Japanese mountains in autumn. Catch how beautiful and graceful they are on a journey to the high mountains of Japan. Located between Aomori and Akita is Shirakami-dake, a world natural heritage site in Shirakami-Sanchi that stands 1235m above the sea. It's a mountain of untouched nature that you can discover on your journey starting from Hirosaki.
Take the JR Gono line and when at Aomori, go around the foot of Shirakami Sanchi then aim for the top Shirakami-Sanchi which is a famous world heritage, or climb Shirakami-Dake which is a good for viewing autumn leaves. Fukaura town is the first stop which is a resort town with various facilities such as spas. You could also take a slope car to the observation deck on top of the hill to see Shirakami-Dake. It takes 7 minutes by the slope car to enjoy the superb view of Shirakami-Sanchi and Shirakami-Dake by the Japan Sea.
Take the Gono line again to go to the next spot, Juniko station. It is located at the foot of Shirakami-Sanchi. A shop in front of the station is Poppo-Jaya, where you can some local specialty such as tempura burdock (Gobo) noodles with soup made of Hidaka Konbu, sea weed and Shiitake mushroom. After lunch head to Juniko at the foot of Shirakami-Sanchi.On the way you'll see an amazing cliff of white limestone hidden among the trees. It's known as Japan Canyon. The 15 minute bus ride stops at Juniko Lake where you can join a local tour conducted by local house wives. The entrance to the lake is at the foot of Sirakami,which is also the entrance of Shirakami-Sanchi. Although it know as Juniko (12 lakes), there are in fact 33 lakes and ponds, all created after a quake. The Aoike Pond has an especially fantastic scenery with very clear water. Stop by a cafe where you can have a cup of tea free while enjoying the view to the clear spring water of Shirakami-Sanchi.
Head back to the station by bus for a stay for the night at the inn, Ryokan Moriyama-So with its views of Shirakami-Dake even from the rooms. You also get the sea right in front - a luxury indeed. The hot spring is another feature the inn is proud of. Again, there is a view of Shirakami-Dake which can be enjoyed from the bath. Dinner is served at the banquet hall with plenty of seafood from the Japan sea. Get a good night's rest if you plan to scale the mountain the next day as it takes 8 hours to get to the top of the mountain and back. Make sure you have a guide who will take on the climb on a trail. Start by paying respects to the god of the mountain that is believed to reside in a tree at the foot of the mountain. Climb through the beech forest and head up the path which gets steep as the hill rises.You’ll catch glimpses of the Japan Sea and bits of clouds, the higher you go. There is a fantastic view from the top especially in autumn when the leaves of the beech trees have turned beautifully red. West of Tottori, is Mt. Daisen which reaches to the Japan Sea and rises 1729 m above the sea. It's been ranked as one of the best 4 mountains in Japan along with Mt. Fuji, Tateyama and Ontake. It's also called Hoki Fuji or Izumo Fuji because of its beautiful figure.
The journey to this beauty spot starts from Yonago which is 15 minutes by the JR Sakai line from Yonago airport. Head East of Yonago city where there is a hilly area at the foot of Mt. Daisen, a graceful mountain. There is a good spot to view Mt. Daisen at the flower park called Tottori Flower Corridor which is 25 minutes by the free shuttle bus from Yonago station.
The Tottori Flower Corridor is one of the biggest flower parks in Japan, spanning 50 hectares with a huge glass house, water garden, European garden and more, so visitors can enjoy various flowers throughout the four seasons. If you make your way to Flower Hill within the garden you’ll catch a view of Mt. Daisen. To get up close to the majestic mountain you need to go back to Yonago station and head to Okanari area which us at its foot. While in the area, one local specialty is Daisen bamboo grass rice, the traditional cuisine of the towns at the foot of Mt. Daisen. The smell of bamboo grass is strong in the meal of rice steamed with chest nuts, chicken and bracken which originated from Daisen monks' food which was much more simple.
The snow on Mt. Daisen provides underground water that appear as springs. Hougu spring for instance which is in a quiet residential area at the foot of a hill, sees 30,000 litres of water each day used for irrigation. The water is a constant 13 Degree C. all year around so it’s also handy for farming rainbow trout as well as plain drinking. Travel by bus to the top of Mt. Daisen located in Daisen town. There is a temple and shrine related to Mt. Daisen which serves both monks and mountaineers.
The inn for the night is Toyama Ryokan that’s along the approach to the shrine. It usually accommodates mountain climbers and offers views from its rooms of Mt. Daisen one way and the Japan sea another way. The next pleasure is the dinner mainly made of Tottori's local ingredients. The specialty is home-made sesame tofu since the inn operators come from a family that used to run a tofu shop in the Edo era. A hotel staff will play guide in the mountain climb and most have more than 30 years experience so you can be sure of a safe trip up Mt. Daisen which is 1729m high. The trail is along ridges through breech forest and will take about 3 hours. There are stone stairs in the climb and also a register for climbing which is part of local rules. Half way up is the north wall that is exposed to wind and snow with few trees for cover. Have lunch at the inn close by before one more push to the top where you can see mountain willows and Dwarf Japanese yew which only grow at that spot in clusters near the top and has been registered as a Special Natural Monument. The stone storage says you’re near the end of the climb. Join other climbers by putting a stone at the hut and make your way to the top. You’ll have a panoramic view of the Japan sea from the top. Mt. Kiso Komagatake is the highest peak of Chuo Alps standing 2956m above the sea. Created by the nature in the ice age, it has a rough face and also a graceful face at the top. The mountain with two faces can be reached from Ina in Shinshu, which his about three hours from Shinjuku by the express train on the JR Chuo line before catching the JR Iida line. The highest peak to conquer here is Mt. Kiso Komagatake and to view it, catch the bus to Takato from the station which is about 15 minutes away.
Takato town was once a castle town and at the Takato castle Site Park, you can glimpse Mt. Kiso Komagatae, so named because the macula looks like a horse. And when the horse-shape appears on the mountain at the end of spring, the people in Takato take it as a sign to start farming. Head back to the station to travel to the next stop which is Miyada village. It is from there that you can reach Mt. Kiso Komagatake. Along the way, you’ll see vineyards. The grape yield juice and wine such as Yama Sauvignon from a hybrid of wild grapevine and Cabernet Sauvignon.
