At this junction, you can take about eight different paths. One takes you to the top of Mt. Otsuka. The book we were following didn’t say anything about what you’d see there so we didn’t go to the top of Mt. Otsuka (which turned out to be a really good thing as it would have put us back another hour and likely left us stranded in the dark later in the day). Another route looked shorter and said (in Japanese) that it took you to the picnic area from which you can see Mt. Fuji. However, we could pretty much see the top, and it was surrounded in tall trees. So I don’t think you could really see Mt. Fuji from there unless you climbed a tree. Instead, we followed the above sign towards Mitake Jinja (御嶽神社), which is the Shinto shrine on top of the mountain. For some unknown reason the kanji is different (御岳山 for Mt. Mitake vs. 御嶽神社). Anyone know why?

As we neared the shrine area the number of people increased dramatically. Houses, shops, etc. also sprung up as we neared this remote location. The building pictured above had the strangest roof I have ever seen. It was all one building but appeared to have at least three or four completely different roofs.

Related posts:

1. Mt. Mitake Hike – Part 3 (nearing Mt. Otsuka 大塚山) For most of the uphill climb after departing Highway 45 near Kori Station (古里駅) the above is all you can see. Few people were on this trail (in the 奥多摩町...
2. Mt. Mitake Hike – Part 5 (武蔵御嶽神社 and lunch) Resuming our fall hike, at the top of Mt. Mitake is Musashi Mitake Jinja. After exploring the shrine and the views from it (below) we ate lunch in one of...
3. Mt. Mitake Hike – Part 2 (Kori Station to Mt. Otsuka) Before actually getting on the trail, the road from Kori Station (古里駅) to the dirt path is very scenic. There are thatched-roof houses, small farms, and colors galore. After turning...
4. Suwa Jinja (諏訪神社) I have yet to get past part one in my Suwa Jinja Matsuri series. Someday I’ll return to those pics. Fast forward six months to a neat-sky Sunday in February....
5. Sanno Matsuri at Hie Jinja (日枝神社の山王まつり) Yesterday we went to Hie Jinja for the Sanno Matsuri. Festivities continue through the 17th. An employee said the highlight actually happens Saturday night. Someone else said the best stuff...

Posted on December 7th, 2009 under Japan • Tags: hiking, japanese maple, mt. mitake, thatch roof, 紅葉. • RSS 2.0 feed • You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed