Mostly Japanese Mountains: The mountain whose nose is bent out of shape; Mt. Hanamagari. 鼻曲山　軽井沢・高崎

S'up?

I hiked on Mr. Hanamagari in Karuizawa the other day. It was great. Even though it was the last day of November and there were signs of frost and rime ice, it was warm enough that I could hike in a t-shirt.

The day before, I had hiked on Mt. Tsunoochi and was pumped that I could get a good view of that mountain from Mt. Hanamagari on this hike.

. . . about Hanamagari

This is a mountain on the prefectural line between Nagano and Gunma.

It's on the list of Shinshu's 100 Famous Mountains. The name means "nose" and "bend." Hmmmmm.

The word on the street is that it got its name because it looks like the nose of a tengu.

a red mask with a long nose and a beard (Provided by Tenor)

I've seen it from every angle and don't get that impression.

But I am not going to let my nose get bent out of shape about this.

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

Starting and stopping point:

Nagahinata Bus Stop

Peaks bagged: Hanamagari (鼻曲山)

(First-time) peaks # ---

Getting there/getting around:

I drove. There is really no parking space, but the side road next to the bus stop seems to get no traffic.

There is bus service. Buses run from Karuizawa to the Kusatsu Onsen. The first one passes by here about 10:50 am.

Helpful Info

Weather Information:

Hanamagari's Weather Forecast from Tenkura

Time and distance

YAMAP's Estimate Time: 6:55 Distance: 12.8 km

The Caveman did it in Total Time: 4:44 Break time: :35 Distance: 13.3 km

Elevation: Lowest: 1,151 m Highest: 1,655 m Total Ascent: 1,120 m Total Descent: 1,120 m

Technical considerations/difficulty:

Not too difficult. The first half of the approach to Hanamagari is on a gently sloping forest road. Then it's a bit steep.

On the other side of the peak, it is steep in spots but not too out of control.

Facilities:

Nothing

Thoughts/observations/recommendations:

I think the plan I went with probably wouldn't appeal to most people. I went over the top of Hanamagari and then down to the Jurokumagari Pass. My purpose in doing that was to connect the dots with a hike I had made before. This meant that the farthest point of my hike was actually a low point. I think most people would be more inclined either to go only as far as Mt. Hanamagari or to opt for climbing another of the adjacent peaks instead of descending to the pass like I did.

Hanamagari is a nice mountain that gives nice views of Asama, Asama Kakushi and Tsunoochi. I was particularly pleased to have good weather which enabled me to get a nice view of Mt. Tsunoochi which I had climbed the day before.

Let's look at some pictures.