My Trip Haiku:
Volcano’s ascent,
Mount Nantai’s spiritual path,
Above clouds, peace found.
About: Mount Nantai (男体山, Nantai-san, lit. ‘male-body mountain’, also called Mount Futara (二荒山, Futāra-san)) is a stratovolcano in the Nikkō National Park in Tochigi Prefecture, in central Honshū, the main island of Japan. The mountain is 2,486 metres (8,156 ft) high. A prominent landmark, it can be seen on clear days from as far as Saitama, a city 100 km (62 mi) away.
Alongside Mount Nikkō-Shirane, Mount Nantai is one of the newest volcanic edifices in the National Park. Scientific studies of the volcano’s geological structure began in 1957 and have established that it was formed roughly 23,000 years ago and that its last eruption was 7000 years ago. The volcano was classified as active by the Japan Meteorological Agency in June of 2017.
Since its first known ascent by Buddhist monk Shōdō Shōnin in the 8th century AD, Mount Nantai has become a sacred mountain and a site of pilgrimage in Buddhism and Shinto. As such, it is currently maintained by Futarasan jinja, a Shinto shrine whose go-shintai (御神体) constitutes Mount Nantai. With Tōshō-gū and Rinnō-ji, the site forms the Shrines and Temples of Nikkō, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Archaeological excavations conducted here from the 19th to 20th centuries have unearthed many artifacts, dating from the end of the Nara period in the 8th century AD to the Edo period from the 17th to 19th centuries. A few of these have been declared Important Cultural Properties by the Japanese Agency for Cultural Affairs.
Mount Nantai is listed among the 100 Famous Japanese Mountains as written by mountaineer and author Kyūya Fukada. (Source: Wikipedia). Nantai is located North, Northwest of Tokyo and almost exactly west of Utsunomiya.
Geological Summary: Lava flows from the early stage of edifice construction dammed the Daiyo River, forming Lake Chuzenji; the dramatic Kegon waterfall plunges over this barrier. Nantaisan has an asymmetrical profile when viewed from the west as a result of late-stage collapse of the north side of the volcano. Two major late-stage eruptions ejected large amounts of scoria, followed by the emission of pyroclastic flows. The latest effusive activity produced the Osawa lava flow, a thick, viscous dacitic flow that traveled from the breached crater down the N flank. The Bentengawara pyroclastic-flow deposit representing the latest known eruptive activity was radiocarbon dated at about 10,000 years Before Present and was emplacement following a quiescent period of about 3000 years. (Source: Global Volcanism Program)
Hiking Mount Nantai : After having such a great stay at the Fairfield Marriott in Utsunomiya the previous night and after hiking Takaharayama on November 6th, I decided to stay at The Fairfield Marriott in Nikko (the evening prior to hiking Nantaisan). From the hotel to the Nikko Futarasan Jinja Chugushi Shrine 日光二荒山神社 中宮祠 it was about 35 minutes however Google Maps took me on tollroad causing me an additional 15 minute delay in backtracking for part of the stint.
I arrived at the Shrine about 730 AM and the upper parking lot directly by the shrine was almost full already with many folks that had already started the climb. I was a bit eager to climb and after taking a couple pictures and adjusting my gear, I simply started the hike but failed to both register and pay the fee (I did actually pay the fee of about 1500 Yen when I returned from the hike, apologizing for my error)
AllTrails: See this link for the main hike. Out and back is 9 KM. Intense uphill, rock scaling: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/japan/tochigi/mount-nantai-nikko-futarasan-jinja?u=i
Recommended Gear: I hiked on November 7th, 4 days before they closed the trail for the winter. In my case, I got overheated at the bottom and while doing the most difficult inclines so I shed layers but the upper 10% and summit was VERY cold so I was adding back clothes. I would recommend whatever time of year you go to take plenty of water, energy bars (food), wind or rain jacket, hiking boots with good traction a must and most definitely a hiking stick. I bought a Mont Bell carbon retractable stick with anti-shock and this stick was the MVP of all my gear.
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