石尊山

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• Hiking area
• Open 24 hoursEvery day
• 7 kmfrom Annaka center
• 3.7 / 53 reviews
• Annaka

A Friendly Gunma 'Satoyama' with Deep Roots

Sekison is the kind of mountain that rewards locals and welcomes newcomers. Sitting almost in the middle of the low Akuma hills between the Ugawa and Akuma rivers on the Annaka–Takasaki border, it is classified as one of the Gunma 100 Mountains and is genuinely an easy climb — a steep flight of roughly 100 m of stone steps leads from the trailhead to the summit in minutes. The summit opens into a small clearing where four tiny shrines and a bench gather under the trees, and weathered stone shrines and a stone shrine stand along the way: physical traces of the Sekison/Ishison 'rock deity' faith that has been practiced on this hill since old times. The trees close in around the very top, but step back and the views of western Gunma's peaks, the Myogi rock scenery and the wide sky over the city make the short climb worthwhile.↗↗↗

Walking the 'Annaka Alps' Ridge

Sekison is best experienced as the centerpiece of the 'Annaka Alps', a ridgeline route that threads together three summits: Gorente-yama (405 m), Sekison (570.9 m) and the highest of the trio, Toya-yama (605 m). The complete course runs about 11 km and takes around five hours of walking, starting and finishing at JR Annaka-Haruna Station. Along the way the local Usui Hiking Club has installed signposts and keeps the paths maintained, and there are benches positioned for the views — from the lookouts you can sweep over Shibukawa, Takasaki and the Kurabuchi hills, while Toya-yama's open top frames Mount Myogi and Mount Asama, and on really clear mornings even the Yatsugatake range.↗

You do not have to commit to the whole loop. Popular variations include a relaxed round trip from the station via the Sekison footpath to Toya-yama (about 7 km, roughly 2¼ hours, rated easy), or a 9.4 km figure-eight through Gorente-yama and Sekison (about 4 hours) for those wanting the full ridgeline. A still shorter option climbs Sekison from the nearby municipal sports park, which keeps the outing light. Trails mix paved lanes near the town with bamboo thickets, woodland ridges and flower-lined paths — plums in spring and wildflowers such as violets and yellow loosestrife later on — so the walk never feels monotonous.↗↗

Stones, Saints and Scenery

Two things lift this beyond a pleasant woodland stroll. The first is the city-designated historic site of the forty-seven Ako loyalist stone statues: a full set of 47 stone figures of the famous '47 Ronin' of the Ako vendetta, erected over some twenty years by Gensuke, a retainer of the loyalist Kataoka Genzaburo, as a memorial to Lord Asano Naganori, his wife and the forty-seven retainers. The stone figures are tucked beneath a great boulder near a small parking area and make an evocative, off-the-beaten-track stop before or after your climb. The second is the view-hunting itself — the rock-and-forest drama of Mount Myogi, the conical profile of Haruna, and at dawn on New Year's Day the local prize of watching the first sunrise redden Myogi's peaks from the high points of the ridge.↗↗↗

Planning Your Visit

Base yourself at JR Annaka-Haruna Station, which also serves the Hokuriku Shinkansen; a hike up to Sekison from there makes a compact outing that leaves time to explore the city. Free municipal parking is available beside the station (a larger lot of around 200 spaces and a smaller east-side lot of about 30), so arriving by car is straightforward. A dedicated Sekison-area hiking map is placed at the station and published on the Annaka City website; treat the timings as guides, and carry water, snacks and a rain layer since the ridge gives no shelter.↗↗

A practical tip from experienced hikers: because the loop includes stretches of paved lane, it is easiest on the legs to walk the ridgeline on the way up and save the asphalt for the descent. Spring brings plum and wildflowers, and autumn turns the leaves, but the forest is thin of footfall in the cold months — a weekday in winter, when a few hardy locals climb for sunrise, feels especially quiet. Afterward, the downmarket of Myogi and the city's onsen and eateries provide an easy reward for the walk.↗↗