Let me preface this article by saying that this one is going to be quite different from my usual area guides. While I will certainly be detailing the significance of Mt. Omine and its ancient temple complex of Ominesan-ji throughout, this piece is also going to get quite… personal. If you just want to skip to the details on how to get to this sacred part of Nara and why you should visit, you can skip the parts about me and my spiritual quest on the mountain that are hidden behind the drop downs.
Assuming that you actually care enough to read the whole thing, know that this is going to be a really, really, really long post. I suggest settling in first, as the below sections contain some much-needed self-revelations. If you just want to skip to the nuts and bolts of how to tackle Mt. Omine and Ominesan-ji yourselves, though, know that I won’t be offended. Much of this one is first and foremost for me.
With that said, allow me to begin by telling you about my misogi this year…
A Twisted Soul
Read the Personal Parts of My Journey
For some time now, I’ve felt misaligned with whatever my higher purpose is in this world. Much like someone with a pronounced slouch from too much leisure time in front of the TV or computer screen, I’ve felt as if the skeletal contours of my soul have been all bent out of shape. Try as I might to rally against it, I found myself unable to see an escape from these mysterious forces of entropy.
As the months progressed, I noticed this poor “spiritual posture,” if you will, starting to worsen. Day by day, I watched as many of the things I touched professionally rotted away in my hands, and what used to work well for me started to fail. At first, I didn’t notice until the signs became too much to ignore. Then, I started to solve the problem with more and more effort, but this only led to worse outcomes and even further burnout.
Eventually, it dawned on me — the reason that everything was getting harder and more complex to juggle was ME. I was, out of a noxious mixture of pride, insecurity, vices, and lack of clarity on the direction, allowing this into my life. Though that much was clear, the question remained why? I knew I needed to find out before my reverse Midas touch turned everything around me into even more of a putrid mess.
The conundrum puzzled me. The overarching mission of serving Japan was supposed to be clear as day, so why was I feeling like I was caught at the bottom of a proverbial fish bowl? Despite doing what amounts to sprinting up the slippery sides of said bowl, I’d always find myself again at the bottom, defeated and in an even worse place than when I initially tried. It was clear that more effort and more elbow grease wasn’t the answer.
It was around this time that the nightmares started. I won’t get into the details as they are extremely personal, but the message is easy enough to surmise. Simply put, I had failed to live up to the person who I should have been and had been running from that failure for years. Burying myself in easy addictions like work and whatnot, I let that vision of myself slip further and further away as I distracted myself with whatever meager excuses I could find.
Now, it certainly wasn’t the case that I didn’t know what to do. If anything, I had too much information. I knew all about the biochemistry of fat oxidation, how to optimize sleep hygiene, what the optimal human diet likely was for someone of my genetic stock, etc. Moreover, I was being personally mentored by some of the best digital marketers on the planet, so why couldn’t I just put the damn pieces together?!?!
Utterly sleep deprived from the incessant nightmares that woke me almost hourly, I decided to dig deeper into the message that the dreams were trying to tell me. As I started to pry and poke at the tapestry of unknown trauma, I noticed one particularly painful strand. While it alone was not the entire cause of my misalignment, it was about as good of a lead as one could hope to find.
What was missing was obvious. Essentially, I was trying to take on a task that was way beyond where I was as a human being (though not beyond where I should have been if I had just done the work). Like a low-level character in a video game, I was trying to tackle a questline that was far outside the realm of what I was prepared for. I was not living up to the person I should have been and was suffering for it.
I needed to become a person of strength, not just of body (as I had indeed been slacking on the gym since the pandemic hit) but also of mind and spirit. I had no structure to my soul, no spiritual discipline if you will. Whenever competing priorities came up, I’d always opt for whatever enabled me to not feel the gap between what I was and who I should have been. I was great at amplifying others but not myself.
“Wanna grab a drink?” “Sure!” I’d say, sacrificing my health and well-being for some measly scraps of social validation from industry associates. “Donny… You’re the only one who can help with this marketing problem!” “Leave it to me!” I’d say with bravado, knowing very well that I’d only continue to burn the midnight oil and work 16-hour days just to get it all done but, hey, at least it was a distraction!
