Shimonita is a small town of about 7,000 souls in Gunma. It is just to the east of Mt. Arafune near the prefectural boundary with Nagano. It's famous for konyaku (devil's tongue) and Welsh onions. These hills are not very high but they are rugged and offer the chance for hiking in solitude.
Location:
Map: ***If you want a link to the latest Yama to Kogen map, comment and I'll get you a link. This link is to a printable topo map Topo map centered on Mt. Akiya
Elevation:Lowest: 440 m Highest: 940 m Total Ascent: 573 m Total Descent: 573 m
Technical considerations/difficulty:
A lot of this hike is slow and tedious. There are no improvements on the trail such as boardwalks or stairways. Much of it is steep with very loose walking surfaces. There are very few things to grab onto if you lose your footing so the chances of slipping and falling are always a concern. You really need a GPS and good sense to stay on track as the trail is difficult to discern. There are pink ribbons along the trail but sometimes they are difficult to spot and these hills get so little foot traffic that it is hard to tell the difference between human hiking trails and animal trails.
Facilities:
Nothing. The stream by the road is suitable for drinking. (At least I hope it is!)
Thoughts/observations/recommendations:
I wouldn't go out of my way to put this on my bucketlist if it wasn't so close to my home. It just met my needs for this particular day. I wanted a shorter hike because I had something to do in the afternoon.
Here are some stats and pictures.
The tunnel between Nagano and Gunma
Looking east across Gunma to Tochigi
To the north is Myogi
Looking west to Arafune, the long flat mountain in the picture.
Arafune is flat because the andesite rock on the top is resistant to erosion.
Its name means a kind of ship. It's thought to resemble an aircraft carrier.
The highest point looks like the bow of a ship.
Myogi again.
It's just so cool looking.
There are some caves on the way to Akiya from the road.
This is one of the 100 Famous Mountains of Japan. It's not that high at 1,977 meters but it is rugged and great caution must be taken depending on the trail and the season you choose. There is a requirement to request permission of the local authorities ten days in advance of using certain trails in winter.
There is a ski area not so far from the top so there is a ropeway that can bring you a significant portion of the way up. There are trails that interweave with the various ski lifts and trails.
There are breathtaking views when the weather is right.
Peaks bagged: Tanigawadake (Tomanomimi and Okinomimi) 谷川岳(トマの耳とオキノ耳) ~ Kumaanazawanoto (熊穴沢ノ頭) ~ Tenjin (天神山) ~ Takakura (高倉山)
(First-time) peaks #９７１〜９７５
100 Famous Mountain #45, Tanigawadake
Getting there/getting around:
I drove. There is a very large parking garage at the Doai Ropeway Station. ¥500.
Culmina has great information on getting there by public transportation. I just discovered that blog. I think it should go onto my list of links that I like.
Fun facts:
1. There are long shinkansen and highway tunnels underneath these mountains. The Joetsu Shinkansen Line runs under Tanigawa via the Daishimizu Tunnel. Until the Seikan Tunnel connecting Honshu and Hokkaido was built, this was the longest train tunnel in the world. Now it's #2.
2. Nearby Doai Train Station is the deepest one in Japan. Tell your train otaku friend that and they'll get all excited. After you finish reading my blog, take a look at this article on Japan's #1 Mole Station.
Do note that the weather on Tanigawadake is notorious for changing quickly. Be prepared for rain. Be prepared to be stuck overnight in a shelter.
Time and distance
Total Time: 5:40 Break time: :03 Distance: 10.5 km
Elevation:Lowest: 733 m Highest: 1,977 m Total Ascent: 1,697 m Total Descent: 1,120 m
Technical considerations/difficulty:
This is a steep hike. There are a lot of boulders where you need to climb hand over hand and a lot of chains on steep rock faces. It's fun! But treacherously slippery when wet. As I said, the weather can (and did on my day) turn quickly and you are well advised to be prepared. There are two emergency shelters up there. You should note their locations before you go.
Most people take advantage of the ropeway (both ways). That makes for about a 6 km trek. That's not too hard, (but not too easy either.) I had planned to eschew the ropeway and hike up from the ropeway station at the bottom and then back down to it. That would be about a 13 km trip. The turn the weather took prompted me to change my plan and ride the ropeway down. I really wouldn't want to spend that much time climbing down wet boulders.
Annoyingly, I found what should have been the least dangerous part of the hike to be the portion where I had troubles. The first half to three quarters of my hike was in the areas with a lot of boulders. Then I got to the Tenjin Ridge and a few ski trails. One would think that hiking on the ski trails would be less prone to calamity than the rocky areas. Not so. By then the ground was so saturated with water that the surface I was stepping on would periodically just give way under me. I slipped and fell on my butt six times in the course of about an hour. Thankfully, I just fell in the mud and the only thing I hurt was my pride.
Tanigawadake Katakoya Lodge(You need reservations to stay there during the hiking season. Even though it was closed for business the other day, the door was open. According to the Montbell site, the "rest hut" can be used all year round. No water. Restrooms only open during the season.)
No public restrooms on the trail . . . and not a lot of privacy. It's hard to find a grove of trees to disappear into!
Thoughts/observations/recommendations:
Do it. If you can get there, do it.
My only regret is how the weather turned out. This is yet another in a long list of supposedly beautiful mountains I have climbed that I have not actually seen. I have to take other people's word for it that the views are great.
Here are some pictures.
The day started out beautifully.
This is the ropeway station. It's also the parking garage.
About 5 minutes up the street from the ropeway station is the trailhead.
Still gorgeous!
There are a lot of chains. It's fun.
Hmmmm... A few clouds.
Where'd the mountain top go?
More chains
. . . and still more
This will be the last picture of chains. You can be assured this wasn't the last time I encountered chains on the trail, though.
I think the height of this sign tells you something about how much snow this area gets.
The first peak to be encountered is Tanigawa's Tomanomimi.
The peak on Tanigawa that "counts" as the 100 Famous Mountain is Okinomimi.
Emergency Hut
The next few pictures are around the chairlift by the peak called Tenjinsan.
Like a kid whose attention is drawn to a shiny object, I started down the trail next to the sign.
It was a wrong turn, though! I got about 10 minutes down the trail before I realized my mistake. Good thing it wasn't further. That trail was not pleasant. Very steep and very loose topsoil. Slippery.
The trail proper is on the ski slope. The only thing to worry about there is bears.
Bears, and mud.
The muddy grass gave way under my feet and I ended up falling on my jabaffa six times. (Has anyone else ever heard that word, jabaffa? It was my dad's preferred euphemism for a particular body part. My siblings and I were wondering what language it comes from, if indeed it is a real word.)
Time for the ropeway. (¥1,800 one way. ¥3,500 roundtrip)
I can't wait for the spectacular view!
The spectacular view:
Well, cavekids. That's all for today.
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