Fall Colors in Oku-Nikko: Mt. Nyoho

Japan has many famous mountains.

Today, we're visiting Mt. Nyoho, to enjoy autumn in the Oku-Nikko region.

A long, steep ridgeway awaits us.

Watch out for all the ups and downs.

Wend your way through fall-tinted forests.

It's a beautiful day.
Perfect climbing weather.

And feast your eyes on the scenery of Oku-Nikko!

Climbing Japan: Mt. Nyoho.

The Nikko mountains line the northern part of Tochigi prefecture.

Many of them are softly rounded, but Mt. Nyoho has sharp peaks.

Its summit stands 2,483 meters high.

We drive 20 minutes from Nikko station in the city center.

And we meet our guide in the parking lot for the Kirifuri Highlands.

Good morning!

Morning! I'm your guide,
Abe Teruyuki.

Abe Teruyuki is originally from Niigata prefecture.

But he fell in love with Nikko's landscape and moved here 20 years ago.

He works at a hotel, and also as a nature guide.

Have you heard the name
Nyoho before?

It's a famous type of strawberry.

It's named for the peak
as the 'summit' of great flavor!

Oh, interesting!

Fall has lovely leaves.
We'll see lots of color on our route.

That change in color
affects the landscape.

It's an extraordinary view
from the summit.

We set off from the Kirifuri Highlands.

First is the Tenku Kairo, which means Heavenly Corridor.

This is a long series of steps.

After that, we keep on climbing, to Mt. Akanagi.

From there we follow a ridgeway.

There's a lot of climbing and descending as we head up toward the summit of Mt. Nyoho.

Awaiting us is a spectacular view.

Getting there and back takes 10 hours, a full day.

Perfect for an avid hiker.

This is where we start today.

Huh?! With a staircase?!

There are 1,445 stairs in total!

Fourteen hundred forty-five!

That's right.
So let's get started!

The staircase brings us 230 meters higher.

What lovely trees!

It's a bright, broadleaf forest.

The view's different
out of the woods.

It's autumn in the meadows.

Fall colors everywhere we look!

Feels good.

It's lovely now, but this area
is also beautiful in late June.

Kisuge-Daira Park is home to broad dwarf day lilies.

In all, there are about a hundred different high-altitude plants here.

The weather's sunny today
so the breeze is welcome.

We've climbed a lot of steps.
But there's more to come.

What do you think?

Woah - these climb straight up!

Right into the sky! This must
be the Heavenly Corridor.

Time for us to climb into the sky.

Here we go!

"Heavenly Corridor" is a perfect name!

Are you okay!

We made it up all 1,445 steps!

We made it!

Great work!

So what's waiting for us up here?

What do you think of that view?

The Nikko Mountains are touched with autumn colors.

We can even see Mt. Tsukuba in neighboring Ibaraki Prefecture.

Perfect climbing weather.

The trail is much rougher here.

Look at these rocks.
It's hard going.

Watch your step.

Ninety minutes after we set out.

Congratulations, we've
reached Yakeishi Kongo.

Yakeishi means burnt stone.

That's an interesting name.

Well, "kongo" is a specialized
word for shrine.

And this is a volcanic region.

The "burnt stone" name comes
from the color of the rock.

I think the reddish tint
looks like a burn.

Makes sense!

As we climb, the color of the foliage changes.

It's so beautiful.

A lovely season.

Two and a half hours into the hike.

Great work! We've reached
the peak of Mt. Akanagi.

Akanagi Shrine is up here.

It's dedicated to Japanese
mythology's smallest deity.

This deity is very tiny and
inspired a Japanese folk tale.

Although the area's links to this deity are lost, it did inspire the tale of Issun-Boshi, the "inch-high hero."

Despite that diminutive size, Sukunabikona has many talents, answering prayers about medical, agricultural, and even brewing matters.

Now it's time for a Wider Outlook!

Takinoo Shrine lies at the foot of Mt. Nyoho.

It's said to have been founded by the monk Kukai in the year 820.

The shrine is dedicated to Tagorihime no Mikoto, the female deity of Mt. Nyoho.

This is the main hall.

The main hall has an unusual feature for a Japanese shrine.

There's a door at the back as well!

People originally
prayed to Mt. Nyoho here.

The opening at the back
faces the mountain.

Mt. Nyoho was worshipped as
a mother deity in Nikko.

Mt. Nantai was the father
and Mt. Taro was the child.

Together they were worshipped
as Nikko's Mountain Triad.

This knowledge makes climbing
the peaks more interesting.

We press onward.

You can see the mist rising
in front of the fall leaves.

"Kirifuri" means falling mist.
Weather here changes fast!

We keep heading for Mt. Nyoho, hoping for clearer skies.

The rock is wet and slippery.

