The Momiji (autumn leaf viewing) season was coming to an end, so we wanted to get in one last trip. We had heard that Hananuki Gorge was especially beautiful this time of year. We hadn’t been there yet, so we decided to make it a Northern Ibaraki Sightseeing day trip. It was a 90 minute drive from our place in Mito. We took National Road 349 north, before veering off onto the hometown green line. This rural side road took us up and down a number of mountains. It was a beautiful drive that gave us wonderful views of the autumn leaves. It brought us past a number of quaint houses and rice fields.
Hananuki Gorge
As we got closer to Hananuki Gorge, we found that the two main roads leading to it were blocked off. We continued a little bit more and found a parking lot on our right. We paid ¥500 and were able to park for the day. They had a rudimentary restroom and a map of the area. We crossed the street and walked southeast for about 7 minutes before we reached the Kotakizawa Camping Ground. The campground, which was closed due to Covid, had a wonderful set of clean and modern restrooms. If you can wait the 7 minutes, its definitely worth it.
The Shiomi Falls Suspension Bridge
We then made our way to Hananuki Gorge. There were two paths to choose from. According to the map, one path was a paved road that wrapped around a bend and would take about 17 minutes to get to the bridges eastern side. The other was a nature path that would take around 8 minutes and led to the bridges western side. We decided to take the nature path. We had to watch our step as freshly fallen leaves had obscured the rocky path. The path to the Shiomi Falls Suspension Bridge was mostly downhill, so we knew coming back would be mostly uphill. We reached the bridge a short time later. There was still a decent amount of fall foliage left, although its prime was probably a week or two prior.
The Shiomi Falls Suspension Bridge was beautiful with the fall foliage and gorge in the background. The bridge was pretty crowded, but we were able to get some decent pictures. The bridge did have a vertical sway as we walked across it. We took the road a little further down and were able to walk under the bridge and see the small waterfall and river. Afterwards, we decided to walk over to the Hananuki Parking Lot. We saw that they had some stalls set up when we drove past it earlier. The walk took about 15 minutes or so and was relatively flat. Along the way we saw a number of small waterfalls.
Hananuki Parking Lot
When we reached the Hananuki parking lot we found it was completely filled. There was a row of food vendors selling a variety of delicious looking foods. We weren’t too hungry, so we decided to pass on the food for now. We stopped by the tourism information shack and picked up this beautiful stamp on the back of a complimentary post card.
After, we headed back to our car via the Shiomi Falls Suspension Bridge. We got in at a good time, as the bridge was getting quite crowded with people. We stopped for one last restroom break at Kotakizawa Camping Ground’s public restroom. Afterwards, we got back in the car and headed out to our next stop. As we were leaving we got caught in a little traffic. The road leading to the Hananuki Parking Lot was all backed up. Since the parking lot was already filled, a new car could only park when an existing car left. If you visit Hananuki Gorge during the autumn season, we recommend parking at the Takahagi Shiei Ono Parking Lot.
Oiwa Shrine
Our next stop was Oiwa Shrine. We took the 20 minute drive to the south along the hometown green line. By the time we arrived, parking lots #1 – #3 were already filled. We made our way to parking lot #4. After, we crossed the street and it was a short 4 minute walk to the shrine. We picked up a goshuincho stamp and headed towards the main gate. The shrine was located in a beautiful forest with very mature trees. Just before the main gate was the Three Cedars of Mt. Oiwa. These trees had been selected as number 45 of the 100 forest giants in Japan. It stood at 164 feet tall and was 500 years old.
The shrine was extremely well kept. The paths were clear of leaves and the landscaping was tidy, but still retained its natural charm. The buildings were all in great condition and it was clear that the shrines caretakers were doing a great job. According to Amy, the restrooms were luxurious. We stopped by the main shrine and prayed. Behind the shrine we learned that there was another shrine located up the mountain. It was a 30 minute hike to Kabire Jingu. We were taking it easy, so we decided to save it for the next time we come. Afterwards, we made our way back to the front and then headed back to the car. We were getting a bit hungry, so we decided to head towards Hitachi city.
Hitachi City Manhole Card
As we made our way into Hitachi city, we stopped off at an Eneos to pick up some gas. We then made our way to Hitachi Station. There was a free 30 minute parking lot right in front of the station. We stopped off at the tourism information center to pick up some tourism pamphlets and a manhole card. Fortunately, the manhole was located about 100 feet from the tourism information center. We then got back in the car and headed south.
Roadside Station Hitachi Osakana Center
For lunch we headed to Roadside Station Hitachi Osakana Center. We had a delicious sashimi bowl that we were able to make ourselves. After lunch we took the 40 or so minute drive back home.
Final Thoughts
We really enjoyed our Northern Ibaraki Sightseeing day trip to Hananuki Gorge, Oiwa Shrine, and Roadside Station Hitachi Osakana Center. It was nice in that we got an early start and were able to wrap everything up by mid afternoon. In the future we want to do more short trips like this one to other local spots.
More to Come…