I hadn’t been to Shimonita for a whole year so it was time to visit again. Since it was a 3-day weekend, I bought the Tokyo Wide Pass, and used the shinkansen to get an early start. My target mountain wasn’t enough for a whole day hike, so I decided to climb another small peak on the way. I had to walk thirty minutes to the start of the trail since I wasn’t there early enough to get the bus connection – it’s also possible to go by taxi.

Ridge trail leading to the summit

I started climbing around 10am along a forest road that went back and forth up the mountain. Along the way, I had some nice views of Mt Myogi to the North. I soon reached the summit ridgeline, turned right, and followed the narrowest of trails to the highest point of Mt Kongogaya 金剛萱. The summit was crowded with buddhist statues, but since I was the only person there, I had enough space for myself.

The summit was pretty crowded

I had an excellent view of the mountains of Western Gunma or the “Nishijoshu” 西上州. In the background, Mt Asama was flirting with the clouds. To the South, against the sun, loomed the Oku-chichibu mountains, and deep dramatic valleys. I had reached the summit after 11am, later than I had planned, so after a late breakfast, I hurried down the other side.

Southwards are the Oku-chichibu mountains

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Panoramic view from the top of Kongogaya

The path was steep and at times hard to follow – my map sensibly recommended to only use it for descending. I finally reached a level forest road, which, after a lot of switchbacking, got me back to the road at the base of the mountain, but too late to catch the bus to my next destination.

I walked one hour to reach a smaller road, along a beautiful river valley, with towering cliffs on the opposite side. It took me another 45 minutes to reach the actual start of the trail, another forest road. Here there was some damage caused by last year’s powerful typhoons, and for a short section, the trail was difficult to walk.

Some of the trail was damaged due to last year’s typhoons

The forest road started to climb, and soon I reached a pass. To the right, was the start of a proper hiking path that headed South along a ridge. There were good views of the valley I had just walked up. To the right, I could also make out the summit of Mt Inafukumi, climbed just one year ago. The path went up and down along several minor peaks, and as I slowly gained elevation, I started to feel the freezing cold of January. After one last uphill scramble, I finally emerged onto the summit of Mt Ozawa 小沢岳 just after 2pm.

On the right, Mt Inafukumi, one of the highest mountains in the area

The view South near the summit marker was a little obstructed by the top of the trees, but once I moved, with extreme caution, close to the edge of a cliff on the West side, I could clearly see the many ridges and valleys of Western Gunma. Nestled deep below was the small village of Nanmoku. Mt Asamaya was now totally clear of clouds. I could also see the summit of Yatsugatake to the West. I could even see the North Alps through a gap of the mountains. Although it felt chilly while climbing through the shady forest, it was nice and warm in the sun. There was almost no wind and It was very silent. I sat down, laid back, and enjoyed the peace and quiet for a short while.

Mt Asama, a magnificent volcano straddling Gunma and Nagano prefectures

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Some of the views from the top of Mt Ozawa

It was nearly 3pm, and it was time to head down. I had given up on catching the last bus back, and I would have to walk one hour back to the station along the road. I started to jog back down the same way, since there was no other path on the mountain. However, there was a forest road running parallel to the ridge trail, so I decided to follow that for some variety. The road had partially collapsed at one point, and some parts were covered with brambles, so I couldn’t go as fast as I wanted.

Nice view of Mt Asama from the alternate return via the neglected forest road

Most parts of the forest road were quite walkable

The return was uneventful, and I was back on the main road by 4pm. This was one of those rare hikes where I met no other hikers. I didn’t even encounter any animals. Thirty minutes later I passed in front of a factory that looked like something out of Ghibli animation. Shortly after, I got picked up by a passing car. The driver kindly offered to drive me to the train station, even though it was a small detour for him – not the first time I have encountered the kindness of the people of Gunma Prefecture. The driver was employed at the factory, so we had an interesting chat about that. Thanks to him, I was back on a train bound for Takasaki by 5pm.