Tenjindo-goe Course
●Difficulty: Intermediate
●Walking Period: May to first snowfall
●Total Length: Approximately 9 km (Shimotera → Shiozaka → Yubara → Kuzuba Toge → Hiraiwa)
●Time Required: About 3 hours from south to north / About 3 hours 20 minutes from north to south
Highlights
●Climb up to the unique straw structures of the Mitsumine-Sama shrine
●Pay your respects at the Karasawa, Sunayama, and Neko-no-hana stone statue groupings
●Take a break under the shade of the giant Bokka Tochi-no-ki (Japanese horse chestnut tree)
●Circle the base of the imposing Hakuba Daibutsu (Great Buddha of Hakuba)
Please see the Japanese page for the course map.
Tenjindo translates to “road of the heavenly gods.” While that description may be a bit hyperbolic, there is some genuinely delightful trail here that preserves the essence of the past. The Chikuni-goe and Ishizaka-goe courses are never far from civilization, but the Tenjindo-goe Course creeps into quieter, more remote territory on a path that alternates between single-track, broad forest-lined dirt roads, and quiet paved lanes. The large clusters of delicate, purplish-pink katakuri (Japanese fawn lilies) that flank the route bloom in April and May, and add even more beauty and complexity to a landscape dotted with various remnants from the Shionomichi’s heyday. The views of Niigata’s Mt. Myojo and the Himekawa River Valley are breathtaking from the area around the Kuzuba Pass.
Elevation Profile
From the Tenjindo trail entrance, the path climbs uphill sharply, but overall the forest trail here is gentle, with gradual ascents and descents, and soft grass and leaves underfoot.
Access
By Car
Parking is available at the southern end of the course using the parking lot for JR Kita-Otari Station, while the Hiraiwa Ideyu-no-Hiroba parking lot can be used at the northern end.
By Train
Minami-Otari Station ← JR Oito Line → Kita-Otari Station ← 10 min walk → Michi-no-Eki Otari ← 10 min walk → Shima Onsen ← Shionomichi (Salt Road) → Yubara ← Shionomichi (Salt Road) → Nekohana Sekibutsu-gun ← Shionomichi (Salt Road) → Kuzuba Toge ← 30～50 min walk → Hiraiwa Station
Bus: about 20 min between Minami-Otari Station and Yubara. Taxis are also available from Minami-Otari Station.
Historical Landmarks & Points of Interest
-
Jo-no-Koshi
This broad, open pass sits just below the simple shrine dedicated to the Mitsumine-sama deity, and features stone benches, an old stone water basin, and statues of Dainichi Nyorai, the Cosmic Buddha.
-
Mitsumine-sama
Mitsumine-sama is revered as a deity for protection against fires and theft. Here, three conical straw shrines sitting on a small peak high above the valley floor house talismans imbued with the power of Mitsumine-sama to protect the residents below. 
-
Sunayama-no-Sekibutsu
-
Nekohana Sekibutsu-gun
This high bank flanking the Himekawa River used to be home to a teahouse, but now only a group of buddhist stone statues remain to tell the story of the Salt Road. 