Tengujyo Yama

Length: 1-2 hours Highest Point: 293m Facilities: No water or food available on the trail. There are drink vending machines in the Portopia Park near the start of the trail, and convenience stores on the main road nearby.

The view from the summit

Getting there Take the Kure Line train to Kure Portopia Station. As trains run approximately every 20 minutes, and the trail head is only a 5-10 min walk from the station, this is a very accessible hike. The Hike Coming out of Portopia Station, head to the left along the main road (right if you are coming out of the Portopia Park carpark with the sea behind you), and turn left at the first level crossing (the Hamasaki fumi kiri), just before a footbridge over the main road. Take the slightly downward sloping road to the right as the the road forks.
At the fork you can see the rocky outcrops at the top of Tengujyo-yama above. Pass under the elevated highway and go left - there is a small sign (in Japanese) directing you to the trail head on the concrete bank. Climb the steep steel staircase, go right at the top of the stairs to the until the path ends at some houses. Take the very narrow steps you see to your left.	Tengujyo Yama from below
Head up the concrete steps which soon give way to a dirt trail, and after about 10 minutes of walking you get your first glimpses over the sea to the south through openings in the trees. Another 5 minutes of steep walking and some scrambling brings you to some large rocks from where there is a view of the highway intersecting the sea and the residential area that gives way to rice terraces and then forested hills in one direction, and over the Portopia Park in another. Continuing on, the path dips in and out of pine trees and over rocky outcrops. I was carrying a one year old child in a backpack-style child carrier, and started to get a bit worried about some of the climbs up and around stretches of rock. It turned out that these stretches looked harder than they actually were, but if you are not confident moving over rock maybe leave the toddlers at home (especially in wet weather).
Just before the summit there is a lovely big flat rock that gives you a better view to the south (in fact you cannot see in this direction from the actual "summmit"), and views of Aki-no-ko-fuji on Niinoshima, and the quiet beaches on the backside of Miyajima as well as the higher mountains of Haegami and the collection of antennae on Norosan to the south east. A short walk further up the trail brings you to a rather sorry-looking sign that tells you that you are at the triangulation point at 293m, surrounded by bush and trees - no view. descend just a few meters and you come upon another, even larger flat rock from where the views over to the city are fantastic. It can be a little blustery, but it's great spot for sunbathing and picnicing - the walk back down isn't too bad so a couple of glasses of wine would go down nicely here - if you're carrying a baby that is!	The view south from halfway up The "summit"
We chose to head back down the way we had come, but it is possible to continue on over a couple of passes at 330m and 379m and returning along the Chugoku Nature Path taking in a 10m waterfall, though buses back to the coast are few and far between, meaning a 40-50 minute walk back to the nearest railway station along the road. Paul Walsh 10/2003 Click here for more hikes

Books at amazon.com Hiking in Japan: An Adventurer's Guide.. Lonely Planet Hiking in Japan Lonely Planet Japan