Nijodake 二丈岳 Itoshima hiking and Mamushi Onsen まむしの湯 2018.8.19

Nijodake 二丈岳 Itoshima hiking &

Mamushi Onsen まむしの湯 2018.8.19

Nijodake is located in the Itoshima area of Fukuoka. Famous for its agriculture and beautiful coastline Itoshima is a wonderful place to visit in the summer. Nijodake is a greatly varied hike. Split into three sections; the first is a walk through farmland from Dainyu station to Yurarinko bridge, next from the bridge to Kamo Shrine and from to the top of Mt. Nijo. Each section is quite different from the other which helps keep the hike interesting and fresh. After hike you have the option of going down to the next station and visiting Mamushi onsen which is well worth it. 

Access: Take the Fukuoka city subway Kuko line to Meinohama use the JR Chikuhi line to get to JR Dainyu station 大入駅. From here it is about a 30-40 minute walk to Yurarinko bridge ゆらりんこ橋. Once you get to the bridge there is a car park with a map box. Itoshima provide maps for a lot of their hiking areas and they very detailed and useful so be sure to pick one up. Make sure you bring plenty of water as are no vending machines in the car park just a few around the station area. 

After getting off the train I crossed back over the tracks to get a look at the sea. The view right next to Dainyu station is quite impressive

After following road for a little while I crossed back over the tracks and started to head toward the mountain. After a short while I came to a small shrine and from there I followed the river toward Nijodake.

Following the river toward the mountain

Can you spot the snake?

Another small shrine

The land in this area is almost all farmland. The water coming from the mountain is used for the rice paddy fields.  This was the view of Nijodake from over the fields on the way up.

After a while I came to the car park for Yurarinko bridge. There are toilets here, a map board and a map box with free hiking maps. Next up it was across the bridge and on to section two of the hike.

After crossing the bridge it was easy to find the trail as there are plenty of signs and even one in English

Yurarinko bridge

For this section of the hike I covered a lot of terrain even going through a few streams. You basically need to follow the mountain stream up. This gives a nice atmosphere with the sound of running water and some waterfalls.

There are plenty of water sources alot this section. You can drink a lot of the rushing water. There is a also a place to get water at the shrine.  The terrain became a lot steeper as I moved away from the stream and a lot more rocky as well.

Kamo Shrine 加茂神社

As I approached Kamo Shrine the sound of rushing water died away. The shrine itself is not so interesting but it does serve as a good rest point and the hike it becomes steeper and a little more challenging after this point.

A good chance to refill your water bottle

Explanation of the water cycle on mountains

The road is more of a track with leads to the next point of the hike.

After a about 10 minutes of the track I came to a sign directing me back up into the forest. This is the steepest part of hike. It is a forested trail which leads to the summit.

A small frog

Forest trail

Steps to the last leg of the hike up

The summit of Nijodake 711m up. The view of Itoshima and the ocean are fantastic and well worth the hike up. If you climb onto one of the boulders you can get an even better view.

Summit marker

After taking in the view it was time to head down. The hike down took about an hour. After getting to the bottom I had a few minutes before the train so I went down to the beach to get a look at the coastline.

This final step is optional. Get back on the train and get off at the next stop JR Fukuyoshi 福吉駅 from here I walked about 20 or so minutes to Mamushi Onsen まむしの湯 named after the pit viper snakes which are famous in Japan.

The onsen has shampoo and body wash provided and you can borrow towels or 100 yen. They have a number of baths including green tea, red wine and a jacuzzi. A great way to relax after the hike. According to the flyer the Onsen is named after a famous monk got bitten by a Mamushi as was healed by the waters of the Onsen.