The Haruna Shrine & Fukinoware Falls in Gunma Prefecture
Who goes to Japan to hike? Can’t you see forests and rivers in other parts of the world that are way more famous? Well, yes, but if you’d like to see just how only-in-Japan trekking over the river and through the woods can be, look no further than these two destinations in Gunma Prefecture, just a short bullet train ride from Tokyo!
From hiking routes that cross iconic red bridges…
to well-groomed paths leading to waterfalls like no others in the world…
to destinations deep in the forest that’ll take your breath away
I’m telling you: pack your boots!
Our first destination in Gunma Prefecture is near the otherworldly landscape of Lake Haruna…
The trailhead to the Haruna Shrine is hard to miss…
and rewards us from the very beginning with a magnificent gate built without nails from native cedar.
Looking back from the other side, it’s like we stepped through a looking glass, already worlds away from the idling taxis and camera-toting sightseers snapping pix outside.
The first of the red bridges beckons us into the mossy woods…
and it pays to look around as we weave our way into the forest, because torii gates…
and water basins…
and gateways leading to…
unexpected pagodas…
are tucked among the towering cedars
But there’s no shrine in sight as we make our way up the narrow rock-walled canyon, until we reach this portal guarded by a mossy lantern
and start to pass the shrine’s outbuildings…
before entering its sacred precincts through this Baba Yaga of a gate.
The Haruna Shrine is wedged right into the living rock…
and when we finally arrive at the shrine sanctuary, it does not disappoint!
On every beam, carvings evoke the powerful dragon god that’s believed to reside in these hills.
They coil under the eaves…
and safeguard every beam
And the bundles of folded paper charms have a secret rice straw center that looks like a peony when you see it from below
Those who make this trek are rewarded with good fortune…and rain. Dragon shrines are revered for bestowing rain on crops (or the modern version, financial success). You can pray for rain (or a raise) by making a water offering with a bamboo pipe, then discover what kind of luck your future holds by buying a blank fortune…
and floating it into the sacred spring…
As the dragon ponders, your fortune is revealed!
In order to make your good luck stick, fold up your wet fortune and find this wooden lantern, with a slot that corresponds to your zodiac year animal. Push your fortune through the slot and rotate the lantern once. The resident priests will make sure the local dragon gets the message!
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Our next destination is over this bridge…
to a misty canyon carved by the Tani river.
The hike to Fukinoware Falls crosses many small suspension bridges…
as the river widens…
and begins to flow over wide slabs of smooth stone…
past water-carved cliffs…
toward something roaring up ahead.
Here, the riverbed suddenly drops away…
and all that water cascades into a chasm…
carved by the rushing river that has passed this way for eons.
You can see how big and powerful these falls are (and how close you can get to them) by the tiny people standing in the viewing area to the left!
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Here’s where the Haruna Shrine and Fukinoware Falls are:
And here’s a GPS map to both destinations:
To figure out how to get to Numata (the town closest to both Fukinoware Falls and the Haruna Shrine) from where you are, use the Japan Navigation phone app, plugging in your location, travel date and preferred arrival/departure time. Here’s where to get the app and how to use it. One of the reasons you probably won’t run into any other foreigners at these places is that they’re not close to the train station—you’ll need to take a bus or taxi for that last leg.
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly Japanagram newsletter, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
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