EXPLORING THE BEAUTY OF KOMONO TOWN～Mountain,Aqua,Forest～

Today we headed to the beautiful town of Komono, home to not only one of the most famous mountains in Mie Prefecture but also the only place you can ski in Mie, Mt.Gozaisho! Mt.Gozaisho was our first destination of the day.
Daniel and I last visited Mt. Gozaisho in the winter of 2008 when we took our children sledding.I was excited to be able to come to Gozaisho for the first time in a while.

My name is Isis Akemi Muto, from Sao Paulo, Brazil.
I’ve been living in Mie Prefecture, Japan, for the past 23 years. Although I have been living in Mie for a long time, I’m ashamed to say that I don’t know much about the prefecture I live in.
So,recently, my husband and I started doing some day-trips around Mie.

Mt.Gozaisho is also well known by hikers from all over Japan. It’s one of the peaks of Suzuka Seven Mountains, and I’m sure it’s also the most visited among them, why do I think so?! Because the top of the mountain is not only reachable through hiking trails but also by Gozaisho Ropeway.
and that’s how we can easily reach the 1,212 m high mountain.

Mr. Higuchi, a staff member of the Gozaisho Ropeway, told us about the wonders of Mt. Gozaisho. After that explanation, it was finally time for us to board the cable car.
As you can see in the picture, my son and I were a little bit anxious. He’s afraid of heights, and over the years, I developed a fear of heights as well, but we were excited to see the amazing view from inside the the beautiful red ropeway gondola.　

Throughout the ride, we forgot our fear and just admired the scenery. And I pressed the camera shutter many times.When we visited, it wasn't the peak of fall foliage in Gozaisho, but the view of the mountains from the ropeway was still truly beautiful.

In some places, the floor is transparent and you can see the scenery from your feet. We even forgot our fear and felt lucky to see the scenery.

After almost a 15 minute ride, we got to the top, and right at the entrance, we found the resting area with some souvenir stands and restaurants.

We decided to explore the outside area first,so we went straight to the 1st observatory, Chouyoudai, where we found this torii. It’s no surprise to find toriis all over Japan, each town has at least one, however, this one seemed special for being at the top of a mountain, and it definitely gives the location an extra charm.

Quick stop to take a picture at this photo spot.

At the top of the mountain, we found a couple of easy hiking routes which didn’t require any special hiking gear.

We took just a couple of minutes walking to the east from the 1st observatory and got to Fujimiiwa(Fujimi-rock) Observatory and we were blessed to a spectacular view, clear sky with clouds above the city but not covering our view, in fact they gave the scenery a special touch.
The sign says that if the sky is clear with no clouds, we would be able to see Mt. Fuji, unfortunately, we weren’t so lucky.

Still, the view from this spot is just majestic! Layers of mountains to both sides and the view of the city in front of us. We were able to see the Pacific Ocean and some buildings in Nagoya in the distance.

A sign that winter is just around the corner, the snow. Soon, this place will be covered in white. One thing to be aware of when going to the top of the mountain is that the temperature is about 5 to 10 degrees cooler compared to the city.

We had planned to take a lift to the highest point of Mt. Gozaisho, but the wind was too strong, so we decided against it. This highest point is actually the border between Mie and Shiga prefectures, and from there you can see Lake Biwa, the largest lake in Japan. I would love to see that next time I come!

We had a couple of minutes left before we took the cable car back to the station so we went to Nature restaurant. Nature restaurant has been open since 2018 and it offers the visitors a 180 degrees view. The restaurant offers a variety of choices, but their specialty is highly recommended, Gozaisho curry udon noodles.

It’s such a beautiful view of the restaurant from outside.
This is a perfect place when you want to relax and get cozy in a warm enviroment, eating a delicious meal while enjoying the beautiful view.

Although we didn’t have time for a full meal, we wanted to have at least their special desserts, so my son chose the vanilla White Tower soft ice cream and my husband, the green soft ice cream made from Komono’s famous vegetable and seasonal ingredient, Makomo. We have never eaten makomo before so we couldn’t tell you the taste of it but my husband said that this soft ice cream had vanilla tastes mixed with something that resembles matcha and it was delicious.

We thanked Mr. Higuchi for the great sightseeing we just had. It’s no secret that Mt.Gozaisho is popular and beautiful during autumn and winter, but Mr. Higuchi told us that they have been trying to do events during spring and summer as well, so it doesn’t matter when you decide to come, I’m sure there will always be something to do or see on Mt.Gozaisho.

Gozaisho Ropeway
https://www.gozaisho.co.jp/en/
Yunoyama Onsen, Komono-chou, Mie-gun, Mie Prefecture　 TEL 059-392-2261

We had a quick lunch and headed to out next destination which took us only 7 minutes by car, Aquaignis. Aquaignis is a resort where you come to relax your mind and heal your soul. As soon as we got to the resort I understood where the name Aqua came from, reflecting pools around the resort giving the place a stunning design.

It even gives the illusion that the art gallery is flooding.

There are tables and chairs by the reflecting pool so you can calm your body and mind .
I think the water has this incredible therapeutic effect.

After recharging our energy, we met Ms. Urasima,a staff member of Aquaignis and she took us to the bakery of the top-ranked pastry chef, Mr. Hironobu Tsujiguchi, “Mariage de Farine”, which in French literally means “marriage of flour”. I guess the ingredients live up to its name since only high quality Japanese wheat is used to make the flour to give the delicious taste to the bread. I can’t wait to taste it.

Tourist attractions covered by this article