Of the three mountains of Dewa Mountain Shrines, I had visited Mt. Haguro and Mt. Yudono in 2017. It was one of years called “Yaku-doshi” in Japanese, which unlucky years were said to come at certain ages. I received a talisman at Mt. Haguro to ward off the bad luck. I did not think that my life had been particularly happy after that, but I did not have any real bad luck either. Five years have passed since then, it was about time to return the talisman with my gratitude.
Since I had made one-day trip at my last visit to Dewa Mountain Shrines, I tried to stay overnight and enjoy the sunset over the Sea of Japan in this time. I looked Google Map for several times along Sea of Japan coast. I found “Chokai Onsen” in Yusa, Yamagata Prefecture, and “Sannemu Onsen” in Kisakata, Akita Prefecture.
The plan was to take the first All Nippon Airways (ANA) flight to Shonai Airport, gateway to Tsuruoka and Sakata Cities, on a Saturday morning. I would walk around in Tsuruoka City, including Mt. Haguro, and the neighboring Sakata City for 2 days. On the Day 2, I would take JR “Inaho” express train departing from Sakata Station around 5:00 p.m. heading to Niigata and transfer to the Shinkansen for Tokyo. The express train “Inaho” runs along the Sea of Japan, nice sunset can be expected on its way to Niigata.
While making the plan, I looked at the weekly forecast and found that the weather would not be good. At the same time, it would not be rain heavily either. The weather was not stable in the spring, with only a few sunny days after Japan’s Golden Week in May. If I waited too long, it would be entering the rainy season in June/July. The cloudy weather would not be a problem as long as I take photos of stone steps of Mt. Haguro in the dense forest.
I was planning to visit the Kamo Aquarium in Tsuruoka when I visited Mt. Haguro. However, upon some more researches, I learned that the aquarium’s main displays were jellyfishes. I heard they made a photogenic exhibit of jellyfishes, yet jellyfishes were just jellyfishes to me. They would be tasty as a Chinese appetizer, but I was not a fan of real ones moving around the underwater. I had decided to pass on the aquarium.
If I did not go to the aquarium, it would be useless for me to spend two whole days in cloudy Tsuruoka and Sakata, because I was not interested in visiting museums and fancy cafes. Since I would not be able to see the sunsets for two evenings, I decided to make a one-day trip again.
I woke up early in the morning and took an ANA flight from Tokyo Haneda Airport to Shonai Airport. I took an airport bus to Tsuruoka Station, then transferred to another bus to Zuishinmon Gate of Mt. Haguro.
Last time, I had to receive a talisman before the transfer bus from Mt. Haguro to Mt. Yudono. The schedule seemed tight, so I took a taxi which I was told about 30 minutes ride from Tsuruoka Station to Zuishinmon Gate. I had imagined the taxi fare of Tokyo for the 30 minutes, but because there were not much of traffic lights, the fare ended up quite expensive which made me a little regretted.
I took a local bus this time, and entered the realm of gods from Zuishinmon Gate without remorse in my heart. I was well prepared for climbing up the stone steps this time since I was only able to recall how hard it was in my last visit.
This time I felt much easier, perhaps because I did not feel guilty due to the fare difference between taxi and local bus. I was easily able to arrive at the teahouse, where was a halfway through the hike.
I had some rest at the teahouse and ate rice cakes for breakfast. Feeling a little more energetic, I started the second half.
As nothing to hurry, I proceeded rather slowly and took pictures. In order to take photos, I had to wait until people on the stone steps had cleared from my camera angles, which further slowed me down. I had recalled that there were less people last time, because I arrived at Zuishinmon Gate about 1.5 hours earlier thanks to the taxi use. The taxi fare might not be wasted at all.
I arrived at Hagurosan Shrine in good spirits. I felt quite refreshed. For this visit, I initially thought I would just return the talisman to the Shrine, but I then wanted to have an excuse to come back to Hagurosan Shrine again, so I decided to get a new one.
I went down the mountain on foot as well. Although it seemed physically easier than uphill, but the downhill was unexpectedly severe. The stone steps were not evenly spaced. Even worse, they were narrow and steep. It required more control on each step. I kind of wished to keep it in myself, but I began to regret my decision within the five minutes I started walking down.
This was the first time for me to go down Mt. Haguro on foot. Even though the route itself was the same stone steps, I saw different views than on the way up. By challenging something new, I can see things from different perspectives.
Reincarnation is the theme of the Dewa Shrines. Even at a middle-age, one can be reborn through new challenges.
I left Mt. Haguro with a little more positive feeling.
COLO’s Traveler Guide: Mt. Haguro
Times listed are as of timetables at the time of visit.
Day 1
Tokyo Haneda 0705 (All Nippon Airways ANA393) >> Shonai 0805
Shonai Airport 0815 (airport bus) >> Tsuruoka Station 0845
Tsuruoka Bus Terminal 0940 (local bus) >> Zuishinmon Gate 1019
– Round trip to Hagurosan Shrine on foot
Zuishinmon Gate 1443 (local bus) >> Tsuruoka Station 1520
Tsuruoka Bus Terminal 1615 (airport bus) >> Shonai Airport 1643
Shonai 1745 (All Nippon Airways ANA400) >> Haneda 1850
Tips for Day 1
– From Zuijinmon Gate to the top of Mt. Haguro took 80 minutes uphill and 60 minutes downhill at my pace. There was only one teahouse on the way, and no other benches for rest.
– The transfer bus from Hagurosan Shrine to Mt. Yudono which I used in 2017 did not seem to be in service in 2022. It was possible to go to Mt Yudono by combining an express bus and a pick-up service from bus stop.
