[Hyogo] A spectacular autumn hike known only to those in the know: the famous mountain of Tambasasayama that can be enjoyed on a day trip

Taki Mountains (Taki Alps)

The Taki Mountain Range is a collective name for the 600-800m high mountains that stretch from Tambasasayama City to Kyoto Prefecture and Tamba City. The range is dominated by three peaks: the main peak, Ontake (793m), Koganedake (726m) to the east, and Nishigatake (727m) to the west. The range is also known as the Taki Alps because of its steep mountains made of Paleozoic quartzite.

The area is blessed with numerous plants throughout the year, and in autumn the autumn leaves of the urushi, sumac, maple, zelkova, and oak trees are beautiful. In late autumn, the "Tamba mist" unique to the Sasayama Basin often occurs, and in the early morning a sea of clouds can sometimes be observed.

■ Main peak "Ontake"

Formerly known as Ranbagamine, it flourished as a Tamba Shugendo training center during the Kamakura and Muromachi periods, where women were not allowed to enter. It is said that more than 10,000 ascetics visited the temple every year, and the sounds of conch shells, bells and canes, and chanting echoed through the valley all year round, and these sounds can still be seen today.

The panorama from the eastern peak is particularly spectacular, with views of the surrounding major peaks, including Mt. Tamba Oeyama and Mt. Tamba Nagarogatake to the north, Mt. Atago in Kyoto and the Ikoma mountain range in Osaka to the east, Mt. Rokko and the Harima Nada Sea to the south, and Tajima's Kurikamine to the west.