Likely, if it wasn’t the nonstop nightmares leading to no sleep, I never would have turned around to see just how far I had gone in the wrong direction trying to outrun my shame. After all, I was “crushing it” in the eyes of many! Forced to face the mirror of the past few years without the aid of something to numb away the sleep deprivation, it was clear as day what I needed to do. I had to be humble, accept that I had been fleeing from what destiny had in store for me, and do the work to be THAT GUY.
With that in mind, I set off for Nara’s Mt. Omine, a sacred site in the southern reaches of the prefecture that has long been used for spiritual training by the Yamabushi. It was high time that I got back to nature, and back to myself — not the me who had been burying his head in the sand for the last two years, but the me that I ought to be.
About Mt. Omine & Ominesan-ji
Alright, usually I open my articles by talking about the historical and cultural significance of the places that I write about. Alas, since this one is a bit of a break with my usual style, I’m going to need to shoehorn this in here quick for context. If you haven’t heard of Mt. Omine before, know that this sacred peak in Nara Prefecture is basically the birthplace of Shugendo, allegedly founded in the 7th century by En-no-Gyoja, the creator of Shugendo.
For over a millennium, Mt. Omine has been used as a place of spiritual training by those seeking to elevate their existence to new heights. The mountain is infamous for its so-called “Three Tests of Courage”: the Kanekawa-Iwa, the Nishi-no-Nozoki (shown above), and the Byodo-no-Iwa. Each of these feats brings those who attempt them close to death, and one must overcome their own fears in order to pass them. During my semi-solo training, I was able to do the first two, but the final one is reserved for special sessions only.
Mind you, not that I was upset — the Byodo-no-Iwa might very well be the most terrifying of the three. Essentially, you need to grasp a stone pillar and shimmy your way around it without falling to your death. Throughout the ordeal, your body is only supported by your own strength. What’s more, the monks who do it often undertake the test after a few days of fasting and other ascetic practices. The dangerous challenge is said to represent the balance and equality of all beings, as everyone faces the same daunting task regardless of status or background.
Trials aside, just Mt. Omine itself is a difficult climb. Essentially a four-hour trek through a vertical wooded hillside, the trip up will heavily tax your cardiovascular system, and that is before you even make it to where the Tests of Courage are located. Thereafter, you’ll have the long descent to look forward to too, an endeavor that will punish all of the small muscle groups that are involved in stability. When you account for the three Shugendo trials, it’s easy to see why Mt. Omine is not for the faint of heart.
For what it’s worth, Mt. Omine is actually one node on the Omine-okugakemichi Path that has been used for austere religious training for centuries. At over 170 kilometers long, this stretch connects Mt. Omine with Nara’s famous Mt. Yoshino as well as the rest of the Kumano Kodo. As you explore these ancient routes, you can viscerally feel the historical weight of the ages in the very air around you. It’s truly a remarkable experience all things considered.
How to Get There
Before we get any further into the logistics, let me first come outright and say that Mt. Omine is a mountain that is meant only for MEN. Even now, despite having garnered UNESCO World Heritage Status, the peak continues to deny entry to women. Though I know that times are indeed changin’ in the world these days, please be respectful and abide by this rule, no matter what you identify as, folks.
With that out of the way, let me state that Mt. Omine is NOT an easy place to get to. Secluded in the southernmost reaches of Nara Prefecture, Mt. Omine is anything but a convenient add-on. Those of you looking to take it on will need to budget at least a day and a half to do everything properly. Simply put, the logistics don’t work out well enough for anything else to be possible. As with any area in the Japanese countryside, do your due diligence to look up connections beforehand.
To begin with, you’re going to want to make your way down to Shimoichiguchi Station via the Kintetsu Line. As always, Jorudan or a similar service will be incredibly helpful here for calculating departure times. Once you arrive at Shimoichiguchi Station, you’ll then need to wait for a painfully infrequent bus to take you up to Dorogawa Onsen. This hot spring sits down at the base of Mt. Omine and has been a refuge for souls training on the mountain for centuries.
