gunmajet.net

GAJET Endorsed?:
Yes

Event Info:

Not actually in Gunma but easily accessed from here, Mitake-san is in the Oku-tama region of Tokyo-to. Rain that falls on the mountain's northern slopes flows down to the Tama-gawa and out into Tokyo Bay. The mountains are covered in forest, mostly cedar and cypress, with towering cedars around the shrine itself. We will start at Mitake train station, take a bus for 10 minutes to Takimoto, and then take a cable-car service that's been operating since 1927 up to Mitake village at 831m.

It's said that there has been a shrine on top of Mitake-san since A.D. 90 and all kinds of cultural treasures are held there. In 1605, Tokugawa Ieyasu ordered that the shrine buildings should face the east, towards Edo (Tokyo), and the shrine should protect his new castle and capital. It wasn't until 1874, when the Meiji government invoked its policy of separating Buddhism and Shinto, that Mitake was officially recognised as a Shinto shrine. Until that time it had, as with religious mountains all over Japan, catered for the needs of both Buddhist and Shinto followers.
From Mitake village we'll take one of two trails to Odake-san (the ridge track is a bit tougher for those who want to gambare to the max on this otherwise pretty easy hike). The two trails join before passing a shrine gate and Odake-sanso, and then there's a final, steep climb to the top (1267m). If the skies are clear we can expect to see Mt. Fuji off to the southwest.
Once off the peak, we will follow a ridge northwest to reach Nokogiri-yama (45 minutes or so). From there it is a steep descent into the Tama-gawa valley, coming out at a shrine and crossing the river at a bridge not too far from Oku-tama station, where we'll catch a train back to Mitake station and our cars.
(The above info is taken mostly from Lonely Planet's Hiking in Japan, 1st ed., 2001.)

Other relevant details:
Date: Saturday, December 3
Time: 10am-4pm (not including transport time)
Nearest station: Mitake Station
Distance: 12km
Duration: 3-5 hours
Difficulty: easy-medium
What to bring:
* Plenty of water and a packed lunch, plus snacks for the trail
* Good, comfortable shoes (sneakers are okay, but hiking shoes with a good grip are better)
* Sunscreen, sunglasses, and a hat
* Camera
* Warm clothes (it will be winter, after all, so expect snow)

If you're interested in going, send me an e-mail with the following information:
1. Your name
2. E-mail address
3. Contact phone number (keitai is best)
4. Location
5. Do you have a car? If so, how many passengers other than yourself can you bring?
DEADLINE: Sign up no later than Monday, November 28 so I can arrange carpools.
For more photos of the hike, see:
http://bryce.freeshell.org/okutama.php

Location:
Mitake, Oku-tama region, Tokyo-to

Directions:
Directions TBA, once I organize the carpool information. The hiking site is no more than a couple of hours maximum driving distance from Gunma.

Contact Info:
Sign-ups? Questions? Concerns? Drop me a line.
Daniel Simmons
goblinrocker@mac.com
090-7187-0998