Okukuji Recreation Forest：Forestry Agency

Oddly shaped rock of Mount Nantai
Oddly shaped rock of Mount Nantai
One of Japan’s three most beautiful waterfalls at Fukuroda Falls
Fukuroda Falls in winter
Ryujin Otsuribashi Suspension Bridge
Mount Nantai in autumn

Okukuji Recreation Forest

632.52ha

Elevation Lowest : 129m / Highest : 654m

See one of Japan's three most beautiful waterfalls at Fukuroda Falls and explore Mount Nantai,
famed for its spring foliage, autumn leaves, and strangely-shaped rocks and bizarre stones.

See one of Japan's three most beautiful waterfalls at Fukuroda Falls and explore Mount Nantai, famed for its spring foliage, autumn leaves, and strangely-shaped rocks and bizarre stones.

Newest information
Area
Activities
Overview
Latest Information
Usage Guide
Facility
Map
Address
Access
(Distances and times are
provided as a guide only)
Management office
contact details
Information on Other Local
Tourist Attractions
Official Tourist Information
Recreation Forest
Management Committee
Supporters
Other

Newest information: CHECK
Please visit official tourism websites for the latest updates and information.

Area: Kanto

Activities: Flower-viewing Autumn leaf viewing Waterfall viewing Birdwatching Picnics (lawn area/park) (Outside the forest) Mountain climbing (Includes surrounding area) Areas for paddling/fishing (pond/lake/river) (Outside the forest) Cycling (cycle path) (Outside the forest) Guided tours (Volunteer tourist guide *Reservation required)(No foreign languages spoken)

Overview

Geographical/topographical features: This district is located in a mountainous area in the northwest of Ibaraki Prefecture, surrounded on all sides by the Abukuma Mountains and the Yamizo Mountains. Most of the hilly terrain is composed of gentle or moderate slopes, but there are steep slopes in places.
Historical/cultural features: [Mount Nantai area]
In days of yore, a large boulder on the summit of Okukuji's Mount Nantai was venerated as the “Avatar of Nantai” and was protected by local people, who believed that it enshrined the spirit of the deity Izanagi-no-mikoto. Today, a small shrine stands at the summit.
[Fukuroda / Mount Tsukiore area]
Numbered among Japan's three most beautiful waterfalls, Fukuroda Falls is also known as “Yodo-no-taki,” which can be translated as “the four-step falls” or “the four-time falls.” Explanations of this name vary: some say that it stems from the fact that the waterfall has four distinct tiers, while others assert that it originated from a remark by the priest Saigyo, who, upon visiting this area, is reputed to have praised it with the words, “One has not experienced true elegance unless one has been to this waterfall once in each of the four seasons.”
Climate, flora and fauna: With an annual average temperature of 12°C, this area has the cool climate characteristic of the North Kanto region and the large differences in temperature associated with an inland climate. In addition to sugi, Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) and hinoki, Japanese cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa), the forest has a rich array of broad-leaved trees, including buna, Japanese beech (Fagus crenata Blume); mizunara, Japanese oak mizu-nara (Quercus crispula Blume); hornbeam (Carpinus); and maple (Acer).
Attractions: As well as mountain trails leading up Mount Nantai (654 m), there is a nature trail that takes in Mount Chofuku (496 m) and Mount Tsukiore (423 m), while Fukuroda Falls and the stunning Ryujin Gorge are also located in the vicinity, so this area is popular with mountain climbers and hikers.
* Some routes to the summit of Mount Nantai and Mount Tsukiore (Tsukiore Castle) are only suitable for experienced climbers, as they include tricky rockfaces and areas that must be ascended using chains or ropes fixed into the rock.
Attractions in the Ryujin area include the Ryujin Gorge, with its precipitous cliffs carved out by the Ryujin River, and the nearby Ryujin Dam (constructed to hold back the Ryujin River), which is spanned by the Ryujin Otsuribashi Suspension Bridge (a 375-m-long pedestrian bridge constructed for sightseers, standing 100 m above the surface of the dam). When the spring verdure and the autumn leaves are out, the views here are truly spectacular.