Before planning to tackle Mt. Omine, you’re going to want to ensure that you’ve booked a room at one of the town’s many Daranisuke. Part herbal medicine, part ryokan, these homely establishments open their doors to lodgers who are looking to take on Mt. Omine. In the typical style for inns of their kind, most of the rooms are large, shared spaces which a group of several people are expected to share.
While I guess the truly aggressive fools out there (like myself) could potentially take the first bus over to Dorogawa Onsen, climb Mt. Omine, and then make it back in time for the 5 PM-ish last bus, I can’t say I’d recommend it. Instead, do yourself a favor and reserve somewhere to stay at a Daranisuke. I must say, it’s kind of part of the whole experience…
What Only Mountains Can Tell You
Read the Personal Parts of My Journey
As some of you may know, this was not my first time doing this kind of training on one of Japan’s holy mountains. In 2019, I joined a session by the Yamabushi of the Dewa Sanzan. Though it occurred just right before the pandemic struck, one important lesson that I took away from that was the concept of Uketamo. Hard to translate into English, the general gist is that one ought to accept whatever the world throws at them, be it positive or negative.
As I started up the multi-kilometer long path to Mt. Omine, the notion of Uketamo was at the forefront of my mind. I knew I had to come to terms with and accept how my failure to be the person that I needed to be in many instances had led to my utter failing. What’s more, I also had to face the fact that I had been distracting myself by chasing the trappings of success like winning large new freelance projects when these only accomplished the task of stroking my ego as a marketer.
Putting one foot in front of the other, I slowly but steadily made my way up the over 1,700 meters to the summit of Mt. Omine. Putting one foot in front of the other, I poured over the last few years of my life with a fine-tooth comb. In retrospect, it’s all kinds of comedy. In far too many ways, I was trying to get some sort of result without actually doing the work to be the kind of person with enough strength of character to achieve it. As a result, I was either failing to live up to my potential when it comes to these types of trials entirely or avoiding them entirely.
On the other hand, where success was positive, I had been going all in. Much like a gym rat who only trains his biceps though, my failure to really develop the fundamental base I needed had led me to be pathetically weak in many other areas. Put another way, I was one of the best in Japan at taking a business and 10xing it with marketing, but I couldn’t do a damn thing for myself or anyone else outside of this niche area. I was completely out of balance and lacking the foundational strength of character needed to be who I ought to.
With the beads of sweat dripping down my face, I knew that I needed to Uketamo or “accept” both the weak and pathetic version of myself that I had allowed to germinate while also doing the same for the work that would be needed to be done to become who I could be. This wasn’t going to be easy. Mind you, I’m already an incredibly successful freelance marketer and content creator despite all of this. No, this next step was going to require that I go back to the source and rebuild.
Between the huffs and puffs (as well as the light-headedness that only an uphill climb can induce), I could see clearly how so many of the choices that I was making in life were because I wasn’t strong enough to make (or in some instances, see) the right one. Either I couldn’t say “no” when I needed to, or I was opting for something that made me feel better in the interim at the cost of long-term progress towards the goals that I purportedly held.
With all of these thoughts in my head, I resolved to Uketamo all of the times that I had been too weak to do what should have been done. Regret aside, there was likely nothing I could have done in the moment as I was limited by my own strength of character. These things were done, and brooding over them would not change anything. Simultaneously though, I needed to use this knowledge as fuel for the fire and Uketamo the path of resolution that was now starting to appear before me.
Mt. Omine’s Three Trials
“一緒に行こうか?” (“Let’s go together”) said the guide. To his credit, I probably looked like a lost tourist as I was staring at the map of Mt. Omine’s upper echelons. Truth be told, however, I was trying to mentally prepare myself for what was to come while also getting a sense of what to expect from here on out. Hearing the voice of, well… let’s call him Ikinari Sendatsu (meaning “Sudden Master”), I instinctively Uketamoed and accepted his offer to lead me across the trials of Mt. Omine.
