Inatori Hosono Highlands: silver grass in autumn
A 125-hectare upland above Inatori where pampas grass (susuki) turns silver and gold from October to November.
Above the fishing town of Inatori, the Hosono highlands spread over about 125 hectares of rolling upland at 400 to 700 metres. The plateau is covered in susuki, Japanese pampas grass, which turns silver and then gold in autumn, with Sagami Bay below.
When
The grass is at its best from mid-October to November, when a pampas grass festival is held and an admission fee is charged (figures of ¥300 to ¥500 have been reported; check the current year). In spring the highlands are burned, like Mount Omuro, to keep the grassland open.
Walking
Paths wind through the grass, and fit walkers can climb Mount Mitsuji (821 m) for a view over the fields and the bay.
Stay in Inatori to make a day of it: see Hamanoyu.
