Ohkura Community 大倉 in Hadano City 秦野市 is the main entrance to Tanzawa Mountains 丹沢. I guess some of you have visited there in order to climb up to Mt. Nabewari (ASL 1272.4m 鍋割山), Mt. Tonodake (ASL 1490.9m 塔ノ岳), Mt. Tanzawa (ASL 1567m 丹沢山), and beyond. The access is from the North Exit of Odakyu Shibusawa Station 小田急渋沢 where we take Kanachu Bus to Ohkura 神奈中バス大倉, the terminal stop (; the timetable is from here). From the stop there are many hiking courses to the peaks. As it is really a popular portal for Tanzawa, sometimes catching a return bus to Shibusawa Station can be an experience similar to riding Metro in downtown Tokyo. It’s not uncommon to wait for the second next bus at Ohkura Stop, especially around 16:00 in summer (; well, FYI, the timetable is here). The saving grace is, near the bus stop there are several food venues, like for soba noodle or ice cream. Besides, the bus stop is at the entrance to Togawa Prefectural Park of Kanagawa 神奈川県立戸川公園. This week I tell you my mini-adventure at Togawa Park. It’s a lovely place for family weekend.
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| Ohkura
terminal stop. On our right of this photo is the rest house where you can drop your hiking registration to Tanzawa area. Please report when you enter the mountains. In case you have an accident, the registration card will be a vital info for rescuers. |
As the location of Ohkura suggests, Togawa Park is spreading over hill-slopes of Tanzawa. In the middle, there runs Mizunahsi River 水無川 originating from Mt. Tonodake. Mizunashi River is the main river which have created an alluvial fun for a main part of downtown Hadano City. As I told you in my post for Shinseiko Lake 震生湖 on November 15 last year, the area is on the crushing point between the Philippines and North American Plates. Here, a gigantic force pushes up ancient gravel layers from the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. It makes the riverbed and banks of Mizunashi River sandy and porous for water seeping in easily. Consequently, the water flow looks few, if any, for Mizunashi River. It often turns into underground. Actually, “Mizunashi 水無” in Japanese means “No Water.” Togawa Park uses such feature of the river. On the very wide riverbed it equips BBQ space, kids’ playground, fields for baseball and the other sports. As long as the river is “dry” we can go very near to the shore. It’s a popular summering spot. Between April to November, we can have a BBQ party there; RSVP via internet only.
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| On the
riverbank they have a tea house, open 9:00-16:00 (the last order at 15:30), where we can enjoy Japanese maccha tea and sweets. The most expensive menu is 500 yen (USD 5). It’s a nice place. |
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| Traditional Japanese Garden at the tea house. |
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| The BBQ place, closed during winter. |
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| Kids’ planground. Beyond that are sports fields. |
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| Could
you see a sort of cobbled road running in the middle of the stream? It’s actually a bridge over Mizunashi River. Those on the right is the BBQ place. |
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| And
this is the photo taken from the bridge shown above. You see? Mizunashi River is really “Mizunashi.” |
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| Many roads in the Park is wide and well-managed. |
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| Pergolas
very near to the bus stop. We can use them to have a mini-break while you’re waiting for the next bus after your hiking. |
But the first thing we notice when we arrive at Ohkura bus stop must be a large but elegant suspension bridge over Mizunashi River. Its name is “Kaze-no-Tsuribashi (Bridge of Wind 風の吊り橋)” that is for pedestrian only. One of the standard routes to the main peaks of Tanzawa starts from here. We cross the bridge, turn left, and meet with (mostly) two roads; one via Togawa Forestry Road 戸川林道 climbing up to the peak of Mt. Tonodake, and another via San’no Toh 三ノ塔 (aka Mt. Bodai 菩提山, ASL 1204m) going the ridge way, with a view to the Pacific Ocean, to Mt. Tonodake. Anyway, many people notice at the end of the bridge, on the middle of the hill, there is a log house. It’s the Prefectural Mountaineering Sports Center 神奈川県山岳スポーツセンター. If you ponder to acquire proper skills of mountaineering for, say, Mt. Everest someday, this is the main entrance to such world.
