The Rolling Hills of Soni Highland

What?
Soni Kogen (曽爾高原) is a man made highland deep inside Nara Prefecture (奈良県). The high season is in October and November when the valley and hills color golden yellow with Japanese pampas grass. Near the highland is a small farm garden, bakery and onsen to relax. For the more adventurous among us there are various hiking trails in the surroundings and a sort of survival course on the way from the small farm garden to the rolling hillsides.
Where?
Soni Kogen is located in Nara Prefecture, but to get there you need to go to Mie Prefecture first. Take the train from Kintetsu Namba (近鉄難波) in Osaka to Nabari Station (名張駅) where you need to transfer to a bus bound for Soni Kogen. The bus only rides in high season, which means in October and November. In low season you can take the bus to Tarouji (太郎治) which leaves you an additional walk of around an hour. It’s also possible to take a JR line, but in high season the special day tickets for Soni Kogen from Kintetsu Railways are far more profitable. They include the train rides to and from, the bus rides to and from, a discount coupon for the onsen and a free drink at the small farm garden!
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Visit Nara Kintetsu Railways

From the first time I saw pictures of the swaying Pampas grass on the rolling hill sides, Soni Kogen was high on my to do list. The difficulty to get there out of season without own wheels made that it took a little longer than expected though. Now I finally made it, what did I think of it?

First of all, it was a beautiful day. I expected swarms of day hikers. And while the bus was indeed packed, I must say that spread over the whole terrain, the amount of people didn’t seem that much. Ideally me and my friends would be alone, but the presence of other hikers didn’t bother me in the least.
And yes, the Pampas grass – or what remained of it (was I too late?) – was swaying beautifully, coloring the whole terrain a pale golden yellow. Climbing the stairs to a point upon the ridge, the view was appeasing, and while having lunch (brunch actually) I kind of wished to be sitting there all day. It seemed like a warm spring day; a picnic sheet, maybe a barbecue and a few beers would have been the way to go.
Making our way back down again, circling the small pond, crossing the gently rolling plain and walking along a short stroke of asphalt, our trip ended with a more than satisfying soak in the local onsen.

It's all manmade here.

Beautiful views though.

Ascending one hillside.

The small pond in the center of the terrain.

If you’re taking the bus, this course is almost the only one possible given the little time between the arrivals and departures. But truthfully speaking it could barely be called a walk, let alone a hike. Maybe a little far to make the trip all the way from Osaka just for that. However the surroundings seem to hide a few good hiking courses with an intriguingly shaped peak as orientation point. If the weather is as good as it was this time, I will definitely try to head for Soni Kogen on a warm spring day to tire on the mountain paths, enjoy the surrounding views and finally end up on the peaceful terrain that will now be an emerald green. And of course, a visit to the onsen will again be mandatory!