Top Page	Mountains, Valleys & Waterfalls
Mt. Hiba (1,260m)
Rokunohara, Saijo Town, Shobara City
比婆山 庄原市西城町 六ノ原
Map	Hikers walk in the rain. The weather in the mountain is changeable. The temperature becomes freezing cold sometimes.
Mt. Hiba is in Kenmin no mori (Hiroshima Citizens' Forest) in the Chugoku Mountains and is a part of the Hiba-Dogo-Taishaku Quasi National Park. The annual average temperature around this area is about 10℃, similar to that of Aomori Prefecture in the Tohoku district, and it usually snows 2-2.5 meters deep. Here on the mountain there is an excellent virgin forest of beech trees. There is an Imperial mausoleum surrounded by these trees where a goddess in Japanese mythology, Izanami no Mikoto, was buried. According to "Kojiki", an ancient chronicle, she lost her life here when she gave birth to a fire god. The Chugoku Mountains contain a lot of good iron sand, and there are remains of tatara, iron mills, at the foot of this mountain. A vast amount of the Japanese beech trees was cut down to use as fuel for iron manufacturing from the Edo period(1600-1867) to the Meiji era(1868-1912). At the foot of the mountain, about 800 meters above sea level, there are a park center with a mountain villa, camping grounds, ski slopes and other facilities. A walking trail to the mountains in the forest covers 60 km. The courses vary from a two-hour light walking to a two-day climbing. You can get a guide map from the park center. There is a mild several hours hiking course. From the park center, go by way of Izumotoge Pass to the 1,225-meter Mt. Eboshi and then ascend the 1,260-meter Mt. Hiba，where the Imperial mausoleum, Goryo, is situated. From Goryo, you can take a 1.5- hour descent to the park center. Follow the signboard that reads " 県民の森公園センター" which means "Kenmin no Mori Park Center". Getting there: Go by car. Take the Chugoku Expressway and get off at Shobara. Take Route 183 to Saijo then follow the signboard that reads "県民の森" which means "Hiroshima Citizens' Forest". Suggested schedule: Hiroshima(8:00)===(Chugoku Expressway)===Shobara===(Rte.183)===Saijo=== ===Kenmin no Mori Park Center(10:30)---Izumotoge Pass---Mt. Eboshi--- ---Mt.Hiba(12:30～13:30)---Kenmin no Mori Park Center(15:00)=== ===Saijo===(Rte.183)===Shobara===(Chugoku Expressway)===Hiroshima(17:30) Note: To be safe, especially in winter, keep in mind not to go into the mountains alone, and be sure to go with a well-experienced hiker.