Mount Kunimi (国見山) is a 1409m peak close to the popular gateway to the Iya Valley, Oboke. Kunimizan is on the Shikoku Hyakkumeizan “100 Famous Mountains” list. It is a popular hike for the Japanese to do in winter although we walked it in autumn.
The full hike from Konpira Shrine is a 6km return with around 600m of elevation gain however the walk we did from the “half-way” parking was a 4km return hike with around 380m of elevation gain.
Key Information
Hike time: 2-3 hours return
Season: October (Autumn)
Trail-head: If you want to do the full walk start from Konpira Shrine 金比羅神社 (the trail stars on the bend opposite the shrine and is marked by a wooden post). If the road permits you can park and start half-way up following these stairs.
Suggested meeting point: Boke Mart supermarket
Fitness: Grade 1 – Easy | Technical: Grade A – Easy*
See how I rate my walks
Safety notes: The area is somewhat isolated and up quite a windy mountain road so make sure you’re carrying everything you need including a first aid kit and water. The access road may be subject to heavy snow or ice during, before or after winter. Like a lot of the Iya Valley access is best suited to kei cars. *Rating is based on the hike from half way, if walking the whole route I’d rate this as Grade 2-3 in terms of fitness.
Post Hike Report
If you’ve visiting the Iya Valley or Oboke Gorge with a car and are pressed for this is a nice little “undiscovered” hike. We hiked this one from the half-way point, as we were able to make it up with our kei car and the roads were clear. There is a parking and illustrated trail sign at the start. It was quite cold already in autumn so make sure you have the right gear event though this is a short one.
The trail is fairly gradual however there are a few short steep sections. it is easy to follow up and down though I still recommend you bring a map and trail hiking app. At the top you’ll find a very basic emergency shelter, if you need to stay the night, a dial marking nearby peaks, a shrine and a beautiful grassy area which was a nice place to sit for lunch.
Afterwards we headed to the nearby onsen at Hikyō-no-yu 祖谷渓温泉ホテル秘境の湯 which is a favourite of ours.
Packing and Preparation
Useful links
- Hike report on the Oboke Tourism site with photos
- Hike report in heavy snow
- Yamareco hike information