Wow, that was extremely crowded, kevincrumbs. Makes sense that the baths were crammed.

Never been to the mountain or the baths with so many people there. The temples on Takao San are very popular for New Year visits. An exception was our foray into an incoming blizzard - but that’s certainly because we were idiots and didn’t research the weather before heading out. Only the most dedicated walkers in gear that would make them comfortable in the high Himalayas were out and about. We thought this gear was overkill. Boy were we wrong!

On a recent descent, I met a charming gentleman who was ascending. Turned out he often came at night as he has a strong interest in wildlife, and many creatures, such as the flying squirrel, are effectively nocturnal. He is a very regular visitor - this is his YouTube channel:
https://m.youtube.com/user/alwaysartzone/videos
Lots of footage I would never have the time or patience to capture.