From JR Sonogi station I started hiking towards the Myoho-ji temple. Next to the temple there is a worshippers trail with stone steps. This trail climbs to a second smaller temple. From the top there is a nice view.
Behind the temple, there is a trail that leads to Banjinzan.
After that, the trail becomes more faint, and the tape eventually disappears for a while. But if you are careful you can easily follow the ridge to Medake.
The trail starts passing through lots of steep rock formations on the way to Kokuzozan. It’s quite an intimidating mountain as you quite catch views of it from the trail. It looks steeeep! 👀
In America, we call this type of mountain formation a “butte”. Steep on four sides with a flat top, but smaller than a mesa.
Luckily, there is a great trail going up to the summit of Kokuzozan. There are skillfully placed stone steps in all the steep sections. There are also ropes and chains to help you climb and descend.
The views are awesome from the top. 😃
At the trailhead is a wonderful road for walking. It winds through the terraced fields for growing green tea 🍵
🚏 There is a bus stop near the trailhead. I got there 2 hours early, so I decided to walk to Ureshino onsen and have a soak.
I went to the old-fashioned but lovely Tomoyu onsen in the center of town.
It had been a long time since I enjoyed the slippery waters of Ureshino. ♨️
One of the best onsens I’ve ever had was the riverside rotenboro at Shiibasanso in Ureshino. 🤩
Todays bath was just a nice basic and big indoor onsen. Just right for after hiking 👍
🚌 From Ureshino, there is a bus that can bring you back to Fukuoka. There is also the Shinkansen station in town. I took the bus to JR Hizen-Kashima station, and then a train back to Hakata. 🚆
