Knee injury
Right before 3rd times in Korea Insubon, and Kishira expedition, I got a knee injury, dislocation.
I did not take it seriously until I met a female climber with the same problem said it became habit. I do not want that habit.
I was climbing with unstable knee since putting up was my standard of life.
I put up with childhood poverty... as a first child of 3 and of single mother, I was the little house wife at age of 8, I was the primarily care taker at home for a long time.
I went for a night school in my uni... because I did not want my mom to carry harder burden... financially, so my independence was pretty early, I was working part-time at my high school sophomore. Worked full-time at a freshman of university.
So putting up the hardship was my second nature... I did not realize that my knee injury was such a serious issue.
Subconscious had protected me
But in my retrospect, I was climbing with people of not enough safety awareness...
so my subconscious or my guardian angel? must have protected me by giving me this minor injury, just enough to keep me away from climbing but not a burden for regular life.
So I stopped climbing.
Local government and Crag
Instead, I started to use my business skills in introducing the crag to local governments.
Japanese crags were not known by local government since climbers had felt somewhat guilty historically, they hid their activity from the world especially the government.
But these days, local community needs attractions, they want tourists to come visit the country side villages where the crags are. They are welcoming even the deadly climbing.
I had experience in working Mitsui Bussan before I started to climb, and developed local attractions such as Mojij port and renewal of Hakata station. It was part of my job that partially set the scheme of getting more tourists and paying off that cost.
I had a experience in Green Climbers Home and The Bivy in Taiwan, so why not we in Japan has something similar?
It seemed a good idea to me at first thoughts.
So I did what I did like in my paying job, without being paid...
I had introduced Nodake crag in Omura Local government, Hachimen crag in Nakatsu government, and was about to introduce Tengu crag in Itsuki local government...
On Hyugami... it's a very confused crag
I had stopped to introducing Hyugami crag to Kuroki government since Hyugami crag's bolts are too old and too dangerous for accepting guest climbers... Modern free climber thinks it is OK to fall at any route at any bolts... falling in the Hyugami is very conditional, i.e., at some routes bolts are chemical, so it is safe as bolt-wise but is is too runout, so easy peasy fall is nono
... like Muchuhokou 5.9, from the 1st to 3rd running is very far to each other so you can not fall, but I think it is very easy, RCC II's 3rd grades(about 5.4?), but on the top of the routes you need to make a 5.10b kind of move... that is the crux. So it is OK to make a fall in that crux since it is a way up high, and bolts are secure, since it is chemical, but nono to fall until you clip first 3 bolts.
Can you understand how difficult to explain the situation?
Do you think modern gym climbers will understand the situation?
And most of the routes are still "Cut anchor" and top rope is impossible without climbing lead...
You need eyes for bolts and eyes for runouts.
so, I concluded that is is too complicated to accepts guests and even as a local climber, Hyugami had no attraction. It was not like Ogawayama.
Difference between Ogawayama and Hyugami
Ogawayama is granite slab and crack, it is basically trad crag. So when bolts are too far away, you are supposed to reinforce the safety by your own decision.
See this photo of me climbing;
As you can see, I added 2 small cams before I climb different steepness. It is the basic of protection placement. Different angle, another protection. Because human body had to go climb with different technique. More chance of accidents.
The policy is ; When possible take your pro, or you are fool. Unless you are too confident you can not fall at all. This is very famous 5.10c slab.
On the contrary, this is Hyugami. There is no room for adding protection of your own.
This is only 5.10b, but it is NOT recommendable for beginner since the start of the climbing is bumpy, you can hit the bump. Even if you clip properly. Belayed properly.
The bolt is not good enough placed as you see. If I fall now, I will hit the rock.
I had climbed down this problem. I don't like this one. I would recommend 5.11 or above climber to lead this 5.10b. Since fall is not acceptable.
Also, I think this route's bolt can be more wisely placed. Overhang definitely need to be properly set.
As a ice climber, I was setting my protections so I could detect this poorly set bolts but normal free climber at a beginner level of 5.1X... will have no way of knowing.
So this is the quick explanation of different climb of the different crag.
Hyugami, was developed as a aid climbing crag at first and in aid climb, taller was the better climber, so their theory was not fit to free climbing.
Past glory…not eyes open for today
It is not even developed by ground-up, so aid climbed in a beginning with cheap scary bolts, means not suited for free climbing which is fall is norm....
Also there were a way too many developers competing their EGO there, it is impossible for them to understand what best in the today's climb... they are too trapped past glory... when a high school student can onsight 5.12 in the first day of his climb.... they can not stop forgetting their first 5.9 of runout, so, the best strategy is to wait.
Otherwise, unnecessary bolts might be added. Since no one really listening the song of the rocks. Their intention is somewhere else.
In English saying, there is "Any road gets you there if you don't know where you going... " is the exactly what happened to this sad crag... at first, aid climbing, and the cheap bolts used for aid climb was kept used for free climbing, cheap bolts, and sometimes scary setting, sometimes wrongly setting, sometimes overly protective, and lack of diligence. This belay station was legacy. A hand made.
It was like 40 years ago Japan was kept alive.
I hope the situation gets better in Hyugami, since it is the most popular crag in Kyusyu.
But I can not recommend anyone beginner or traveler since it is too picky and too spooky to trust. I will be so irresponsible if I do.
The sad thing is people there can not realize this. The even more sad is people with a up-to-date knowledge is just waiting for them to die, since the things straighten up is better off for everyone except for developer. Without him everyone is happier... isn't that sad or what...?