Mount Utsubuki

What it is

• A 204-meter mountain also known as Hakoniwa Fuji or Hoki no Kofuji.
• Site of Utsubuki Castle which was originally built during the Muromachi period.
• Utsubuki Park was established at the former castle site in 1904.
• The mountain is a designated part of the Chugoku Nature Trail.

What to see

• Hase-dera Temple and Kurayoshi Shrine are located on the mountain slopes.
• The Hiryukaku building was constructed in 1904 for the Crown Prince.
• Over 220 species of trees including evergreen broad-leaved Castanopsis sieboldii.
• Local wildlife including the Rhacophorus arboreus frog species.
• Geological formations consisting primarily of rhyolite from the Cretaceous period.

Notes written by Japan Gems from facts in Japanese Wikipedia.