"Journeys in Japan"

The center of the Kii Peninsula

is designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, or Eco Park.

This is the source of the Miyagawa, a river long considered sacred.

Revered as the "River of the Gods,"

there are numerous sites of worship within the Miyagawa river basin.

Peter Skov is from Canada.

He's lived in Japan more than 20 years.

The Miyagawa is renowned for the clarity of its water.

Thanks to this, the river is the source for a superb local delicacy.

This is really good.

Peter will be tracing the course of the Miyagawa to its source, Mt. Odaigahara.

To get there, he makes his way through Osugidani,

one of the most beautiful valleys in all of Japan.

I love a place like this. I really love a place like this.

On this edition of "Journeys in Japan,"

exploring the River of the Gods, the Miyagawa.

From Ise to the Source of the Sacred River

Located around 300 kilometers west of Tokyo,

the sacred Miyagawa river runs through the south of Mie Prefecture.

I'm here in Mie Prefecture at a place called Ise.

Take a look at this view.

Isn't it fantastic?

Over there, in the distance, there's a river called Miyagawa.

It's known as the River of the Gods.

I don't exactly know why, but I'm going to find out.

So, let's see what we can discover.

From its source on Mt. Odaigahara, the highest peak in Mie Prefecture,

the Miyagawa runs eastward for 91 kilometers before emptying in Ise Bay.

It is the longest river in the prefecture.

The first stop for Peter is Ise Jingu, the Grand Shrine of Ise,

which lies on the lower reaches of the Miyagawa.

Since ancient times, Ise Jingu has been a place of worship,

as it's dedicated to Amaterasu, the sun goddess

and mythical ancestor of the Japanese Imperial Family.

Before entering the sacred precincts,

visitors wash their hands in the waters of the Miyagawa.

This practice dates back to the earliest times.

The atmosphere has been just great so far.

I feel almost like I can just let myself soak into the whole place here.

It's really fantastic.

Deep in the forest lies the main sanctuary of the grand shrine.

Here, visitors may offer prayers but cameras are strictly prohibited.

Next, Peter visits a smaller shrine nearby.

This auxiliary shrine is dedicated to the deity of wind and rain.

There are a total of 125 shrines close to the Miyagawa river system.

The name "Ise Jingu" refers to all these shrines collectively.

The architecture of the shrines

follows the ancient Japanese construction methods.

The small stones placed around the buildings are called "oshiraishi."

They come from the Miyagawa riverbed.

Every 20 years, the 125 sacred structures at Ise Jingu are entirely rebuilt,

including the auxiliary shrines.

At the same time, the pebbles are also replaced.

This ritual, called Shikinen Sengu, dates back 1,300 years.

In all, 100,000 of the oshiraishi stones are needed.

They are collected by the people of Ise.

They start picking up and storing them many years

before each Shikinen Sengu.

Okuno Isamu was formerly

the Secretary General of the Shikinen Sengu task force.

- What are oshiraishi?
- They're stones that are white.

That makes sense.

- Are there any here?
- Lots of them.

Which of these stones are right?

The oshiraishi stones are placed around the shrines.

They should be the size of a child's fist.

That one's too big.

And the stones must contain quartz.

One of Peter's hobbies is collecting stones.

At university, he studied geology.

So, the white stones are quartzite,

which forms below the crust around the mantle,

and if you look carefully you can see

they're the kind of quartzite crystals in here

which make the stones so pretty.

- Any other questions?
- Why do the people of Ise collect them?

In the old days, people in Japan paid their taxes in the form of rice.

But in Ise, people worked for the shrine instead.

That's because this is land of the gods.

But these days we also pay our taxes, just like everyone else.

Because the Miyagawa is considered a sacred river,

it has been carefully protected.

On several occasions,

it has been ranked top in government surveys of water quality.

The Miyagawa is also known for the ayu or sweet fish, that live in its waters.

Please tell me why the ayu fish from the Miyagawa are so tasty.

It's all thanks to the water. And the natural environment here.

Mt. Odaigahara, the source of the river,

gets some of the highest rainfall in Japan.

The nutrients from the mountains give the fish their delicious flavor.

Sounds good. Can't wait to try.

Lunch here consists of all sorts of ayu dishes.

Tempura... deep-fried ayu... grilled...

and even ayu sashimi.

Wow, it all looks so good.

I'm going to try the sashimi first.

That's really nice.

You kind of think that maybe a fish from the river might be a little bit smelly,

but not at all.

This is really good.

Wow!

OK, let's try.

Wow, so many wonderful flavors here from just one fish.

Wow, this is nice.

Peter carries on, heading further upstream.

About 80 kilometers from the mouth of the river, the road finishes.

No vehicles are allowed beyond this point.

You must be Peter.

