Hijiridake lots of Oni! 鬼ノ鼻山・福寿山・聖岳 2021/4/18

Hijiridake lots of Oni! 鬼ノ鼻山・福寿山・聖岳 2021/4/18

Hijiridake is a mountain in Taku city, Saga. He started at 鬼ノ鼻山憩いの森 and first hiked up to the Onsen viewpoint. This viewpoint has a large Oni shaped view tower with great views of the surrounding area. The hiking from there to Hijiridake was easy and very pleasant. On the way we passed a woman who had so come from Fukuoka to pick bracken fern shoots used for cooking. At Hijiridake there is a beautiful old shrine which is distinctive in that it is made of red brick, the views here were also great! We followed the mountain road back which actually took a long time.

 

After hiking we went a Confucian shrine which looks distinct compared to Shinto or Buddhist shrines and then we visited a farm shop.

Hiking in Omuta Daimayama, Miikeyama and more! 大間山・荒平山・三池山・高取山 2021/4/10

 Hiking in Omuta Daimayama, Miikeyama and more! 大間山・荒平山・三池山・高取山 2021/4/10

Finally! a weekend with great weather! I caught the train down to Omuta on the border of Fukuoka and Kumamoto to hike a mountain area nearby. I really had no idea what to expect however I found the views beautiful with some particularly great views of Mt. Unzen. I also saw lots of birds, wild flowers and insects (Luckily the horse flies and mosquitos were not out yet). I also found lots of shrines and even an abandoned shrine. I don't recommend following my entire route though as the last part was a little off track. I walked past lots of gates and barbed wire and eventually was in an industrial area with lots of warning signs. I am sure that I was not supposed to to walk through there but luckily nobody stopped me. Instead of going this way after Miikeyama continue along the road to Omuta station or catch a bus as there were plenty of Nishitetsu bus stops along the road. 

I highly recommend the main hiking area, make sure you bring a hiking pole and gloves as it can be steep in places if you go across all mountains.

Kirishima hiking, hiking Shiratoriyama and the volcanic lakes 白鳥山 2021.3.27

 Kirishima hiking, hiking Shiratoriyama and the volcanic lakes 白鳥山 2021.3.27

For a spring trip we went to Kirishima and the Ebino plateau for hiking and cabin camping. The weather had been scary all week with the threat of rain but in the end the weather on Saturday was perfect for outdoor activities! 

This is an easy hike which takes you around the volcanic lakes with great views and beautiful forests. The views of Karakunidake are great and it is a very peaceful walk. Of course we plenty of deer which are relaxed and not very scared of hikers so you can get quite close before they run away. 

After hiking we visited some areas around Ebino including an ice cream shop at Daiwa farm before heading to Hinanomori campsite to make a campfire and relax.

In hunt for Totoro in the local mountains! 石坂山・牛ノ尾山 2021.3.6

 In hunt for Totoro in the local mountains! 石坂山・牛ノ尾山 2021.3.6

We went for a hike in our local mountains. There have been many Totoro sightings lately in the area around Ushibukiyama here in Onojo so we decided to go and investigate. We found him a little after the top of Mt. Ushino. The kids were really happy to find Totoro. Click on the heading to see the route on Yamap!

Hiking in Sasaguri, Unebaruyama : Last hike of the Winter as Spring really starts. 畝原山・鉾立山・三ッ頭山・靏ヶ尾山・大倉嶺・飯盛山

 Hiking in Sasaguri, Unebaruyama the Narufuchi Dam 鳴淵ダム : Last hike of the Winter as Spring really starts. 畝原山・鉾立山・三ッ頭山・靏ヶ尾山・大倉嶺・飯盛山 2021.2.27

Winter is almost over and to mark the end and my Birthday I went for a solo hike in Sasaguri. I started at Chikuzenyamate station 筑前山手駅 and walked up to Narufuchi Dam 鳴淵ダム to start hiking. I walked around a number of mountains including Unebaruyama 畝原山. Some nice views and good views of the reservoir. The start of the climb was steep and a little challenging but after that I stayed pretty high in the mountains and it was a relaxing hike for the most part. Make sure you prepare well before attempting this hike as there are no shops around the station although there are some drink machines at the Dam and toilets. 

Yukuhashi hiking: The Kanda alps and Takajosan 大久保山・大平山・諫山・高城山 2021.2.20

 Yukuhashi hiking: The Kanda alps and Takajosan 大久保山・大平山・諫山・高城山 2021.2.20

The weather this weekend really feels like spring! I decided not to waste the weather and get out to hike. I decided on Yukuhashi and Takajosan. I had been planning on hiking in this area since visiting Hiraodai last year. The area has many small peaks and some great views. The trails are very well looked after with a lot of love and going into their up keep. I hiked station to station and decided to explore a lot on the way. 

This lead me to many interesting shrines and features. The first small mountain was a shrine mountain which seems to have a small tomb on the top. Later on I spotted what looked like a cave across the lake, I went closer to investigate and found it to be a temple located in a cave in the mountain called Uchioyama Shoen Temple. It was a great hike so I am glad I made the effort to get out and hike!

As usual link on the title to see the route map on Yamap! 

Wakamatsu Hiking: Ishimineyama and Takatoyama 高塔山・石峰山 & Mizumaki hiking four small mountains 朳山・明神ヶ辻山・多賀山・豊前坊山 double hiking day! 2021/1/30

 Wakamatsu Hiking: Ishimineyama and Takatoyama 高塔山・石峰山 & Mizumaki hiking four small mountains 朳山・明神ヶ辻山・多賀山・豊前坊山 double hiking day! 2021/1/30 

For this day I went to two hiking area just down the train tacks from each other. 

After a rainy weekend last weekend I decided to try and do a lot this Saturday. The weather was not great but the sun broke through the clouds a few times and I even saw a little snow. 

Wakamatsu is ward of Kitakyushu city. The area is coastal on one side and has a lot of industry on the other. This hike had great views of Kitakyushu city as well as Sarakurayama. It was an easy hike with lots of Shrines and views points.

Two hikes on the same day. In the morning I hiked in Wakamatsu and for the afternoon I went back down the train line to Mizumaki for a short course of four small mountains. 

The weather improved so I got some nice views of the area and the Onga river. The Yamap model course has some strange choices. If you plan to hike this area I would recommend using the I used here as I think it is easier.

As usual click on the title for the links to the route maps on Yamap! 

Wakamatsu Area

Mizumaki Area