Mitarai Valley and Mount Kannon-mine

What?
The beautiful Mitarai Valley or Canyon (みたらい渓谷) walk more or less follows the Yamagami river and its pretty blue-green waters. At almost any point you can bathe your feet or more, and enjoy the many waterfalls and rapids from close by. Halfway the hiking course is the trail head towards Mount Kannon-mine (観音峯山). The top might not be worth the climb, but with an almost 360° panorama the viewing platform at 1285 meters is. Starting at Tenkawa Village (天川村), the hike ends at the very small town Dorogawa Onsen (洞川温泉), which is the same spot you need to be to visit the Menfudo Limestone Cave, so very easy to combine.
Where?
Mitarai Canyon is located in Nara Prefecture (奈良県) and is best reached from Osaka. Take the Kintetsu train from Osaka Abenobashi Station (大阪阿部野橋駅) towards Yoshino (吉野) and descend at Shimoichiguchi Station (下市口駅). Transfer to a bus bound for either Dorogawa Onsen or Nakaiosumi (中庵住). The start of the walk begins at the Tenkawa Kawai (天川川合) bus stop. Keep a look out for special discount tickets issued by Kintetsu, it will save you quite a yen.
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Leaving my place, I immediately wondered again why I was going hiking in the middle of Japan’s hot and humid summer. But then I reminded myself:
1/ if you take away the hot and humid months there is barely any hiking season left, and
2/ Mitarai Canyon is a very good summer getaway as it is up to 4 degrees cooler than in the city.
And so I began the long journey. To avoid miscommunication: the long journey on the train and bus. Because it takes quite a while to get there.

But upon arriving I was immediately happy with my choice as it was indeed cooler.
Pick up a copy of the map of the walk at the small roadside station next to the bus stop and be on your way. After veering to the right you need to turn left over a very small suspension bridge that can only take 5 people at the time. At this moment you are crossing the Amano river which will flow towards the Yamagami river.
Simply put: the walk will be like this: a beautiful river with mesmerizing rapids and waterfalls that you want to bathe in, combined with a whole lot of shabby bridges. When checking out my pictures after the hike, it was rivers and bridges, bridges and rivers.
Does that sound boring? Absolutely not. It was beautiful all the way, and if you take some water sandals and a towel with you, by all means hop into the emerald green waters and enjoy an even cooler summer.

This hike is the perfect family hike. It doesn’t take too long, there is not a lot of elevation change and a dip in the water is something everybody loves. At the end there is the allure of an onsen, and the Menfudo limestone cave with its small “torokko” train is right next to it. If you’re not fond of the long travel time: come by car and take the bus back from Dorogawa Onsen to Tenkawa Kawai. It saves you one hour one way.

Only five people allowed to cross simultaneously!

On the left runs the river.

If water could invite, this is how it does it.

The longest bridge - and most sturdy-looking one - of the hike.

For those who seek a little more challenge in their hikes, there is the climb to Mount Kannon-mine. The path up is steep and not the most interesting, existing mainly of cedar trees and man-made steps. But after a straining climb of a little over an hour, the reward is well worth it. The viewing platform ( the big one that is, the small one earlier in the hike only gives you a poor panorama of the surrounding trees) has sweeping views of the surrounding mountains in a rare patch of fresh green. It reminded me a bit of Mount Iwawaki, but less big of course. After reaching the viewing platform you can turn back as the real top is covered in trees and as such is no different from the whole walk up.
With this climb, the hiking course can be a fit for everyone’s likings, though if I had a picnic bag and some friends with me to share it, I would never have left the cool waters of the river.