Hiking in the Hitachi Alps 日立アルプス

This was my first time hiking in the Hitachi Alps 日立アルプス, but traversing the entire range in one day seemed too long, so I decided to go up the West side, do a round trip to a peak on the North end, then head to another peak on the South end, and finally walk down the East side. This was a combination of two hikes from my Mountains of Ibaraki hiking book.

View of the Pacific Ocean near the end of the hike

Using the Tokyo Wide Pass, it took me less than 2 hours to reach Hitachi City from Ueno station. I was impressed by the view of the blue sparkling sea through the wide station windows, but I had to hurry since I only had a few minutes to catch the bus for Oiwa Shrine 御岩神社. It took about half an hour on a nearly empty bus to reach the shrine, known in the area as a power spot. I was fascinated by the many tall cedar trees within the shrine grounds, especially the group of three towering up to 50 meters near the entrance gate.  Apparently it’s one of the one hundred forests of giant trees in Japan. I definitely felt like I was inside some enchanted world!

Walking among the tall cedar trees inside Oiwa shrine

I found the entrance to the hiking trail behind the main shrine building. For once, I wasn’t hiking alone, since most visitors to the shrine continue up to the mountain directly above. The straightest route to the summit was closed due to typhoon damage (predating 2019), but the detour path is clearly indicated. I reached the top ridge before 10h30, and turned left along a mostly level path. There were a couple of ups and downs, but each can be avoided by taking an alternate path on the right (something I confirmed on the return). I reached the top of Mt Kamimine 神峰山 just after 11pm. The view of the coast stretching Southwards and the Pacific Ocean was stunning.

View of the sea from the top of Mt Kamimine

I enjoyed a late breakfast sitting on the ground under a tree, since the bench was taken by another hiker. It’s possible to continue beyond Mt Kamimine, and back down to Ogitsu station (one stop from Hitachi station), but today I retraced my steps to where I had reached the top of the ridge one hour earlier. I continued up a short rocky path to Mt Oiwa 御岩山. It wasn’t the highest point of the ridge, and it didn’t feel like a mountain top, but there was a wide view to the West of the forested hills of Ibaraki, including Mt Nantai and Mt Yamizo, as well as the snowy mountains of Tochigi in the distance, so who am I to complain?

Panoramic view from Mt Oiwa

Unsurprisingly, there were quite a few people, and there was even an interesting sign forbidding people to eat rice balls (see below), so after checking out the views, I moved on quickly since it was nearly 1pm. There were multiple paths, but they all joined up eventually. The next part was easy to walk, and quite peaceful as there were few hikers.

Pleasant winter hiking after Mt Oiwa

I soon reached the top of Mt Takasuzu 高鈴山, the highest point of the hike. There was a sixty meter high white tower for measuring rainfall on the Eastern side (no view), and a wooden observation platform on the West side, with similar views as before, plus Mt Kamimine to the North.

Observation platform at the top of Mt Takasuzu

I had my lunch, and set off again at 1h30. The path continued Southwards, but I backtracked a few minutes till a road signposted for the ruins of Sukegawa castle 助川城跡 which I had crossed a little earlier. After a few turns, it joined up with a hiking path on the right. This section was very enjoyable. I saw no one while I made my way down the mountain, and it felt like a secret path. I sometimes wondered if I was on the right trail, and was relieved everytime I spotted a signpost!

Hiking down from Mt Takasuzu along a narrow path

I reached Omusubi pond おむすび池 before 3pm. It was part of a wide park, nearly completely deserted in the middle of winter. Fifteen minutes later I reached the top of Mt Sukegawa 助川山 with a superb 360 degree view.

Arbour and lookout point at the top of Mt Sukegawa

I could see the entire range of the Hitachi Alps, Iwaki to the North, Chosi to the South, and the Pacific Ocean. It was hard to believe that San Francisco lay 8000 km straight ahead with nothing in between but the ocean.

In clear weather, one can see all the way to Choshi

It was windy and cold, and already past 3h30, so I took off again for the last part of the hike. At the edge of the park the signposting was a little confusing, but thanks to Google Maps, I managed to find my way to the ruins of Sukegawa castle, and the edge of Hitachi city. There I caught a bus back to the station, and the comfortable limited express train back to Ueno and Tokyo.

Looking back at Mt Kamimine

NEXT UP: Jogasaki in Coast Shizuoka