Cosmos and Mt. Myogi
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October 30, 2013 - Cosmos and Mt. Myogi
Ichinomiya Nukisaki Jinja and Cosmos flowers at Mt. Myogi in Tomioka, Gunma Prefecture
Ichonomiya Nukisaki Jinja is a beautiful and popular shrine in Tomioka, Gunma, Japan. It is surrounded by great views, including that of Mt. Myogi, one of Gunma's three famous mountains.
About two weeks ago, I went to Mt. Myogi to see the cosmos flowers, and on the way stopped at this shrine. It was not terribly crowded at this time, but there were some children there for the Shichi-go-san festival who were dressed up in fancy kimono. The shrine is most popular during New Years and also in spring for the cherry blossoms.
The shrine is unique in that while it is located uphill to get to the shrine entrance, the actual shrine buildings are located below the gates, down a long staircase. Usually shrines are situated uphill as the worshipper should be below the enshrined kami, or god.
The shrine is dedicated to Futsunushi no Kami, and people go there to give general prayers for Japan, and, interestingly enough, anything to do with weaving.
It was a beautiful day, and the views were also nice, though it was still way too early for fall colors to show. From here, we continued on to Mt. Myogi.
Our main goal for the day was the photograph the cosmos flowers at Mt. Myogi. Unfortunately, this area blooms a bit later, so we were there when the flowers were a bit sparse. Still, they were nice!
The cosmos around Myogi are mostly of the white-pink-purple variety, but cosmos are fun because they come in a really wide range of colors, from white to all colors of pink and dark pink, to yellow and orange, and in between. They are also very picturesque flowers. I usually spend a lot of time finding and photographing them, but this year this was the only opportunity I got before a few typhoons did some damage to my usual flower-viewing spots!
A little further up the road from the cosmos field is a climbing area with a giant statue. I have climbed this area before, and it was a bit late in the day, so we didn't bother with any actual climbing.
But it is a fun and rewarding climb for those with the time to do it, and though a few areas are a little strenuous, it is worth it for the amazing view at the top! There are also several easier walks around, as well as a few expert areas, so Myogi is a mountain with something to offer for everyone! There are also several shrines in the area, but I didn't bother visiting any others after Nukisaki.
We did do a quick staircase climb, but then headed back down to grab dinner and get home.
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