World Heritage Site Shirakami Sanchi [Tomeyama, Happo Town, Akita Prefecture] A power spot beech forest

  • Akita
  • Experience Gifu
A beech tree more than 300 years old
Do you know what is amazing about the Shirakami Mountains? It is a concentration of headwaters that have been largely untouched by humans, and it is home to one of the world's largest remaining virgin beech forests. The Shirakami Sanchi is the collective name for the mountainous backlog that stretches from southwestern Aomori Prefecture to northwestern Akita Prefecture, and was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (Natural Heritage) in 1993. It is also a treasure trove of rare plants, birds and insects such as the black woodpecker. This time, the staff of JR East Travel Service Center Akita visited Tomeyama in Happo Town, located at the southern end of the Shirakami Sanchi (mountainous region)!

Tomeyama" walking course, which enters the Shirakami Sanchi from the Akita Prefecture side

Several walking and climbing courses have been set up in the Shirakami Sanchi. One of them is the "Tomeyama" walking course, which, like many other Tomeyama trails in Japan, is named after a mountain that "stays to be cut down.

First, we visited the "Shirakabaku Shrine" to pray.

It is a 5-minute drive from JR Higashi Yamori Station. The shrine is located a short distance into the mountain from National Route 101. The name "Shirataki" means "white waterfall" in Japanese. There are good luck charms and omikuji in the hall of worship.
First, we visited the "Shirakabaku Shrine" to pray.

Visit the famous "Shirofaku" waterfall, also known as "Mikoshinotaki no Takiyabirai" (Bathing in the Mikoshinotaki Falls).

There is a waterfall at the back of the Shirataki Shrine. The waterfall is about 17 meters high and is the setting for the "Mikoshi no Takiyubi," commonly known as the "Mikoshi Waterfall Bathing," an annual festival held on August 1. After the men dressed in white and praying for a good harvest and prosperous business parade through the town, they enter the basin of the waterfall carrying a mikoshi (portable shrine), which is a heroic ritual. It is said to be the only time in Japan that a mikoshi (portable shrine) enters the basin of a waterfall. The water is so powerful due to the abundant flow that visitors can feel the spray, wind, and negative ions even from a distance. It is also one of the power spots in Happo Town. It is also a natural air conditioner in the summer.
White Waterfall, a blessing from the beech forest

Finally, the Tomeyama walking course!

A 30-minute drive along the forest road behind Hakubaku Shrine will take you to the entrance of the Tome Mountain trail. To protect the soft ground covered with rich humus and the roots of the trees, a bridge-like walking trail has been set up so that you can enjoy the Shirakami Mountains as if you were strolling through them. The top of the humus is really fluffy and fun to walk on♪
Information board of the walking course

A place where beech trees were harvested

The beech trees, which could not be used for building materials or for sowing with the wood processing technology of the time, were cut down and "useful" cedar trees were planted in their place. The soil in beech forests is so rich in water from snow and rain that it is called a "forest dam (natural dam). They stopped cutting the beech trees because they could no longer fulfill this role and no longer produce spring water. So this is just "the place where they stopped cutting beech trees. Unlike cedar forests, beech forests seem brighter because beech trees grow larger with more space between each other, according to the guide.
Artificially planted "cedar forest" (left) and untouched natural "beech forest" (right)
The best time to take a walk is in a light rain, the guide said. The leaves of the beech trees serve as umbrellas, so you hardly get wet. You can also feel the rainwater flowing down the trunks of the beeches and soaking into the ground. The rainwater soaks into the soil, is filtered, and then gushes out into the river over a long period of time, filled with minerals. The beech forest has been protected by the people since the era of the feudal government to secure a source of water for agriculture. In order to prevent the destruction of the rich forest that has been passed down to the present, visitors must be accompanied by a "guide" from the Happo Town Shirakami Guides' Association to enter the mountain.
Beech nuts are high in protein and fat and have high nutritional value.
They will guide you through the various types of plants, pointing them out one by one. The claw marks of a bear... the scent of the leaves of a black maple... I felt the richness of the forest resonating through all five senses, and I was able to feel the power of nature and be completely refreshed in body and soul. Why not take a trip to the Shirakami Sanchi, a true power spot?

Recommended nearby store "LABO and CAFE YAMAMOTO

Shirakami Sanchi display at JR East Travel Service Center Akita!

For a limited time until the end of August, JR East Travel Service Center Akita is exhibiting a display of the Shirakami Sanchi area. Pamphlets are also available, so please feel free to stop by.

Click here for Shirakami Sanchi travel products

In the " the package tour booking site of JR East View Tourism & Sales " section, we offer a number of group-type products to/from the Tokyo metropolitan area and Tohoku. We offer guided tours of the World Heritage Site "Shirakami Sanchi" with a guide! The spacious itinerary allows even first-timers to participate with ease.
Shirakami Sanchi Trekking "Tomeyama" in autumn by Resort Shirakami and holiday at Yamori Isaribi Hot Spring Hatahata-kan
[Beech School] Gono Line and Shirakami Sanchi "Twelve Lakes and Aoike" and "Nishimeya, World Heritage Dia Beech Forest" hiking by Resort Shirakami
[Beech School Operation Council: Monitor Tour] Autumn Shirakami Sanchi Trekking NISHIMEYA (Nishimeya)

Take your favorite train and lodging combination for a budget-friendly trip!

You can create your own original trip!

The " JR East View Dynamic Rail Package " is a variable-price individual travel product available only on the web, which allows you to freely select a train and accommodations and make a reservation at once. Depending on the timing and conditions of your reservation, you may be able to save even on the day of departure at the earliest! We also offer one-day trip plans! We also offer day-trip plans! Enjoy your own trip according to your schedule and purpose.

Click here for details

For train + lodging [Akita Area], please book with [ JR East View Dynamic Rail Package ] at
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