A Misty Morning Hike on Mt. Kongo
Crossing the border into Osaka
The misty trail.
Apologies for the long absence, my friends. This winter, I was short on funds and thus chose to take a break from hiking until the weather was warm enough to hike without the expensive gear I couldn’t justify buying.
To catch you up, I went back to my husband’s hometown of Nagoya for the New Year holiday and spent the remainder of the time almost entirely in bed watching Gilmore Girls for the umpteenth time. Seasonal depression snatched hold of me for a minute there, but with cherry blossom season coming up shortly here in Japan, my spirits are finally improving.
Eager to get out of the house, my husband and I made an impromptu decision to hike Mt. Kongo this past weekend. Just an hour and a half to get there and an hour’s hike to the summit, it was the perfect day trip to stretch our legs. We were expecting a winter wonderland just like Koyasan, but, fortunately or unfortunately, we entered a misty, muddy forest instead.
Deciding on Mt. Kongo
Sitting at 1125 meters high, Mt. Kongo is one of the highest mountains in Japan and one of the seven most important in the Shugendo religion. En no Gyoja, the founder of Shugendo, established one of many training grounds here, as Mt. Kongo is believed to be home to Hoki Bosatsu, a five-eyed, six-armed Buddhist deity who acts as a protector of Shugendo practitioners.
In fact, on the bus ride from Kawachi-Nagano Station, a Yamabushi dressed in the traditional white garb stood right next to me. We encountered the group he belonged to on the way down. As there were several women among the group, I suspect this was a Shugendo experience, but talk about history never being far away in Japan!
Regardless, we were joined by a mass of families intent on hiking Mt. Kongo with us. As it was a Sunday morning on a popular trail, the crowds were to be expected. Entering the Chihaya Castle Ruins course, we began picking them off one by one. Luckily, the stairs are built of all different materials, with multiple sets of stairs breaking apart and converging again, giving ample room to pass people.
We’d decided to come on this particular day because I’d seen pictures of a snowy Kongosan on Google Maps just a few days before. I only have trail running shoes—no winter boots—but the loose snow blanketing the stairs looked safe enough for me to traverse.
The Never-Ending Stairs of Kongosan
As it happens, some rain had melted most of the snow away by the time we got there. The muddy ground called to mind my days in cross country when I’d have to dry my shoes with newspaper after each practice. The fog floating through the cedar trees set a moody atmosphere, though a deceiving one—the temperature was climbing to the high 50s, and with all the sweat I was working up, I had to keep removing my winter layers.
I’d kept up my running and pilates routine, as had my husband with his MMA classes, but the stairs still made a mockery of our lungs. Repeatedly, we’d have to stop for a break just to catch our breath. Taka and I have learned our lesson—never take three months off again!
The terrain only started getting tricky as we neared the summit. The last section of stairs and trail had frozen over in most parts. Carefully, we navigated around the iciest spots until we made it to the top. Sadly, we arrived to find whiteout conditions obscuring the view, but I still felt accomplished at bagging my highest peak yet.
After taking a break in the canteen to eat some chocolate, my vertical luck ran out. I fell three separate times on the ice, the wet trail, and the rocks leading down to the river. At least I caught myself with my hands each time, preventing injury before the real hiking season begins.
Alas, my husband and I raced down the mountain with pizza on our minds. This was the closest thing I’d done to trail running in a good long while, though my calves eventually started shaking so much that I had to resort to speed-walking.
Even still, we made it back down to the trailhead in record time, stopping by the pizza shop before everyone else finished their decent. A little wooden shack with a wood-burning pizza oven outdoors and house-made fresh ginger ale, nothing sounded better after the workout Kongosan had unleashed upon us.
For as many hikers as the waitress was clearly used to dealing with, she brazenly questioned our choice to order three pies of pizza between the two of us. Taka and I just laughed at the inquiry as we gleefully requested the margarita pizza, the mushroom cream pizza, and the quattro formaggi pizza. With the nice char from the oven outside, the pizzas were delicious as we wolfed them down. I’ve never had the pleasure of drinking fresh ginger ale before, but now, I don’t think I can ever go back to the bottled kind.
Our timing couldn’t have been better, either, because we finished the meal with just enough time to pay the bill and take a toilet break before catching the bus. Although we would’ve liked to spend more time in the Chihayasayaka area—particularly, feeding the birds at Osaka Civic Forest Park—I decided I’d rather come back during the summer when the greenery comes alive again. I’m toying around with the idea of doing a different route, perhaps going all the way to Katsuragisan or bagging different peaks within the Katsuragi range.
