Mount Iwaki
| The Good | The Not-So Good |
| Stunning views from the top | Far, far away in Aomori |
| Take the 69-hairpin” road up | Other mountains in Japan |
Main photo from here (Douglas Perkins)
Mount Iwaki Shrine
At the base of the mountain is a shrine with excellent views throughout the year. The shrine is the traditional start of any hiking up the mountain and also the focus of the yearly harvest festival. It is probably not worth going there just for the shrine as there are plenty in Japan and this one is not so special outside cherry blossom season. You can’t go up Mount Iwaki in winter but you can stay in local hot springs, so certainly do that.
Hiking Mount Iwaki
There are 5 popular hiking routes up to the top, with varying difficulties. The start of the most difficult hike is here by the Iwaki Mountain Shrine however and there are a number of routes that are outlined here (including a basic map in English). In reality only experienced hikers would dare to venture up a 4-5 hour hike in a strange country so most tourists opt for a trip along the 69-hairpin road to station 8, which then offers a chairlift further closer to the summit. From there it is a 40 minute hike to the top.
Station 8 can be reached by bus from Hirosaki Station however as tends to be the way with certain out of the way Japanese tourist locations, the information on how to get there doesn’t exist in English, and even the Japanese information is confusing. Basically: –
Take a regular bus from Hirosaki Station to Dake hot springs, which is close to the start of the toll road. From there you can catch a shuttle bus to the 8th station, which is a car park next to the chair lift. Here is the timetable for connections from regular bus to shuttle bus. And here is the timetable for the regular bus from Hirosaki Station.
Updated timetables
The above timetable information is basically useless for tourists who speak no Japanese, so “When Japan” will convert to English and update soon. In the mean time, best to hire a car or stay in the local Dake Hot Springs a night and ask the local staff for help.
It is worth actually spending time around the hot spring area as it is famous for a 20km long road lined with Sakura Cherry trees that bloom in late April.
Spiritual Iwaki
Iwaki Mountain is known around Japan as a spiritual place, both in custom and song. On the 1st day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar each year locals reenact an ancient custom of “the mountain pilgrimage“, where over three days a series of possessions leads up to a hike up the mountain to greet the morning sunrise. The tradition is supposed to bring about a bountiful harvest. In 2019 it was held over 3 days between the 28th~20th of August.
Incidentally, here is the same pilgrimage but in 1969.
Access to Mount Iwaki
Check out the cherry tree road article for details about the bus to Mount Iwaki. Obviously, if you are not going during the blossoming period (late April to early May), then the trees aren’t that special. In that case just use the bus to get to the skyline toll road or Mount Iwaki Shrine.
Things to do near Mount Iwaki
Ouchijuku Town
Aizu Wakamatsu (Samurai City)
Kitakata Ramen Village
Yamagata Prefecture
Dewasanzan – The Three Mountains
Naruko Gorge
Seafood Rice Bowl at Matsushima
Fukura Island
Tohoku History Museum
Matsushima Bay Boat Trip
Matsushima
Mount Zao
Risshakuji Shrine
Relevant Links
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Iwaki
https://www.en-aomori.com/scenery-008.html
https://grapee.jp/en/49857
https://www.tohokukanko.jp/en/attractions/detail_1226.html
https://goo.gl/maps/pCP9RJeqS7bG1Fxz7
