Hamamatsu · JP

Mitakeyama

Mitakeyama is one of the low forested peaks of the Inasa mountain range on the western edge of Hamamatsu, in Shizuoka. Though it rises only a few hundred metres, the ridgeline it belongs to delivers one of the region's most generous payoffs for a short walk: on a clear day the summit outlook takes in Lake Hamana, the sprawl of Hamamatsu with its Act Tower landmark, the Tenryū River and the blue line of the Enshū coast on the Pacific. What draws visitors here is how much variety fits into a compact outing. The same ridge links the gentle summit of Mitakeyama with the bare, jigsaw-rock crags of Tatsu no Mine and the open Takizawa viewpoint, while the higher summit of Mount Mitake (三岳山, 467 m) just along the crest is topped by the nationally designated ruins of Mitake Castle. It is an easy place to assemble a one-to-three-hour hike with big views and a real sense of history. Everything is reached from the free Mitake Shrine car park on a paved forest road, with no public transport to the trailhead, so this is very much a drive-and-walk destination — which keeps it local, uncrowded and peaceful compared with the famous peaks of the region.