Tomidake (遠見岳) is a nice little (322.9m) mountain in Hisayama, Fukuoka prefecture. It’s only a short climb, but I think it’s a great way to spend a morning! The shrine at the trail head is a beauty and the peak has a good view.
The trail starts at Inotenshokodai Shrine (伊野天照皇大神宮). Although not particularly big, it’s such a pretty shrine. The shrine is by the Ino river and there’s a nice little waterfall (Iwai waterfall). The waterfall is famous for fireflies in the summer. I did this hike in Spring (March 8, 2020), but the fall leaves are beautiful here so I will return for another look!
It’s said that in the year 201, before the military invasion of Korean in the 3rd century, the empress Jingu looked out from the summit of Tomidake in the direction of the Korean Peninsula. Here she prayed for victory and refined her battle strategy. (this is my translation from the Hisayama website. It was a little difficult, so I apologize if there are any mistakes! Source.)
The “to” in Tomidake means far and the “mi” means see. If you look to the Northwest from the summit you can see Hakata bay and on a clear day the Aionoshima and Nokonoshima islands in the distance. The peak is not big, but there’s a bench and a hut with some benches and a table. It’s a great spot!
One part of the trail is narrow, but it’s mostly an easy climb to the top. There’s a nice little ridge to walk along with a bit of a view through the trees. It should take around 50 minutes up and 40 minutes down. If you wanted a longer hike, you could go down the other side to Ino dam and loop back to the shrine along the Ino river.
If you’re looking for something easy and under 2 hours, I definitely recommend Tomidake. As always I have a video. In this one I had a bit of fun, dressing up as Tanjiro from the manga series, Demon Slayer (kimetsu no yaiba).
You can find my activity data and trail map (with GPS track) here: https://yamap.com/activities/5788402
Inotenshokodai Shrine on Google Maps:
https://goo.gl/maps/oi21fNW8y1jukZrx8
The nearest bus stop to the shrine that I could find is Yama no Kami (山の神). It’s about a 25 minute walk to the shrine. From Hakata to Yama no Kami it takes around 55 minutes. https://goo.gl/maps/TFDKgtYqo55X7Gm57
There are many parking spaces at Ino Park by the shrine.
Thanks for reading/watching and I’ll see you in the next hike!
Kyushu Trail 