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HOME > Japan’s Local Treasures > Mt. Myoko Hiking Tour
Hike sacred Mt. Myoko with a professional guide and relive the journey of pilgrims
Myoko Tourism Management Association
Long considered sacred, Mt. Myoko, in Myoko-Togakushi Renzan National Park in Niigata, is said to be the home of spirits and gods of farming, and was once a place of pilgrimage for followers of Shugendo mountain asceticism.
During the Edo Period (1603-1868), just once a year, local Shugendo pilgrims were given permission to climb to the summit of Mt. Myoko to raise their village banners, chant and blow a symbolic conch shell. Legend has it that up 1,200 people would make the arduous journey, starting from the Sekiyama Hozo-in Temple.
Retrace the footsteps of those pilgrims and climb Mt. Myoko on this full-day hike accompanied by a local, professional guide. Mt. Myoko is one of mountaineer Kyuyu Fukada’s “100 Famous Japanese Mountains,” and its rugged trails pass waterfalls, ponds, small shrines and sacred rocks, offering stunning panoramic views of the national park.
The journey ends with a visit to the outdoor natural hot springs of Tsubame Onsen, where any weary travelers can relax in milky mineral-rich waters.
How to get there
20 minutes by bus from Echigo Tokimeki Railway's Sekiyama Station.