I'm Onitsuka.

Please call me Oni.

This is the starting point of the trail leading through the Osugidani Valley.

This trail to Odaigahara will take us past seven waterfalls

and across 11 bridges.

It's for hikers with some experience.

It has some ups and downs, and it will be slippery in places.

Over a distance of about 14 kilometers,

the trail leads to the summit of Mt. Odaigahara,

rising 1,400 meters in elevation.

The entire hike takes two days.

Before entering the gorge,

it is customary at a nearby shrine to pray for safety on the trail.

Look at this massive cedar.

This shrine is dedicated to this tree.

Osugidani means "Big Cedar Valley." It's named after this tree.

This 40-meter cedar tree has stood here for 1,200 years.

The shrine was built to worship this ancient giant of a tree.

In the past, this area provided timber for rebuilding the shrines of Ise Jingu.

Mainly, trees over 200 years old were used.

There used to be numerous trees as huge as this.

We submit our hiking registration form here.

You can insert 1,000 yen here.

Hikers pay their entrance fee at this vending machine.

In return, they receive a small memento.

It will be used for maintaining the trail.

The trail is closed in winter, isn't it?

It will be closed from December.

I like this trail.

The river is so beautiful.

This rock wall is called Dainichigura.

It's a single rock that rises 100 meters.

The upper reaches of the Miyagawa offer visitors sublime scenery

that reinforces the sense that this really is a sacred "River of the Gods."

Mind your head here.

This valley is considered one of the most beautiful in all Japan.

The trail is kept in very good condition.

About two hours have elapsed since they set out.

We've reached the Senpiro Falls.

They have arrived at a viewing point for a waterfall.

Fed by a tributary of the Miyagawa, this is the Senpiro Falls.

It drops 135 meters, disappearing from sight at the bottom.

This water's cold.

They carry on hiking for another hour...

This section is called Shishibuchi.

Ahead of us you can see the Nikoniko Falls.

I love a place like this.

I really love a place like this!

Wow!

I feel like I'm purifying myself here in the water.

Continuing their ascent,

they come close to the magnificent Nikoniko Falls.

The Nikoniko Falls are right in front of us.

It has two sections above and below.

The night's lodging comes into sight.

They've been on the trail for four and a half hours.

So good!

How was it today?

The water and the waterfalls are beautiful.

And the scenery here is breathtaking.

We'll see some beautiful places tomorrow, too.

There are some exciting parts but it will be fun.

Thank you. I'm looking forward to it.

Okay!

The next day, they get off to an early start at 5:30 AM

for the long hike to the summit of Odaigahara.

After about 30 minutes they reach another waterfall.

We're at the Nanatsugama Falls.

Wow! That's a beautiful waterfall. Wow.

Fed by the Miyagawa, the Nanatsugama Falls drop 80 meters,

fanning out over several sections.

This is rated as one of the 100 top waterfalls in Japan.

From here, the valley gets narrower and steeper.

This adds extra excitement to the trail.

They pass a series of splendid waterfalls.

By now, they've been going for two hours this morning.

Oh, wow.

This is the Dokura Falls.

- Is this the last waterfall?
- That's right.

We've already seen so many waterfalls,

but each waterfall has its own character and its own beauty.

This one too is spectacular.

After the Dokura Falls, the trail leaves the Osugidani Valley.

It continues upward, following a ridge.

The trees change.

Instead of cedars, they're climbing through silver firs.

Finally, after five and a half hours, they reach the top.

There we go. We did it.

Thank you.

Thank you very much for your guidance.

Great job!

Odaigahara is the source of the Miyagawa.

The rain that falls here forms the Miyagawa,

flowing through Osugidani and down to Ise Bay.

So this is where the story begins!

This is the source of the Miyagawa,

the place where the "River of the Gods" begins its journey.

As much as 5,000 millimeters of rain falls here each year,

around three times the average for Japan,

soon after they reach the top, clouds blow in, obscuring the view.

I'm here at the river beach

where they gather the white stones for the shrines.

I thought, originally, I would head up stream

and try to find the source of the stones,

but try as I might, I wasn't able to find it.

Nevertheless, I encountered

some of Japan's most incredible natural scenery.

The canyon that the river has cut through the mountain

was absolutely breathtaking in so many places.

As well, I thought I'd visit one of the country's most historic sacred sites.

Walking to the shrines beneath the great trees,

soaking in the atmosphere,

I got a sense for how the people there had always lived with the concept

that their gods are closely connected

to the beauty and purity of the natural world.

This trip has been absolutely spectacular and truly memorable.

Thank you very much.

From Tokyo, it takes about an hour and a half by Shinkansen to reach Nagoya.

From there, you transfer to a local line,

which takes from 90 minutes to two hours to reach Ise.