This mountain which along with world heritage Itsukushima shrine, is 535 m height and is perfect to climb for even a day trip. What makes Mt Misen so special and which route to the best to climb?
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The tallest mountain in Miyajima, Mt Misen.
The view of the islands and Seto Inland sea is stunning, and you can see the ancient virgin forest of Misen, which is a national natural monument.
It gets hot from June to September for example up to around 31 degrees and could get under 1 degree in winter, from December to February.
When is the best season to climb?
Like other Japanese mountains, or in Japan in general, Mt Misen is especially beautiful in cherry blossom time in early April, and autumn leaves time in early to mid-November.
You can experience the season moving to the next one in the mountain, and it is a comfortable time for walking too.
Which route is the best to climb Mt Misen?
There are 3 well-known routes to climb Mt Misen. If you are walking both ways, it is a good idea to come back using a different way.
Momiji-dani track.
This gentle, beginner friendly 2 hours one-way track is the easiest of three, and it is especially beautiful when the leaves get red in autumn.
The starting point is near the rope-way station, behind the Itsukushima shrine. It is about 2.5 km to the top.
Daisho-in track.
The track starts from Daisho-in temple. There is a waterfall, look out and of course, this unique temple to visit, but the track includes about 2200 steps of rocky stairs to follow.
It is about 3 km and takes you about 2 hours one-way.
Ohmoto track.
Ohmoto track is the longest of three. What special about this track is that you can walk through the actual Misen’s virgin forest. You can find it, starting from Ohmoto shrine and follow the creek on the paved pathway.
It is about 3.2 km and takes you around 2 and a half hours.
If you get tired from climbing up, rope-way back is a option.
It sounds not that hard, but it is pretty tiring especially after sightseeing around the island. You can use the rope-way for one way, and it takes about 10 mins to come back.
You can also avoid the uphill walking and use the ropeway to ascend the mountain, then choose one of the routes to come back down.
