May 29, 2013 - 1 min read

Fastest Hike Up a Mountain Ever?

It's Mini Mii - Mt. Mii in Kakamigahara, Gifu

By Michelle Ishiki

Community writer

At the foot of Mt. Mii.Is it really a mountain?

Minutes away from the top.

I was hard to imagine a castle being built in such a small place.

The view from Mt. Mii (三井山) over looking western Kakamigahara

Mt. Kinka off to the right, two skyscrapers in downtown Gifu City off to the left, and the mountain range of Shiga Prefecture in the distance.

Sit back and enjoy the view.

The shrine at the summit.

Signs like this point out the tiered landscaping that encircled the castle grounds. Not all are still walkable.

I tried to capture how windy it was at the top. The sound of the trees being whipped around by the 10 mps winds even drowned out the sounds coming from the nearby contruction site.

An unexpected sight on the mountain. When they're flitting about they seem to be completely black. If you know what kind of butterfly it is, please tell me the comment section.

Mt. Mii in May. It looks like a mountain from this angle.

I thought Mt. Mii (三井山) in Kakamigahara should be called Mini Mii. The hike up only took 15 minutes. Its size didn’t diminish the experience though. At the top the only thing I could hear were the trees being lashed around by strong westerly wind. The view was surprisingly impressive. Across the way Gifu Castle was just a dot on top of Mt. Kinka, and much further off in the distance the mountain range of Shiga Prefecture loomed over Gifu City. “There really used to be a castle up here on this small piece of land?” The thought crossed my mind while I sat taking in the absence of the sounds of civilization.

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By Michelle Ishiki

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