Latest Information

Warnings: ・Inoshishi, wild boar (Sus scrofa leucomystax) live in the forest, so it is dangerous to pass through the forest at night.
・Some parts of Okukuji's Mount Nantai require ascent and descent using chains fixed to the rock for this purpose. If you lack sufficient physical strength, we recommend that you climb the mountain using the standard trail, rather than the experienced climbers’ trail.

Usage Guide

Entrance fee: Fukuroda Falls (tunnel entrance fee) ¥300 (adults), ¥150 (children)
Opening seasons and hours: May–October: 8AM-6PM; November–April: 9AM-5PM
Accommodation options: In the Fukuroda / Mount Tsukiore area, accommodation facilities are available in Fukuroda Onsen and Tsukiore Onsen. In addition, there are hot spring inns and hotels within walking distance of the Recreation Forest entrance. Campsites are located within a 15-minute drive, enabling visitors to enjoy camping in the great outdoors.

Facility: Toilets and drinking fountains (Outside the forest) Toilet (accessible)(Outside the forest) Walking trail Parking lot (Outside the forest)(charge applies in the Fukuroda Falls area) Observation platform Vending machine (Outside the forest) Shop (Outside the forest) Restaurant (Outside the forest) World Heritage Site/Cultural asset (nationally designated) (National Place of Scenic Beauty Fukuroda Falls)(No foreign languages spoken) Accommodation facilities (Hotels / Japanese inns)(Outside the forest)

Map: pdf

Address: Daigo-machi, Kuji-gun; Hitachiomiya-shi; Hitachiota-shi

Access (Distances and times are provided as a guide only)

By public transport

[Fukuroda / Mount Tsukiore area]
・Take the local bus from Fukuroda Station on the JR Suigun Line and alight at Takimoto (about 7 minutes)
[Mount Nantai area]
・Oenji Parking Lot is about 8 minutes by car from Saigane Station on the JR Suigun Line. The summit is about 1.2 km (about 80 minutes on foot) from there, using the shortest route.
[Ryujin Gorge area]
・Take the local bus from Hitachi-Ota Station on the JR Suigun Line and alight at Ryujin Otsuribashi (about 40 minutes on foot)

By car

[Fukuroda / Mount Tsukiore area]
・Joban Expressway Naka IC → Route 118 → Route 461 (about 45 km)
・Tohoku Expressway (Yaita IC) → Route 4 → Route 293 → Pref. Route 52 → Route 461 (about 60 km)
[Mount Nantai area]
・Joban Expressway Naka IC → Route 118 → Route 461 (about 35 km)
・Tohoku Expressway (Yaita IC) → Route 4 → Route 293 → Pref. Route 52 → Route 461 → Route 118 (about 70 km)

[Fukuroda / Mount Tsukiore area]
Free parking lot with space for 270 vehicles Many other parking lots also available (charges apply)
[Mount Nantai area]
Oenji Parking Lot: Space for 10 vehicles (free of charge)
Kobuyashiki Parking Lot: Space for 10 vehicles (free of charge)

Nearby tourist facilities

・Fukuroda Falls: In the Fukuroda / Mount Tsukiore area
・Tsukimachi Falls: 15 minutes by car from the Fukuroda / Mount Tsukiore area
・Daigo Regional Park Auto-Camping Site Green Villa: 15 minutes by car from the Fukuroda / Mount Tsukiore area

Google Map

Management office contact details: Ibaraki District Forest Office
TEL：029-243-7211
https://www.rinya.maff.go.jp/kanto/ibaraki/

Information on Other Local Tourist Attractions: Former Kamioka Elementary School

This is a wooden school building that was constructed in 1911. After the school's closure, local people formed a preservation society that maintains and manages the building, which is used as a location for filming TV series and movies, and has also been the setting for an anime. The old school building is open to the public on weekends and national holidays, so visitors can view inside while imagining what it must have looked like in its heyday.

Official Tourist Information: Ibaraki Prefecture Official Tourist Information Site Ibaraki Navi [External link]

http://www.ibarakiguide.jp/

Recreation Forest Management Committee: Okukuji Recreation Forest Liaison Committee，Daigo-machi Town Office
TEL : 0295-72-1138
FAX : 0295-72-1167

Supporters: ー

Other: ー

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