Top Page	Mountains, Valleys & Waterfalls
Mt. Ozuchi (800m)
Mukaihara Aki-Takata City
大土山 安芸高田市向原
Map	An area of Takamagahara on the west side of Mt. Ozuchi is the best viewing point.
The 800-meter Mt. Ozuchi is located in Mukaihara Town, Aki-Takata City which is about 50 kilometers northeast from Central Hiroshima. In the Town there is a roadside stop (local products shop), Mukaihara Noson Koryukan, Yasuragi (やすらぎ), which is a good place to take a break. At the foot of the mountain there is a lake named “Ronzan Tsutsumi”. An area around the lake is well maintained as Ozuchiyama Ikoi-no-mori (大土山憩いの森) which literally means Ozuchiyama Relaxation Forest. Lake Ronzan Tsutsumi was built 300 years ago by Kiku Buuemon, then village chief. He expanded a small pond to a 2.6-hectare lake to make a three-kilometer irrigation channel. It saved the local farmers from a longtime water shortage. From the camping site take a 20-minute ascent to Takamagahara which is said to be a sacred area where gods landed down from heaven. Then make an hour ascent to the mountaintop on which a radio relay station tower stands. There is a guideboard (Nihongo) at the trailhead showing the way to the mountain. Below the summit is a 4-meter-high block of piled stones called Kuguriiwa (passable stones). You can pass through a narrow gap in it. One stone, named Nariiwa (sounding stone), is caught in the gap. It is believed that you will be happy if you can move it to make a sound. To go down take the same trail to the starting point. Getting there: Go by car. Take prefectural road 37 to Mukaihara and you can stop by at Mukaihara Noson Koryukan “Yasuragi” that is along prefectural road 37. It will take a 50-minute drive from downtown Hiroshima. From there go north for 100 meters and turn right at an intersection (upper right corner is Hiroshima bank) onto prefectural road 29. You will find a signboard on the left that reads “大土山憩いの森” which means Ozuchiyama Relaxation Forest, after running two kilometers from the intersection. Then enter a 5-kilometer narrow paved road to the mountain side. You can park your car in a camping site parking lot that is situated 300 meters north of the lake. Suggested schedule: Hiroshima(8:00)==(Rte.37)==Mukaihara Noson Koryukan “Yasuragi”(9:00)=== ===Ozuchiyama Ikoi-no-mori (9:30)---Takamagahara (10:00)--- ---Mt. Ozuchi (11:30-12:30)---Ozuchiyama Ikoi-no-mori (14:00)=== ===Hiroshima (15:30) 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.