant sunny winter morning. The slopes were already crowded with skiers.

If you transfer from the Grandeco gondola lift to the 4th quad lift, you can get to the mountain trail right away, but since it was a weekday the quad lift was not in service. At the end of the gondola lift, we put on our snowshoes and started to go straight up the ski slope. The vigorous activity quickly warmed us up.

Arriving at the top of the ski slope, we entered a forest of Aomori firs (Abies mariesii). It is said that in the high mountains of the Tohoku region, these are the trees that become covered in frost. It is said to be the most cold-tolerant coniferous tree, suited to a heavy snowfall environment, second only to the Japanese white pine.

We climbed up among tall trees, trudging step by step through snow. There was no need to plow the path on this day, as there were enough traces and so little snow that some hikers were even using crampons without snowshoes. In fact, this winter has been much warmer than usual, with little snow everywhere in the mountains. “Will there be any little monsters in this mild winter?" I asked myself....

When reaching the top of the ridge, we found the summit of Nishi-Daiten next to Mt. Nishi-Azuma with a 360-degree view! I looked back at the ridge we climbed and saw Mt. Bandai rising beyond it, hidden by clouds, while Mt. Nishi-Azuma was in front of me, its gentle slopes lined with pure white trees. The view of snowy mountains is so extraordinary that I am always easily captivated.

From here, we walked along a wide ridge line. I intentionally deviated from the trace and left my own footprints. With childlike excitement I was kicking the snow with my snowshoes on the loose descent from Nishi-Daiten. As I was playfully strolling along... ah, hello! I met a swarm of little monsters!

Hiking up again to Mt. Nishi-Azuma the shrubby forest of firs becomes a dense, pure white mass. We weaved our way through these monsters of all shapes and sizes, some large and dense, others slender and arched, greeting each one as we went.

Hiking around the little monsters, we quickly reached the summit of Mt. Nishi-Azuma. The summit was a huge expanse of pure white. I couldn't even find any of the summit markers. I checked the GPS and decided that a certain point was the summit. Near the summit, there were many small monsters no taller than I.

It must be beautiful as the mountain gradually turns white from fall to winter, and the damp, cold winds nurture the little monsters. I kind of want to see them grow, but I also want to remain ignorant of the monsters' true nature.

For the last part of our trip, we recharged with something sweet. We stopped by Horaido confectionery in the Nakanosawa hot spring resort area.

They have many Japanese confections on display, but without hesitationI went for the dumplings wrapped in bamboo grass. It is a signature product that has been made using traditional methods since the company's founding. The aroma of yomogi (Japanese mugwort) filled my mouth with flavor as I took a bite, and the slightly bitter dumplings were well balanced with the mildly sweet red bean paste.

Cream Box Daifuku (rice cake stuffed with sweets) is also highly recommended. ‘Cream Box’ is Koriyama's local specialty, which is bread topped with a generous amount of milk-flavored cream. Their ‘daifuku› is a new Japanese confectionery made by wrapping the cream in a rice cake. The fine sweetness always makes me want to try a second one!

Although I was worried about the effects of the mild winter, there were still little monsters on Mt. Nishi-Azuma. It is said that frost covered trees and even spectacular monsters can only appear under certain conditions—the proper weather and vegetation. I hope you can also see for yourself the beautiful sights that nature has created. Why don't you go meet the little monsters?