Until then, I’ve clearly got to work on my fitness a bit more!
1125 meters of calf-destroying fun!
Hiking plans for 2025
Our travels this year will largely depend on our salaries, though I have a few seasonal locations in mind for 2025. I haven’t decided on any cherry blossom locations (other than Mt. Yoshino), but I’d like to see the Nemophila flower festival on Maishima Island in Osaka in May, followed up by a return to Katsuragisan to see the red azaleas in bloom. We’re slated to visit Hong Kong that month, too, so perhaps I will find a trail out on Lantau Island or in mainland China.
I’m most excited for summer travels. I’d love to do a multi-day hiking trip in Shiga, hiking Bunagatake, Mt. Ibuki, etc., and trying SUP on Lake Biwa. I studied abroad in Shiga during my first trip to Japan, so seeing more of the prefecture is up there on my bucket list. Also in the summer, I’d love to explore more areas in the Yoshino-Kumano region, including Tenkawa, Mt. Hakkyo (the highest peak in Kansai), Dorokyo Gorge, and the Kii mountain range. Finding secret waterfalls and swimming holes to cool myself off mid-hike is the main appeal of these places.
As for this fall, I’m debating a multi-day trip in Wakayama, Shikoku, or Chugoku. Hotels are ridiculously overpriced these days thanks to the weak yen and over-tourism, so anything beyond day trips requires more consideration.
Ideally, I wouldn’t take next winter off. Seeing the Hokuriku or Tohoku region would be an amazing opportunity, especially if my hikes can be rewarded with fresh, in-season seafood.
Rest assured I’ll have plenty of content to post here on Koyo Travels, so be sure to sign up for email notifications to be able to read it all. I’m excited to explore more of Japan in the upcoming year, and I hope you’ll join me in my adventures!
Access:
You can access the Chihaya Castle Ruins route on Mt. Kongo via the Nankai Kobuka bus bound for the Kongosan Ropeway at Kawachi-Nagano Station. Get off at the Kongosan Trailhead stop if you want to hike, and the ropeway stop if you want to take the ropeway to the summit. Note that this takes you partway up a different side of the mountain, and you will still have to climb to the summit.
From Osaka Station, take the Osaka Loop Line to Shin-Imamiya Station. From Shin-Imamiya Station, take the Nankai Koya Line to Kawachi-Nagano Station. Walk out to the bus station and you’ll find the Nankai Kobuka bus that will take you to your destination. In total, the journey takes 1.5 hours.
From Nara Station, take the Yamatoji Line to Kashiwara Station, where you’ll transfer to the Kintetsu-Domyoji Line (don’t forget to tap your IC card on the platform because you’re switching from JR to Kintetsu). At Domyoji Station, you’ll take the Kintetsu Minamiosaka Line to Kawachi-Nagano. Walk out of the west exit to the bus station, taking the Nankai Kobuka bus bound for the Kongosan Ropeway. From Nara Station to Kongosan Trailhead takes just under two hours.
The Chihaya Castle Ruins course is the easiest on Mt. Kongo, to the point that I saw many families with young kids toddling up the mountain. The entire route is stairs built from various materials, most of which has a railing to hold on to. It should be noted that the steps can freeze over, and, in our case, it was rather slippery towards the top without any spikes (not to mention, freezing and nearly whiteout conditions). Be sure to check the weather on Accuweather to know what footwear and clothing is appropriate, but layers are a must.
There are toilets at the trailhead, halfway point, and summit. They are relatively clean, though they do not have any soap, so bringing hand sanitizer or bottled soap is advised. Speaking of, there’s a canteen at the summit with a Mont Belle shop just like the one at the trailhead. They sell oden, beer, coffee, and candy at the canteen, and any gear you’d need in the Mont Belle shop—very convenient if you can afford the high prices.
Kongosan is beautiful no matter what time of year, however, it ended up being an ideal place to get warmed up for the spring season. Taking an hour to the top and around 40 minutes as we ran most of the way down, the route isn’t particularly exciting, but I still recommend visiting the area for a short, challenging hike with excellent vertical gain and lots of restaurants in the surrounding area. If you’re a beginner, out of shape, or bringing along younger family members, Mt. Kongo is a must-visit!
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