I finally went to Chiba prefecture in order to hike Mt. Nokogiri 鋸山. Nokogiri means "saw", so the hike goes up the sawtooth mountain. They probably call it like that because of the shape of the rocks, who resemble steep cliffs, close to the ocean. Once on top of the mountain, the reward is a superb view spanning Chiba, Izu-Hanto, and Yokohama. In addition, there are many tempels on the way up the mountain, such as the famous Nihonji 日本寺.
To get there: Probably the easiest way to do this is, from Tokyo 東京駅, take a JR train bound for Soga 蘇我 in Chiba prefecture. There, change into the 内房線 heading for Tateyama 館山 and get of at either Hama Kanaya station 浜金谷駅 or Hota station 保田駅. If you live in Tokyo or surroundings, I would suggest getting an 18 ticket 青春十八切符 and paying for the whole day-trip only 2300 yen, instead of the 4000+ yen.
The cliff complex is accessible from both sides, but I would prefer climbing it from the Hama Kanaya 浜金谷 side. Even if it looks like a tough hike, it is actually not, even inexperienced hiker can get to the very top in less than 2 hours. For the lazy or less motivated ones, there is also a ropeway taking visitors right to the top in proximity to Hamakanaya station.
Hamakanaya station 浜金谷駅. Unlike what the weather forecast announced, it was really sunny by the time we arrived there. But then, the weather forecast cannot be trusted, especially not on islands such as Japan. The island climate is unpredictable.
The first view from a scenic spot on the way up Nokogiriyama 鋸山. The small village there is Hamakanaya 浜金谷.
The most famous viewing spot is called "jigoku nozoki" 地獄覗き, "peering into hell". The expression is derived from the abnormal shape of the cliff at the point where people enjoy the view over Chiba and beyond. When looking from the side, it looks like the part would almost fall off.
On the way to Jigoku Nozoki, you will pass some tempels with impressing buddha statues. This one here is carved into stone and gigantic. Reminds me on the old temple ruins in Petra.
From the top, a scenic view of the other side can be enjoyed. Hota 保田 is a very small fisher town where time seems to have stopped.
Jigoku Nozoki from the side. It looks more dramatic than it is.
The famous stone buddha that is part of the Nihonji 日本寺 complex further down the mountain.
Hota also has some beaches, although not the nicest ones. Locals, however, don't seem to care.
The shadow in the back looks like Mt. Fuji 富士山. I couldn't believe that the vulcano would be visible from southern Chiba, especially not that clearly, but I don't have any other explanation.
Me on top of Nokogiriyama. It was so hot on the day that I had to use my face-towel to make a Hachimaki 鉢巻, a headband to keep the sweat from flowing into my eyes.
To get there: Probably the easiest way to do this is, from Tokyo 東京駅, take a JR train bound for Soga 蘇我 in Chiba prefecture. There, change into the 内房線 heading for Tateyama 館山 and get of at either Hama Kanaya station 浜金谷駅 or Hota station 保田駅. If you live in Tokyo or surroundings, I would suggest getting an 18 ticket 青春十八切符 and paying for the whole day-trip only 2300 yen, instead of the 4000+ yen.
The cliff complex is accessible from both sides, but I would prefer climbing it from the Hama Kanaya 浜金谷 side. Even if it looks like a tough hike, it is actually not, even inexperienced hiker can get to the very top in less than 2 hours. For the lazy or less motivated ones, there is also a ropeway taking visitors right to the top in proximity to Hamakanaya station.
Hamakanaya station 浜金谷駅. Unlike what the weather forecast announced, it was really sunny by the time we arrived there. But then, the weather forecast cannot be trusted, especially not on islands such as Japan. The island climate is unpredictable.
The first view from a scenic spot on the way up Nokogiriyama 鋸山. The small village there is Hamakanaya 浜金谷.
The most famous viewing spot is called "jigoku nozoki" 地獄覗き, "peering into hell". The expression is derived from the abnormal shape of the cliff at the point where people enjoy the view over Chiba and beyond. When looking from the side, it looks like the part would almost fall off.
On the way to Jigoku Nozoki, you will pass some tempels with impressing buddha statues. This one here is carved into stone and gigantic. Reminds me on the old temple ruins in Petra.
From the top, a scenic view of the other side can be enjoyed. Hota 保田 is a very small fisher town where time seems to have stopped.
Jigoku Nozoki from the side. It looks more dramatic than it is.
The famous stone buddha that is part of the Nihonji 日本寺 complex further down the mountain.
Hota also has some beaches, although not the nicest ones. Locals, however, don't seem to care.
The shadow in the back looks like Mt. Fuji 富士山. I couldn't believe that the vulcano would be visible from southern Chiba, especially not that clearly, but I don't have any other explanation.
Me on top of Nokogiriyama. It was so hot on the day that I had to use my face-towel to make a Hachimaki 鉢巻, a headband to keep the sweat from flowing into my eyes.
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