Uma No Se — Attraction in Kobe

If you like tough hikes with stunning views, this is for you.

Uma No Se is a saddleback ridge between two peaks. It sits on a well worn hiking route between Itayado and the Tainohata Park (roughly). The approach is either with a teasingly gentle ascent past a shrine, or by looking up 250 metres worth of stairs and thinking, 'What have I agreed to?'

Either way, stick with the course, because you are in for a treat.

The trail leads through some beautiful woodland with frequent places to pause and marvel at the Inland Sea, or out across the plains further inland. There are some particularly pleasant spots to break for a snack.

The ridge itself involves steep stairs, rocky pathways and a 25 metre or so pathway which is cliff-edge steep on either side. Good shoes are a must, stowing the camera in your bag essential. Also be polite and considerate when on the stairs and paths as there are a lot of mixed ability walkers, from OAPs to small kids, the nimble to those who need a bit of help.

This is a stunning trail, and the ridge is the absolute icing on the cake. If you like your hill walking, and are up for a challenge, I highly recommend setting aside 4-5 hours and enjoying...

So this place is absolutely beautiful and it goes from a forest hike into rough cliffs and some small technical rough climbing as you'll need to use chains to help you ascend and most definitely descend.

When you get to the rocky ridge, it all becomes worth it though, the wind finally hits you and you get to see the ocean view.

From the Myohoji station, there is a bus that will take you close to the trailhead.

I wouldn't recommend this unless you were a fairly seasoned hiker.

Also stick to the main paths, there are some side paths that are absolutely brutal and downright dangerous if you don't have some mountaineering experience because of the extremely...

Beautiful natural sight spot and shows Japanese traditional mountain scene. It look like horse’s back so that it’s called Umanose (uma: horse, se: back).

I met a nice young guy from Germany and hiked together from Umanose to Takakuradai-5. Sharing cultural experiences and differences between Japanese and German while we went through the beautiful sights was really nice. Thank you so much and hope to...