The Shirakami Sanchi is inscribed in UNESCO’s World Natural Heritage Site that covers an area from Aomori to Akita Prefecture.
In 1993 the Shirakami-Sanchi Mountain Range (白神山
地, Shirakami Sanchi) was inscribed in UNESCO’S World
Natural Heritage Site. The Shirakami-Sanchi mountain
range covers 130,000 hectares, which reaches both the
Aomori and Akita prefectures in the northern Tohoku
region. On the eastern side it is bordered by the Tsugaru
Quasi-National Park. It is a primeval beech forest, which
was abundant in Japan until World War II when many of
the trees were cut down because beech was not useful
as lumber. This makes the Shirakami-Sanchi one of the
last natural beech forests in East Asia today. This can be
due to the fact that continental glaciation did not happen
in the area two million years ago. The remnants of the
beech forests have covered the hills of the Shirakami
Sanchi for eight to twelve thousand years. Some of the
things to do in the Shirakami-Sanchi are traversing
through the various hiking trails that go to different parts
of the forest.
The most popular hike is to the Anmon Falls where it is
located on the northeastern side of the mountain range.
Anmon Falls refers to a set of three waterfalls that are 90
minutes into the valley from the trailhead; however, this
trail is closed from late November to late April. Another
trail people can venture into is the Juniko, Twelve Lakes,
which are a collection of small lakes and ponds that are
connected by hiking trails. Even though the name
translates to twelve lakes there are actually 33 lakes and
the trail goes to the biggest ones. In this area you have
the opportunity to do a scenic hiking trip and camp
around the lakes while going fishing or boating. The
Aoike pond in the Juniko has blue water that seems
unnatural, which is not the case, and gives a bewitching
atmosphere. The pond’s blue color changes to different
shades, which depends on the light levels making it an
even better attraction.
Near the entrance to the Juniko is the Nihon Canyon. It is
like the Grand Canyon, but on a much smaller scale with
walls of vibrant brown and grey. The Juniko and Nihon
Canyon are not accessible from late November to March.
The best season to go to these places is in the summer
when the water in the rivers are plenty or in the autumn
when the leaves are tinted in red. There is a 33-meter
waterfall called Niogataki. It is said that when it is freezes
it will look like hay stack (Nio). There is a belief that
depending on the size and shape of the frozen falls will
determine whether it will be a good or bad harvest. The
Niogataki Waterfall Ice Festival continues the tradition of
Shinto prayers and ritual divinations during the festivities
as well as having live performances.
Tohoku | Aomori | Shirakami Mountains
Shirakami Mountains Hiking
Shirakami Mountains is an extensive mountain range straddling over southwest part of Aomori prefecture and northwest part of Akita prefecture.