Mostly Japanese Mountains: Snowy 100 Famous Mountain, Mt. Azumaya in Nagano and Gunma Prefectures

Hello cave critters.

Had enough snow yet this year? I was hip deep the other day. It was great.

For my 81st (and probably) last hike of the year, I dropped by Mt. Azumaya for my second time. I was hoping to catch good weather since my last visit was marred by rain.

I was denied clear skies again. I will have to go a 3rd time, I guess.

. . . about Mt. Azumaya

It is most commonly known as Mt. Azumaya, 四阿山 but also Agatsuma, 吾妻山.

This 2,354-meter mountain is on Yuya Fukada's list of 100 Famous Mountains.

This is a dormant stratovolcano that is on the prefectural boundary between Nagano and Gunma.

Area:

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 Azumaya and its environs.

Starting and stopping point: 菅平牧場料金所 Sugadaira Farm Parking Lot

Peaks bagged: Koazumaya 小四阿山~ Nakaazumaya 中四阿山~ Azumaya 四阿山~ Neko 根子岳

(First-time) peaks # ----

Getting there/getting around:

Car

There are buses in the area. Sugadaira has a lot of ski areas. There are probably buses directly to the ski areas from Tokyo.

Helpful Info

Weather Information:

Tenkura weather forecast

Mountain forecast dot com's forecast

Time and distance

YAMAP's Estimate Time: 5:50 Distance: 9.5 km

The Caveman did it in Total Time: 5:40 Break time: :51 Distance: 12.8 km

Elevation: Lowest: 1,455 m Highest: 2,354 m Total Ascent: 1,153 m Total Descent: 1,153 m

Technical considerations/difficulty:

It's steep, as you would expect.

On this particular day, I was wearing chain spikes. For the most part, this was perfect. The snow was hip deep in places but, for the most part, the trail had already been walked on by enough people that I didn't sink it. I did have snowshoes with me, but didn't find them necessary for the most part. The only area I did think about putting on the snowshoes was the few hundred meters on either side of Mt. Neko. That peak had had less traffic, and I kept sinking into the snow. It is above the treeline there, and the wind was biting so I didn't want to stop to put on the snowshoes.

As I recall, the only ropes were on the descent from Mt. Neko.

Facilities:

Nothing on the trail. There is a restroom and some kind of store near the trailhead that are open during the summer months.

Thoughts/observations/recommendations:

I really want to get here on a clear day.

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

I can't think of anything special for this mountain. As general advice for hiking in winter, I recommend spare gloves and hats in case you drop something on the trail. Always have dry socks. Also, I think packing snowshoes and poles, just in case is a good idea.

Let's look at some pictures, shall we?

This parking lot is ¥300 and is about 15 minutes down the road from the trailhead. There is a parking lot up there, too, but it's not open in winter.

If you come by bus, you have to start hella far below this point.

Nice views early on. If only it were crystal clear.

I like the trail.

Near the top of Azumaya

. . . and in August . . .

The top

This is what it looks like in August.

Thanks to the trail being packed down a bit I didn't need my snowshoes. Spikes were enough.

It got quite blustery between Azumaya and Nekodake. There is a saddle barren of trees between them and the wind whips over it. This part of the trail isn't trafficked too much, so I sank in up to my waist a few times. Because of the wind, I didn't want to stop and put on my snowshoes. I just had to slog through it for a half hour or so.