Hiking Course by Rina Aoki (The Guide)
In the old times, Omine, a mountain in the back of Okamoto Otaki Shrine, was known as a sacred & spiritual mountain and there used to be about 700 monks of *1Otaki Temple who lived here to train themselves. You will find some stone marks on the trails explaining its historical background.
*1Otaki Temple : Okamoto Otaki Shrine used to be a temple.
I often enjoy hiking around here, but I'd like to tell you one interesting story from my experience.
In spring. people here go up in the local mountains to harvest wild vegetables. But they try not to step in Omine during the Kami Festival because the owner of the mountain, the paper goddess and gods, are out of this area to stay down in Okamoto Otaki Shrine for three days. One day, one neighbor took me up in Omine for the harvesting. It was on May 3rd in the afternoon. But then he suddenly got in a hurry saying, "we have to go back now because people will remove the goddess and gods soon. "
Omine is also an unique mountain which holds about sixty kinds of trees in this one narrow area. And there are wild animals. I have seen bears, deer, flying squirrels, wild boars, weasels and so on. Seasonal birds come here too. In summer in the morning, you can hear their beautiful songs to wake yourself up. Please enjoy the beauty of nature !
Brief explanations of the scenic spots
The followings are brief explanations of the scenic spots.
*Attention*
People here go hiking along one of the trails more often between Okamoto Otaki Shrine and Omine Top. For the other trails, sometimes they can be unclear to follow because of the possible natural disasters. So, it's better to ask Rina, the guide, first about the condition if you want to take those paths. Have a safe trip!
*photo1 Sunset
*photo2 Zenmai Sakura
*photo3 A Big Cedar Tree1. Akiwa-san Shrine
You can have the wonderful view of the whole Goka villages (History of Echizen Washi) and Takefu-area in the far west. Please also enjoy the sunset from here ! *photo1
2. Zenmai Sakura ( cherry blossom )
It is a natural Sakura which is hundreds of years old. It blooms later than the other Sakura trees in the town. *photo2
4. A Big Cedar Tree
People call it `Oh-Sugi-san`, meaning `Mr. Big Cedar`. I love him a lot. He seems to protect our people down here.*photo3
5. A Twin Cedar Tree
The Time Information along the Each Trail
| Starting Point | Time |
|---|---|
| Okamoto Shrine | 50 minutes to the top |
| Shinmei Shrine | 40 minutes to the top |
| Akiwa-san Shrine | 30 minutes to the top |
| Okamoto Otaki Shrine | 20 minutes to Oku-no-Inn |
| Oku-no-Inn | 5 minutes to A Big Cedar Tree |
| A Big Cedar Tree | 10 minutes to the top |
| Tsukino Shrine | 50 minutes to the top |
