Hiking in Hyogo

Moving to Japan, a land of practically nothing but mountains, has been a dream for me. I come from Western Australia; probably the flattest state in the very flat country that is Australia. However, for as long as I can remember I have dreamt of huge, rocky, snow-capped, mountains. While Hyogo’s mountains are a far stretch from the snow-capped peaks in the Japanese Alps, they’re still pretty fantastic. While in Japan it’s my aim to climb as many as the 100 Famous Mountains of Japan  (百名山) as possible, as well as the 100 Famous Mountains of Kansai. In this monthly column I’d like to share my hikes from around Hyogo and surrounds, to encourage you to get out and soak in the beauty that lies in our own backyard!

The first mountain I’d like to introduce to you is Mt Seppiko.  I am sure many Hyogo residents have heard of this mountain, if not already hiked it. However, if you haven’t, I hope I can encourage you to give it a try! Mt Seppiko is basically in the center of the Harima area, most easily accessible by car. There is a nice campground at the base of the trail where I camped the night before in order to get an early start. If you have the time and enjoy camping, I would recommend it.

The trail starts with 4 or 5 log steps that quickly dissolve into a mess of tree roots and rubble. The initial ascent is incredibly steep and challenging. After about an hour of steep climbing through the pine and cedar forest, you will reach a huge rock formation that popular with expert rock climbers. After this, the hike gets really challenging and fun (or scary, depending on who you ask). There are a series of rock outcroppings that require the assistance of ropes and chains to climb. After about 40 minutes of this fun, you will reach the summit of Otenshou, which is the target peak for the majority of climbers. Here I took a short break to admire the amazing view, and had a chat with a fellow hiker about teaching English in Japan, while snacking on some matcha cookies he gave me. I ran into quite a few other hikers on this day and received choruses of 「すばらしい ！」and gifts of cookies and candy when they heard I was hiking by myself. After saying goodbye to my new friend, I continued on the full circuit trail to the main peak (with not much of a view to speak of), before peacefully descending along a series of waterfalls. The loop hike is 6km and took me just over 5 hours, however I would allow 5-7 hours depending on group size and fitness level, as I find solo-hiking is a lot faster. The peak is only 915m high, but rest assured this is a challenging hike, and not for the faint hearted. However, if you would like to challenge yourself and see breathtaking views, this is the hike for you! Let’s hiking!

For more information on hiking in Japan, with highly detailed guides (in English!) I recommend the website ‘Hiking in Japan’.

Read Part 2 here!