After clambering down, next we climb up!

Take care, and use both hands.
Go slowly.

Okay!

The bare stone makes for a tough climb!

And there's lots of ups and downs.

The mist has lifted.
Blue skies!

Oh, what a view!

That's amazing!

Worth the climb!

The autumn colors are everywhere!

A crimson Japanese rowan stands out against the blue sky.

An enkianthus shrub with gleaming yellows and oranges.

There's fruit on it.

This is a forked viburnum.

The red ones look delicious but
the black ones are riper.

You can see it's preparing
for next year.

Look at the buds on these twigs.

They'll sprout leaves in spring.

These are flower buds.
Very different shape!

Don't count chickens
before they hatch.

But most plants prepare for
spring before fall arrives.

The flowers are like hydrangeas.

They really lift the spirits.

It's been three and a half hours of climbing now.

We're in the open!

That's the peak of Mt. Nyoho.

The tallest peak ahead of us.

So that's our goal, Mt. Nyoho!

Do you see this ridge on the right?

We call it Ichirigasone.

Ichi means one, and a ri is a distance of about four kilometers.

That's where this long ridge gets its name.

Next we'll follow that ridge.

Shall we get going?

We make our way along the Ichirigasone.

The path is a little easier than it was before.

No sharp ups and downs here.
Just enjoy the view.

This is such an enjoyable hike.

There are stiff climbs
and gentle strolls.

You can really soak up
the changes in the landscape.

Look over here.

You can see the ridge we've walked,
and the one ahead.

There's a horseshoe valley here.

But everything we see here was
once part of a single mountain.

Seriously?!

It collapsed, forming this valley.

I wonder just how high that
mountain must have been!

I'd love to have seen it.

We climb the ridge, dreaming of those prehistoric times.

At 2,200 meters above sea level the wind gets colder.

Now it's time for some Mountain Travel Gear!

The weather changes fast in autumn.

Make sure you're properly prepared to hike a long ridge.

Many folks underestimate Nikko
because it's close to Tokyo.

But its mountains can have
frost even in September.

Prepare for temperatures
to fall below freezing.

For every 100 meters you climb, the temperature falls 0.6 degrees Celsius.

When the wind speed gets one meter per second faster, you lose one degree of warmth to wind chill.

The summit is over ten degrees Celsius colder than the town of Nikko.

If it's windy it'll feel even colder than that.

First, rainwear.

The ridge we're walking today
is often very windy.

Rainwear is a great way
to prevent wind chill.

If you take longer breaks,
wear a down jacket underneath.

A thin down jacket under your top layer is enough in autumn.

And some of the latest gear will keep you just as warm even when it gets wet.

Do remember to keep your fingers protected.

Wear a thin pair of gloves, and bring a warmer, waterproof pair for layering if necessary.

We're almost at the peak of Mt. Nyoho.

I'm sure you're tired.

But we're about to hit
the trickiest part.

That looks like quite a scramble!

Watch your feet and take care.

The stone is fragile here and crumbles easily.

Ooph, we made it up safely!

That was tough!

But now we're rewarded
with this incredible view.

How beautiful!

Isn't it?

We've crossed the tree line.
What a view!

You can see how much
the landscape has changed.

We walked through tall trees
and subalpine coniferous trees.

These trees are all much shorter.

I always feel excited here.

Why?

These are dwarf stone pines.

This is the only spot in the area
where they grow so widely.

Old writings actually note:
Mt. Nyoho, dwarf stone pines.

We press on...

Little signs of autumn
among the pines.

Bright red leaves.

This is a bog bilberry.

The fruit is something
like blueberries.

This is a cowberry.

The deep red berries are the color of wine.

A light autumn breeze is blowing.

This is why I love hiking ridges.

Look!

There's the summit of Mt. Nyoho.

We're almost there!

Just one more push.

Let's go!

Six hours after we started.

We've reached the summit!

This is Mt. Nyoho Shrine.

This shrine here is also dedicated to Tagorihime no Mikoto, the female deity of Mt. Nyoho.

Now, to the peak.

We've done it.

We've climbed to the top of
Mt. Nyoho. 2,483 meters up.

Thank you for getting us here!

Let's enjoy the view.

What do you think?

It's beautiful!

Mt. Nantai lies ahead, one of Nikko's most famous mountains.

And Mt. Nikko Shirane.

Plus.

A faint glimpse of Mt. Fuji!

A 360-degree view of Oku-Nikko.

It's an amazing view.

It was once a single vast peak.
Monks came to train here.

Its geology and history
shaped today's peak.

It's an extraordinary place.

Mt. Nyoho provides such
a wonderful perspective.

Mt. Nyoho, a majestic peak of Oku-Nikko.

Our autumn mountain journey showcased its full splendor.