Mostly Japanese Mountains

S'up?

. . . about Mt. Mt. Tsurugi (剣山)

Mt. Tsurugi is one of two of the 100 Famous Mountains of Japan that are located on the island of Shikoku. At 1,755 meters, it is the second-highest mountain in western Japan. "Tsurugi" (剣) translates to "sword" or "blade." It has kick-butt views.

Area:

Tokushima City in Tokushima Prefecture on the island of Shikoku.

Location:

Map: ***If you want a link to the latest Yama to Kogen map, comment and I'll get you a link. This link is to a printable topo map of this area.

Starting and stopping point:

Chairlift Parking Lot

Peaks bagged: Tsurugi (剣山) and Jirougyuu (次郎笈)

(First-time) peaks # 1,086~1,087

100 Famous Mountain # 55

Getting there/getting around:

I drove.

There is a seasonal bus service from JR stations. Check out the Nishi Awa Tourism site for this and other useful information on the area.

Helpful Info

Weather Information:

In Japanese

English

Time and distance

YAMAP's Estimate Time: 5:08 Distance: 8.3 km

The Caveman did it in: Total Time: 4:53 Break time: :59 Distance: 8.6 km

Elevation: Lowest: 1,395 m Highest: 1,955 m Total Ascent: 836 m Total Descent: 836 m

Technical considerations/difficulty:

Pretty straightforward. I don't recall any chains or ladders.

Facilities:

Ropeway from mid-April through October

Free campsite near the top of the lift (Great spot!)

Tsurugisan Hut (Closed in winter)

Simple Hostel beside the temple near the bottom of the ropeway

Thoughts/observations/recommendations:

Wow, I am so glad with how this plan came together. I had this beautiful mountain all to myself on a crisp, clear winter day. The trail conditions were perfect and the views were spectacular. This mountain is certainly not as high as the ones in Yamanashi or Nagano but it is the highest one around and therefore offers the experience one gets on prominent mountains.

Do your research if you go in the winter. Make sure you're not planning on traveling a road which closes for the winter.

(Along with all the regular stuff such as maps, headlamps, boots, feet, and brains, . . .) don't forget:

Snow tires. I didn't see much snow on this entire 2,000 km roadtrip--except on the narrow, winding road up to the trailhead. I really needed snow tires (and 4WD) there. I read another guy's blog post about his attempt on the mountain the same week as I climbed it. Like me, he came from far away. The difference is that he didn't have snow tires and could not make the hike because his car wasn't ready. Poor guy.

Let's look at some pictures, shall we?

Down below, the plum blossoms, and even some sakura, are starting to bloom but it was below freezing on the mountain.

This is at the trailhead.

(Red in Japan is used sparingly. Only about danger or when someone is really mad.)

That red mark denotes Mt. Ishizuchi, about 45 km away. That mountain was my destination for a hike a few days after this hike.

A face only a cave mother could love.

The top is covered with boardwalks to protect the flora.

It's quite windy up there, so all the snow is blown away.

Getting near the top...

Looking toward Jirougyuu, the next peak.

Coming up to the top of Jirougyuu

Free camping site. Nice views!

Deer

"Iya River Headwaters"

That's enough for today.

Next, I need to work on a post about Mt. Ishizuchi. That was an even cooler trip than this was!

Thank you for your attention to this matter!

Caveman out

S'up?

. . . about Mt. Yanagisawanoto

This is a small peak beside Mt. Daibosatsurei overlooking Koshu City.

Area:

Route 411 here is called the Daibosatsurei Line because it winds its way past the 100 Famous Mountain Daibosatsurei. Heading south on the Daibosatsurei Line, you drive downhill toward Mt. Fuji and there are several overlook points to stop at for photo opps. There are also some restaurants and onsens that make for a nice driving experience. One of those restaurants is right at the Yanagisawa Pass.

Location:

Map: ***If you want a link to the latest Yama to Kogen map, comment and I'll get you a link. This link is to a printable topo map of Yanagisawanoto. (The name isn't on the map, but the elevation is. 1,671 m.

Starting and stopping point:

Yanagisawa Pass

Peaks bagged: Yanagisawanoto 柳沢の頭

(First-time) peaks # ---

Getting there/getting around: Car. There is a free parking lot on Route 411 at the Yanagisawa Pass

Helpful Info

Weather Information:

Yanagisawa Pass

Time and distance

Total Time: :49 Break time: :00 Distance: 2.2 km

Elevation: Lowest: 1,477 m Highest: 1,671 m Total Ascent: 193 m Total Descent: 193 m

Technical considerations/difficulty:

Easy walk in the woods.

Facilities:

The parking lot has a public restroom and there is a restaurant there.

Thoughts/observations/recommendations:

This is a nice little hike. I had done this years ago as part of a longer trek but on this day I was returning to Nagano from a hike in Okutama and wanted to experience this area a bit more while I could. This mountain, and nearby Hanzenoto, offer some nice views of Koshu and Yamanashi Cities as well as the Southern Alps.

I spent years picking my way through all the trails around here and it was nice to drop in again. Mt. Daibosatsurei never made it onto the blog because I had not started blogging when I hiked it. I heartily recommend doing it. I think I climbed it 5 or 6 times and every time, from whichever trail I took, was great. If you are into mountain flowers, I recommend attacking it from the south.

Here are some pics

I'll start with some pictures from the past. Looking over my records from the fall of 2020, I was really crazy about this area. In the space of three weeks, I made 4 trips out there and logged 90 km hiking. That's a lot considering I was riding a little 50 cc scooter about 3-4 hours each way just to get there!

I took this picture in November, 2020.