On the Akiha Kodo pilgrimage route to Bunkui-toge Pass

This tour leads along the old Akiba Kodo pilgrimage route from Kashio Onsen to the
Bunkui-toge Pass at 1424 metres. You will climb 790 metres in elevation. Apart from
the last section just before the top of the pass, however, the gradient is moderate so
that the route can be ridden without too much effort. On the way, you will pass the
Kitagawa outcrop of the Japan Median Tectonic Line. The different colours of the
exposed rock show you how two tectonic plates grind along side each other. A little
to the north, you will pass the Yatete-no-ki. This gigantic Sawara cypress was
probably planted 500 years ago during the wars of the Sengoku period by the side of
the Akiha Kodo pilgrimage trail. From the top of the pass at Bunkui-toge you have a
fantastic view of the northern valley of the Japan Median Tectonic Line. It is said that
the earth's magnetic field is lower here due to tectonic faults, which is why the pass
is one of the three most popular "power spots" in Japan.