Mostly Japanese Mountains: September 2026

. . . about Mt. Satsuki

This is a local park adjacent to a residential area with lots of trails and things to see. There are playgrounds, viewpoints overlooking the airport and the bay, and even a golf course near the top. It's a great neighborhood place to hike.

Starting and stopping point:

Beward of Bears

Peaks bagged: Satsuki (五月山)

(First-time) peaks # 1,154

Getting there/getting around:

My car

S'up?

Mrs. Caveman and I went for a road trip to the Kansai Region. She was invited to attend a friend's wedding. Unfortunately (😉), the invitation was for only one, so I had to take solace by going hiking on my own. Drat. I hiked Mt. Rokko in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture. This trek marked the 29th of Japan's 47 prefectures that I have now hiked in.

. . . about Mt. Rokko

It is 931 meters high and overlooks Kobe, Osaka and Osaka Bay. It's one of Japan's 300 Famous Mountains and offers lots of beautiful views. The mountain is a bit of a symbol of the region and the Hanshin Tigers use the song Rokko Oroshi as one of their cheers. Rokko Oroshi is the term for the winds that whip down the Rokko Mountain Range.

Area: Kansai

People in Kansai are different than people in Tokyo, or areas closely associated with Tokyo. The area in Nagano that I live in is heavily influenced by the Tokyo flavor because we get a lot of vacationers and retirees from Tokyo here.

The difference is really immediately evident when driving or walking on the streets. As a rule, people in Tokyo obey traffic laws; particularly the ones pertaining to not honking their horns except to avert a collision or the proscriptions against jaywalking. Not so in Kansai! The first thing I noticed when driving here was the dude blaring his horn at me from behind when I was hesitating at an intersection. There was no grace given to this lost tourist despite my out-of-town, country-bumpkin license plate! I also noticed that pedestrians don't wait for the walk signal.

There are some different opinions about the differences in character. Some say that people in Kansai are rude and too direct. Some call their directness friendly. Some say they are honest and trustworthy because they don't put on airs and that people in Tokyo are phonies. I kind of like the Kansai character, myself. You pretty much know where you stand with people down there.

Location: Mt. Rokko Saikomine (Mt. Rokko, Highest Peak)

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:

虫地獄登山口 Parking Lot by Mushijigoku Trailhead

Beward of Bears

Bear Information kumamap

Peaks bagged: Mt. Iba (射場山 ) ~ Mt. Rokko Saikomine (六甲山最高峰) ~ Gohachimakiyama (後鉢巻山) ~ Atagoyama (愛宕山)

(First-time) peaks # 1,150~1,153

Getting there/getting around:

I drove. There are public transportation options, but I'm too lazy to look them up.

Helpful Info

Weather Information:

Tenkura (Japanese)

MountainForecast.com (English)

Time and distance

YAMAP's Estimate Time: 4:16 Distance: 9.1 km

The Caveman did it in: Total Time: 3:45 Break time: :22 Distance: 11.0 km

Elevation: Lowest: 410 m Highest: 931 m Total Ascent: 853 m Total Descent: 853 m

Technical considerations/difficulty:

Nothing to speak of

Facilities:

There are a lot of onsens, a bus, public restrooms, etc. It reminded me a bit of Mt. Takao.

Thoughts/observations/recommendations:

If I had more time in the area, I would try to get here on a very clear day and, or at night. It was a nice hike, but I was robbed of any really great views by the overcast skies. I was lucky that it wasn't raining as it's been a rainy September. Unfortunately, the sun didn't come out until I was finishing my hike!

There are several falls around here. I wish I found more of them. Apparently, I blew right by the Taiko Falls. (太鼓滝) That's too bad. I really wanted to see them.

Here are some pictures:

These benches are from Malaysia. They had something to do with the Osaka Expo in 2025.

The

Ropeway

(I didn't take it.)

Schedule and fares

The first peak.

Ibayama

トイレ=toilet

What is a trijet?

The top

I really should be better at deciphering bad translations of English.

For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what a "dampinng stick" could possibly be. I thought, perhaps it was a European word for some exotic stick. Then I read the Japanese carefully.

It basically reads "Cane Throw Away Box."

It's not a box for dampinng sticks. It is a box for 'dumping' walking sticks.

(The mind boggles. Why do you need a special place to throw away sticks in the forest???)

This is the entrance to Mushijigoku 虫地獄.

"Insect Hell"

Surprisingly, there were no bugs that I noticed.

Behind my parking lot was another little park with an overlook.

The Kamenoi Hotel Arima has a nice onsen that you can use for day use. ¥1,000 in 2026.

That's all for today. I'm busy scheming my next trip. There's a five-day weekend coming.

Before I say goodbye . . .

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Osaka’s Best Kept Secret: Why You Need to Hike Mt. Satsuki