One of the escapades I got into during my first year was an event called “Attack the Nihon-Ichi” in Misato, Kumamoto. Basically this is a special event in which one endeavors to successfully climb Japan’s longest stone staircase, coming in at a solid 3,333 steps one way, 6,666 steps round-trip. This particular event has you not only competing against others, but against yourself! When you sign up, you estimate the time that you will finish the race, whether full-course or half-course. Prizes are given to those who are fastest, but also to those who come closest to their estimated times. Plus, there are several prizes from sponsors that are raffled off to randomly selected ticket numbers, which you receive upon finishing the race. And everyone gets a customized certificate with their time and completion and a goodie bag at the end, so you definitely don’t leave empty-handed. And that’s just speaking of material reward!

So that day, equipped with my water can and some light baggage – I didn’t want to weigh myself down more than necessary – I journeyed solo to the meeting place, parked up, and then boarded the buses available for participants to get to the actual venue. You can really tell that this was once an extremely local event, improved upon over the years and made into a more well-known affair. The locale, nestled among the mountains, an old temple set at the end of the steps, paired with sponsors thrusting some kind of green health concoction under your nose at every step, was clue enough for me. So I kept to myself and focused on the task at hand.

Though somewhat intimidated by my expectations alone, I set out optimistically, my mind determined though I hadn’t worked out seriously in some time. I’ll be honest, this is indeed a challenge! On November 16, 2013, I went on this particular voyage, and by god, I was glad to do it but I’m not completely sure I would do it again, unless I visit the steps for a leisurely hike. Some people set out sprinting right from the get-go, and with my own modest jog, I started to feel the burn around the 330th step. Your calves take a beating indeed, and you find yourself looking eagerly to each step marker, wondering what set of steps you’ve arrived at to guide your efforts along the way. But as the markers’ count increases you feel stronger and more determined with each step. When you’re tired, there are plenty of opportunities to stop and take in the beautiful surroundings while downing much-needed hydration. But if you’re not tired, you can trod on! The path is a mixed course of natural dirt path between long stretches of stone steps. Though the steps seem unending, the true feat is mastering your mind as you go up them, not feeling discouraged regardless of the step number; the driven feeling that comes out once you reach at least the thousandth step amid a forest clearing.

In retrospect, I felt so elated (and somewhat gelatinous) at the end of my 6,666 step journey. I estimated my completion of the course to be about an hour and forty-five minutes, and my actual completion time was an hour and forty-nine minutes. Now, you may think this is a pretty good guess, but winners of the estimation prize came within three seconds of their initial estimates! This is pretty incredible on the one hand, but possibly do-able if you’ve run the course before or train on the steps fairly regularly. Also upon my completion of the course, I made a beeline for the yakiniku foodstand, and immediately ate four sticks on my own. It was delicious and perhaps more rewarding than the certificate I received afterward! Having participated in the event and taken in the course, I would very much recommend tackling the stone steps via a hike rather than a time-oriented competition. You would have much more time (and much less pressure) so that you could leisurely take in the nature around you and visit the old temple found at the end of the steps. It’s quite beautiful there.

Needless to say, for this course, the way back down was much easier than the trek up for me. I was able to whiz past a reporter’s attempt to interview me toward the end of my journey, looking completely non-plussed by my own weariness and physical exertion, surprising even myself. It was great! I’d recommend it to anyone in the area, but be prepared for a workout, for sure!