Protecting Kurotaki Mountain for future generations. The first sunrise over the Seto Inland Sea

Follow the lantern light to the summit

January 1. In the darkness as the town falls silent, you breathe in the crisp, icy air and take one step, then another, aiming for the lantern lights visible from the foot of the mountain. This is how Tadanoumi’s New Year’s Day tradition quietly begins.
Kurotaki Mountain, with its beautiful views over the Seto Inland Sea, is a symbol of Tadanoumi and is affectionately known as “Kurotaki-san.” Every January 1, the “New Year’s Day Summit Pilgrimage” is held to view the first sunrise. At the top, along with a lion dance performance, local volunteers serve zenzai (sweet red bean soup), marmalade hot water, coffee, sweets, and more. As they snack, hikers wait eagerly for the first sunrise.

“Because I love Kurotaki Mountain”—a view kept alive by shared devotion

At about 266 meters above sea level, Kurotaki Mountain can be reached from Tadanoumi Station in around an hour. With a Kannon hall and 33 stone Buddhas scattered along the trail, it’s a popular spot for hikers thanks to its easy climb and many sights. The well-maintained paths, neatly pruned plants, and the ability to enjoy events like the “New Year’s Day Summit Pilgrimage” are all thanks to the volunteer group “Kurotaki Mountain Lovers Association,” founded in 1987. In 2025, it was recognized by Takehara City as a “landscape community-building organization” for its efforts to create and preserve beautiful scenery—giving lasting form to years of steady work.

“We want to preserve Kurotaki Mountain as the town’s symbol for future generations.” The members of the Kurotaki Mountain Lovers Association carry on that wish from those before them. Even as they face challenges like declining membership and an aging community, they continue their work with energy—simply because they love Kurotaki Mountain. For the New Year’s Day pilgrimage, they even carry 200 liters of water and barrels of sake up to the summit by hand. Cared for by people like this, Kurotaki Mountain welcomes the dawn again today.

Little by little, the sky begins to brighten. The night view that spread out during the climb fades, and the pitch-black sky turns purple, then blue, then orange. The changing scenery with the Seto Inland Sea right before you is breathtaking. With the sunrise, everyone joins in three cheers of “Banzai,” celebrating the start of a new year. “Congratulations, congratulations.” These greetings, exchanged here and there along with applause, are shared without regard for whether you know each other or not.