The Ontake Kodo is an ancient pilgrimage trail of the Ontake Faith, a unique mountain based Japanese religion which idolises Japan’s second highest volcano, Mount Ontake (3,067m), as the spiritual home of the faith. The faith was started in the late 1700’s and exploded in popularity towards the end of the Edo period (1603-1867). At its peak, there were millions of active, pilgrimaging believers. Though that number has gone way, way down, there are still tens of thousands of followers of the Ontake Faith, active today.

On this hike of the Ontake Kodo, we will start at Satomiya Shrine and pray to the gods at the top of the over 400 stairs. Then we will move on to Omata Sansha, where the three main gods of the faith, sit at the top of another unbelievably long and steep staircase. From there the hike begins in proper, as it winds through ancient forests, passing hundreds, if not thousands of stone monuments called reijinhi. These are monuments to the priests of each church who lead their pilgrims to Mount Ontake. Their bodies are not here, but here their souls reside. After arriving at a shrine named Junigongen, those feeling and strong can continue onto Hakkaisan Shrine. And those who are feeling tired can cut the hike shorter and begin the loop back down.

The loop down features two absolutely incredible waters. Shintaki Falls and Kiyotaki Falls are surely the highlights of the tour for most. These huge waterfalls are used by practitioners of the faith for something called takigyo. Takigyo is waterfall meditation or purification. It used to be that mountain monks would have to meditate everyday under these waterfalls for 75-100 days before they were allowed to climb Mount Ontake. Nowadays once is enough. These are truly sights that will stay with you.

Coming down after the waterfalls, you will finish the hike. This is about as far off of the beaten track as you can get in Japan and the mysterious Ontake Kodo is an amazing way to see so many aspects of Japanese beauty in one hike.