The path from here on up was steep. It began with a grueling flight of stairs and then quickly devolved into a jagged cliff face that could only be scaled with the help of the iron chain. Despite appearing to be in his 50s or so, Ikinari Sendatsu easily clambered up these perilous passes with the grace of someone in their teens. Following in his agile footsteps, I grasped the chain firmly in my hand and hauled myself up behind him.
It was around this time that we encountered another troupe who had come to Mt. Omine to train. I would learn later that these folks hailed from Osaka and that they came yearly to Mt. Omine for a spiritual undertaking. As we climbed, our two groups merged into one, and we continued upwards towards the legendary three trials of Mt. Omine. Almost as if it were fated, Ikinari Sendatsu, the group from Osaka and I were all now on a spiritual quest together.
It was around then that I saw it, the fabled Kanekake-iwa. Essentially a vertical sheet of rock, this daunting slab was the first of Mt. Omine’s trio of trials. Designed to test the courage of those seeking to train their souls here on the mountain’s upper echelons, the Kanekake-iwa, as can be seen above, is no walk in the park. To scale it, climbers need to hold onto the chain for dear life while carefully shifting their feet from one small foothold to the next.
Honestly, had I not encountered Ikinari Sendatsu down at the lower sections of the mountain, I likely would have died on the Kanekake-iwa. Even with his guidance on how to manage my footwork, there was one potentially fatal mishap I had due to my poor flexibility (something else to Uketamo…) where I couldn’t get my leg where it needed to go. Had I not grasped the chain with the strength of someone about to breath his last labored breath, I might have never made it off the mountain.
Thankfully, I didn’t fall on the group who happened to join ours (thanks for the above photo, guys — maybe see you next year). As I crawled up the final bit of the cliff to safety, I breathed a temporary sigh of relief. However, a little way ahead of me was the second challenge, the Nishi-no-Nozoki. Perhaps the most famous of Mt. Omine’s three trials, this test involves being suspended over a precipice with only the Sendatsu and fellow trainees preventing you from falling.
The image earlier in this article this article should give you a sense of the scene, but to be honest, nothing I show or tell you will really convey how frightening the experience of the Nishi-no-Nozomi is. Put bluntly, you’re strewn over a sloping rock that already puts the fear of the divine into every fiber of your being. From there, you’re told to inch your way forward until your upper body sticks out over the 200-meter drop. With only the other members to hold you from falling, it’s the ultimate surrender.
Clasping my hands together in prayer, my impromptu Sendatsu shouted a ritualized prayer from behind me. Now trembling from only being held back from certain death by the men behind me, I was certainly terrified. “Will you respect your elders?” his voice bellowed. Meekly, trying to muster any courage I could, I shouted back as best I could. “Yes!” “I can’t hear you!” he retorted, letting me slip a little further towards oblivion. “Will you respect your elders?! Will you do your work diligently?! Will you avoid too much alcohol and playing around with women?” he boomed. “Yes! Yes! Yes!!!”
Read the Personal Parts of My Journey
Without the support of Ikinari Sendatsu and the other trainees holding my ankles, I’d have been a goner. Thanks to this, one important lesson that I took from the Nishi-no-Nozoki is that I need to stop going it alone. Ever since going freelance in 2021, I’ve largely turned inward, spending much of my time alone when not on calls. Those I do interact with are mostly playing NPC roles in the story of my life, playing out the part of company admins, waiters, etc. What’s been sorely missing is a party of other players (to go back to our video game metaphor) who have different talents but all work well together.
It’s not like I don’t have friends who are all doing great things like this, though. In fact, the guys I consider to be my brothers are all like this. Though cut from a different cloth when it comes to temperament, these fellow allies are just the type of people I need to be spending time with to build the base of consolidated strength I’ve been harping about throughout. Somehow, I managed to allow myself to get “too busy” to see them since going solo, likely because they would hold me accountable and immediately call me on my bullshit, but this too I Uketamo.
Having passed the Kanekake-iwa and the Nishi-no-Nozoki, I was now free to explore the emple grounds of Ominesan-ji. In case your wondering, the third test of Mt. Omine, the Byodo-no-Iwa or “Stone of Equality,” is a trial that is only available on special request. Seeing as this was originally intended to be a solo undertaking to dive deep into the recesses of my soul, I had not made the necessary arrangements with Ominesan-ji to undertake it. There’s scant information available online, but from what I can read, it’s the ultimate test of bravery and one I’m glad I didn’t have to endure.
