Tachibanayama 立花山 and Mikazukiyama 三日月山 the Tachibana route 2019/4/14

Tachibanayama 立花山 and Mikazukiyama 三日月山 the Tachibana route 2019/4/14

Spring is here! We decided to hike up a nearby mountain set. The last time I was here was with my daughter last summer. The area is very easy to access and the distance of the hike is not so far making it a perfect quick hike. On this day it was a special openday event which we had planned to attend. There were lots of people selling local produce and fruit and organisers busily setting up banners and giving out new maps published by the local council for the area which can be seen below. 

This time we drove up to the car park and followed the Tachibana route to reach the summit. We then liked along the ridge to Mikazukiyama. The views were once again fantastic for the size of the mountain. This time I also noticed how wonderful the trees and large flora of the mountain are. The diversity of trees can be seen in the photos below with a patchwork of greens that can be seen from the top of the mountain. 

Access: Follow the guide from the previous hike if you plan to visit by train and bus. To do this route you need to head to the car park area 立花山登山者駐車場 Tachibanayama tozansha. The parking area is quite large but also can be quite busy. Leave the parking area and turn left to walk up to the trailhead. 

The hike starts here at the parking lot.  There is birds eye view of the area map to help you plan you hike up.

The trail starts here up past a few buildings. We were greeted by a large Tachibana welcome sign!  Next to here is a small hut used for forest management. You can pick up maps from the drawers here.

A water source. All the streams were very dry though on this day.

It doesn't take too long to reach the summit. The mountain is not too large at only 367m however the views are very good

After taking in the view we head to the opposite side of the clearing and down. If you come by bus and train this will be the route you waked up on. We continued on the trail until it splits. The right side path heads down by straight ahead continues to the second peak of Mikazaukiyama

The peak of Mikazukiyama. The views are even better here. The variety of the forest really becomes clear with the different shades of green from the various species of tree.

For the return hike down we followed the route back to a point but instead of heading up to Tachibanayama we hike around the side of the mountain to teach the trail back to the car park.  The trail was narrower here and lined with more beautiful old trees.

Some very large and old trees here. This is one example.

Amongst many bright green Japanese maples there was one that thought it was Autumn. I wonder if this is a random mutation or a different species

Finally back to the parking area. A very nice hike which is full of rewards and is not to punishing. Now there is a new map and a push from the local area more people will be able to appreciate this delightful mountain.

Iimoriyama 飯盛山 2019/4/13

Iimoriyama 飯盛山  2019/4/13

IImoriyama is in the north west of Fukuoka and is near the border of Itoshima city. The peak is a relatively short hike but it does have some very rocky and steep sections as you get nearer to the summit. 

There is a good guide to Iimoriyama on the Fukuoka now website. For this hike however we drove to Iimori Shrine 飯盛神社 and started towards the mountain from just behind it. The shrine has plentiful parking which is all free of charge. 

Gear: Some rugged trail shoes are a good idea for this hike especially with some toe protection for the rocky areas. A hiking pole would not be that useful however a good pair of gloves are recommended.  

From the main car park (There is more parking closer to the mountain behind the shrine) it was a very short walk into the shrine.  The shrine itself is a significant shrine with a number of buildings and statues. On the way it was busy with parents bringing there babies to be blessed.

The main shrine building. The grounds are worth a short explore to see the statues and other buildings.

The first section of the hike up Iimoriyama follows a road lined with Japanese maple trees. This leads up to another large shrine with a very big stone Torii gate.

The rocky path leads up just before you reach the large shrine pictured above. However it is definitely worth going up there for a look around.

The trail up has lots of ropes at points to help you out. A pair of gloves are also useful for helping grip these and avoid rope burns.  It starts to get steep but we pushed on. It really isn't that far!

The summit signpost and the goal. The view is not the best view as the top is quite forested. The hike itself is where the value is for this hike. It is possible to continue on to other mountains however we had to get back to the car and had insufficient water so we headed back the way we came.

The view from the summit.

We had one more pleasant surprise as we as we approached the shrine at the bottom. A Japanese badger (Anaguma) was scurrying along the road. It froze when it saw us and considered carrying on but in the end decided to turn and flee into the woods.  The hike as very pleasant and a good choice for beginners.

Homanzan 宝満山 and Sangunsan 三郡山 Spring hike 2019.4.2

Homanzan 宝満山 and Sangunsan 三郡山 Spring hike 2019.4.2

With the short Hanami season drawing to an end I had to revisit Mt. Homan in Dazaifu again. I decided to extend the hike to the nearby Mt. Sangun which I last visited in the summer and ended up enjoying the hike a lot more this time with the cooler temperature and lack of blood sucking insects. 


For access to Mt. Homan follow the route outlined in the previous hikes. 1 2 3 4 5. You can get there by heading to Nishitetsu Dazaifu station. On the past few times I have actually started my hike from the station and walked up past the main Tenmangu shrine and to Kamado Shrine. But you can also catch the local bus, turn left as you leave the station and cross the road. You need to catch the bus there labelled "Uchiyama" The last stop is Kamado shrine. The stop stop has a digital board with live updates for the bus times and romaji so it is easy to read. 

Easily the one of the highlights of the day was Kamado shrine. It is simply beautiful in any season but especially so in the Autumn and spring time.

The start of the hike up Homan even this had a cherry blossom (Sakura) tree to add to the image.

After marvelling at the wonderful view from Homan I decided to head down and find the route to Mt. Sangun. The last time I did this hike was August 2018 and the head, humidity and huge amount of horse flies had me cursing the mountain. This time the weather was splendid and there was not a blood sucker to be seen. Sangun is a further 2.3km across the mountain ridge with some elevation and lots of rocky hiking but unlike Homan no steps.

The view from Sangun is slightly less impressive compared to Mt. Homan. Still it is a a larger mountain and still gives you a good view of the mountains in the distance.

Finally back at Mt. Homan I started the trek down taking a view minutes at the camping hut to rest.  When I got back to Dazaifu I spent a little while enjoying the great weather and the popular sights that so many tourists come to visit. I am not sure when I will be back but I am sure it won't be too long.