Mostly Japanese Mountains: From the elegance of Swans to the fierceness of dragons, Fuji Five Lakes has got it all! Lake Motosuko loop.

Motosuko Loop

Yesterday I headed out to Lake Motosuko, the western-most of the Fuji Five Lakes. Enroute, I passed by Lake Yamanaka. That's where I met the swans.

When I got to Lake Motosu, the first mountain I climbed is called 龍ヶ岳 "Ryugatake"--"Dragon Peak". 　　That mountain is as cool as its name. I'll put more pictures of the swans at the end of this post.

Location: Lake Motosu, Kawaguchiko, Yamanashi

Starting and stopping point: Motosuko Parking Lot

Peaks bagged: Ryugatake Nakanokura Panoramadai Eboshidake Shiroyama

Getting there/getting around:

I drove. There are buses from Kawaguchiko Station in the east and from Fujinomiya Station in the south. It's not convenient for a day trip from Tokyo by public transportation.

Map: Yama to Kogen Chizu 32 FUJI-SAN MISAKA・ASHITAKA-YAMA 富士山　御坂・愛鷹山

Weather Information: Weather on Mt. Ryugatake

Time and distance

Total Time: 7 h 21 min Break time: 30 min

Distance: 19.2km

Elevation: Lowest: 901m Highest: 1,481m Total Ascent: 1,420m Total Descent: 1,422m

Technical considerations/difficulty:

Most of it is straightforward. The last bit between Eboshidake and Shiroyama has some bouldering on a narrow ridge. There are ropes in a few spots there. If you're bringing little kids or are easily scared of heights, I'd skip that area.

Facilities:

Nothing on the trail except for picnic benches on Ryugatake and at the Panoramadai. There is a great scenic lookout on the northside of the lake. You can get there from a parking lot below at the Koan Campground (northside) in just a half hour or so of hiking. Much of the road that goes around the lake is closed off in winter--including the portion passing by the Tent Mura part of the Koan Campground. On the south side of the lake is the Motosuko Campground. That campground opens in March.

Thoughts/observations/recommendations:

Wow! What a great time of year to do this. This is my 3rd time up Ryugatake but the views yesterday were far and away the best. The first time I climbed it last August was so cloudy that I cut my route short and came home early. Also, since it is so much the off-season, I had the mountains basically to myself.

Here is what the hike looked like. I'll put pictures further down. Fair warning; it is really hard to pare down the pictures from yesterday to a reasonable number!

In the morning at Lake Motosu.

It was difficult to make time. Fuji was behind me as I climbed in the morning and each step higher, it got better. It was hard not to keep stopping.

The Minami Alps, home of the 2nd-highest peak in the country, got a fresh coat of white last night.

The grass in the foreground is 笹 "sasa"--bamboo grass. Mt. Ryugatake has a lot of it. I'm grateful to the volunteers who come up here and maintain the trails by cutting it back. It makes for very slow-going when sasa is allowed to cover the trail.

Kitadake is the 2nd highest. I climbed that and Ainodake last year. That was a great trip.

After I climbed Ryugatake, I descended all the way back down to the lake before going up again. The trail up to Mt. Nakanokura passes through the Koan Tent Mura Campground Their English website has good information on access to the area.

Bus stop at the camp ground. Not many buses go there.

The picture used for the image on the ¥1,000 note was taken near here.

Motosuko and Mt. Fuji, the view on the old ¥1,000 note

The next few pictures are from the Panoramadai. I was there just 4 days previously. Both days were blessed with great views. I had this spot to myself yesterday. :-)

Last week's trek, and yesterday's were links in the chain of hiking all along the Fuji Five Lakes. With yesterday's hike, I completed the western four. I still need to link up with Lake Ashinoko in the east. That will take a while to complete that leg.