Mount Takaiwa

The trail up 881-meter Mount Takaiwa starts with a 30-minute walk from town through an azalea garden before rising through cedar forest. One atmospheric stretch passes through a series of weathered torii gates where light breaks through the canopy in shafts. Higher up, the terrain shifts to craggy cliffs and massive rock outcroppings that explain the mountain's name, Rocky Hill. Japanese dogwood trees grow throughout, adding white blossoms to the forest in June. A small shrine near the summit has received farmers' prayers for good harvests since ancient times. The climb is rated beginner-level and takes a few hours round-trip.