With the Byodo-no-Iwa not possible for me to tackle this time, I instead just headed over to Ominesan-ji’s primary areas and explored the mountaintop temple complex. Though modest, the grounds are home to the main temple hall as well as a shukubo pilgrim’s lodging facility for those planning to spend the night up here. While I had somewhere booked in Dorogawa Onsen, I can only imagine what it must be like to lodge on top of this incredibly sacred mountain.
What Goes Up…
After completing two of the three trials of Mt. Omine, it soon dawned on me that I had only just now done a little under half of the course. Standing on the grounds of Ominesan-ji, I realized that I still had the three-hour descent back to Dorogawa Onsen in front of me. While the uphill is often thought of as the hard part of the climb because it taxes your cardiovascular system, it’s really the stress on your stability of the downhill that’s the challenge.
With little else to do but revert to my catchphrase of Uketamo, I tightened the straps of my rucksack, took one final look at the ethereal tendrils of fog inching down from the heavens, and started down the stone stairs (if you can even call them that). Just as when I did the Ogumotori-goe on the Kumano Kodo in 2023, this was going to be a grueling exercise in the proverbial pain cave.
Read the Personal Parts of My Journey
To tell you the truth, the journey back down Mt. Omine was actually the perfect test of courage for me after my revelations on the way up and during the mountain’s trials. While the uphill hike is all about generating enough power to haul yourself up, the trip down requires a different kind of strength. Simply put, each step was the perfect expression of what my now weary body needed to learn. First, I needed to trust in my own strength when it came to having enough stability to support my weight. With little other recourse, this necessitated both believing in myself completely while also relying on a steady, controlled effort.
Unlike with the climb up Mt. Omine, where gusto and passionate bursts of self-admiration could get the job done, the trip down the sacred peak was all about trusting myself and employing a cool determination and focus over a prolonged period of time. With every step potentially my last, this environment proved to be a potent way of hammering home what Mt. Omine was trying to teach me—I had to accept the work that needed to be done and get to doing it.
To develop the foundation that I was lacking in order to be my best self, I was going to have to show up time and time again for years on end. A few frenzied fasts, bouts in the gym or the occasional meditation session was not going to create the kind of rock-solid foundation that I needed to be the person I needed to be. No, this was going to take steady and concerted effort over time, just like the way down from Mt. Omine.
Other Nearby Attractions
If my ramblings about my trials on Mt. Omine have somehow piqued your masochistic interests, know that I really cannot recommend the mountain enough to my fellow male readers. While the ladies out there are going to need to default to the nearby Mt. Sanjo for their Shugendo needs, I highly suggest any of the guys out there consider adding Mt. Omine to their next Japan itinerary. Especially if you have something you need to work through, it’s bound to be an experience.
If you’re going to come all the way out to this part of Nara Prefecture, you’d do well to see a few more sights before heading back to Osaka or Kyoto. For starters, a night in the hot spring hamlet of Dorogawa Onsen is a great way to experience the area in its entirety. There are a number of places where you can lodge for the night after your ordeal, so take a look and book whichever one tickles your fancy.
Outside of the immediate vicinity of Mt. Omine, you’ll also want to consider checking out Mt. Yoshino and Kinpusen-ji. Though this area is best known for being Japan’s top cherry blossom spot, Mt. Yoshino is actually intrinsically tied to the practice of Shugendo and Mt. Omine thanks to the Omine-okugakemichi Path. Thus, even if you aren’t visiting during the springtime (Mt. Omine is only open from May), it’s worth stopping by.
Finally, for those of you with your own set of wheels, the nearby Mitarai Valley is a wonderful specimen of natural beauty. Though also at its best when Mt. Omine is closed to climbers, this hidden gem is worth checking out if you have the time and aren’t already too sore from tackling the challenges of Mt. Omine. That said, it’s a shame the Mt. Omine is only open for training when the nearby season allures aren’t around.
Until next time travelers…