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| Kaze-no-Tsuribashi |
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| A
picture taken from the Bridge towards Tanzawa Mountains. Could you see Togawa Forestry Road running along the River on the right of this photo? |
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| At the
end of the Bridge from the Bus Stop, there is this signpost. To the right is for the Tea House, Prefectural Mountaineering Sports Center, and an ample Parking space. To the left is to San’no Toh. |
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| If you
just pass the parking, we enter Ohkura Community where we can see Pacific Ocean … |
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| Opposite
direction from the above photo is to “the Front Ridgeway of Tanzawa.” This is the entrance to the hiking road to San’no Toh. |
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| Just
this point for San'no Toh, we can find this panel explaining wild animals of the area, and |
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| A pond where wild birds might congregate if you’re lucky. |
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| A shortcut
to the Prefectural Mountaineering Sports Center is going up this narrow road on the left of this photo. |
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| The Prefectural Mountaineering Sports Center |
Inside the Center, they have seminar rooms, a training gym, a kitchen, a dining room, and lodging facility. It also acts as the main office for Kanagawa Mountaineering Federation. Throughout a year, they have numerous seminars and training sessions for the mountaineering and sports climbing; their HP is here. Thanks to Tokyo 2020 Olympics Games, the interest into sports climbing is going up now. So, the Prefecture is currently updating the bouldering gym here. They plan to open the new facility by the end of March, in time for the opening of Tokyo Olympics Games (although 2020 Olympics match for Sports Climbing will be held at a temp venue in Tokyo Bay Area). Basically, the usage of the Prefectural Mountaineering Sports Center requires reservation via HP or phone at 0463-87-9025. But, if, say, there is a vacancy for accommodation on a day at 15:00, we can check in without reservation. It’s a Youth Hostel kind of place, 3140 yen per night, with showers (but no spa, we lament). We have to bring our pajama, towels, and toiletry with ourselves. Also, they do not sell food itself so that we have to bring our own food to cook in the kitchen. Their kitchen has stoves, pans, sinks, refrigerator, a microwave and dishes; but no oven (mind you, this is Japan). Especially during winter when the Federation does not have seminars, the place often has a vacancy. It may be a bargain.
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| 15m mobile climbing wall before the renewal. |
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| They
are having a heavy construction work now. Anyway, RSVP. |
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| Next
to the new wall, a new building is under construction now. May be it would be a gym with more walls. |
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| A drop
box for hiking registration next to the Center. You see? I took this photo around 15:30, and the inside of the box is this much full. (Normally, the police collect the cards once a day.) Many hikers passed by here … |
The Togawa Park has another main information center of the Prefecture. It is Hadano Visitor Center for Tanzawa-Oyama Quasi-national Park 丹沢大山国定公園・自然公園秦野ビジターセンター, open 9:00-16:30 daily except December 29-January 3. It’s right next to the ice-cream shop in front of the bus stop so that some of you may have known. The place has the latest information of hiking roads and nature of Tanzawa-Oyama area. When we enter there, we’ll be welcomed by mini libraries and nature museum on the left. On the right is the admin office. When you have any question about the Quasi-national Park, you can inquire there … I hope their English is improving. If you need to borrow binoculars, magnifying glass, and illustrated graphic books for the nature of Tanzawa, you may ask them: they rent, free of charge, such tools for nature observation (; you have to return them before the closing time). Every second and forth Saturday of a month, the rangers have a kids-friendly nature talk between 13:30-14:00, free of charge and no reservation necessary. You just pop in the museum area, and you’ll be the member for the talk. Besides those regular info services, they preside special events throughout the year. Please check the latest at their HP here.
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| Hadano Visitor Center for Tanzawa-Oyama Quasi-national Park |
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| Mini-museum for the nature of Tanzawa at the Visitor Center |
Paradoxically, it’s difficult to know Togawa Park as we’re always busy for weekend hiking in Tanzawa from Ohkura. But if we just stop running around, and take a deep breath looking Bridge of Wind and the Pacific Ocean over there, we’ll notice the Park is a comfortable place. Spring is coming and soon the Park will be full of tulips and cherry blossoms local volunteers are taking care of. BBQ will follow!
Mountaineering
Sports Center of Kanagawa Prefecture
神奈川県立山岳スポーツセンター
1392
Togawa Hadano, Kanagawa Prefecture, 259-1306
〒259-1306 秦野市戸川1392Phone:
0463-87-9025
Hadano
Visitor Center for Tanzawa-Oyama Quasi-national Park
丹沢大山国定公園・自然公園秦野ビジターセンター
1513
Horiyamashita, Hadano, Kanagawa Prefecture, 259-1304
〒259-1304 秦野市堀山下1513Phone: 0463-87-9300
If you find
environmental issues in Kanagawa Prefecture, please make a contact with
Kanagawa Natural Environment
Conservation Center 神奈川県自然環境保全センター
657 Nanasawa, Atsugi
City, 243-0121
〒243-0121 厚木市七沢657Phone: 046-248-0323
You can send an
enquiry to them by clicking the bottom line of their homepage at http://www.pref.kanagawa.jp/div/1644/
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