Mostly Japanese Mountains: #100meizan

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100 Famous Mountain, Mount Gassan in Yamagata. Snow fun in the summer!

S'up?

. . . about Mt. Gassan

Gassan (月山) translates to "Moon"-"Mountain". The Japanese consider this and two other nearby mountains to be sacred. The other two are Mt. Yudono and Mt. Haguro. Altogether the three compose what is called the Dewa Sanzan. There are beliefs about reincarnation, etc., involved. The name Gassan has something to do with worshiping the moon. At the top, there is a shrine which you have to pay to enter and also you need to be purified by the priest.

I'm a Catholic, so I wasn't into the whole purification ritual aspect. I would have paid for entrance, but that's where I would have drawn the line. I was probably too early because the shrine was closed and there was nobody there so it was a non-issue.

Gassan is not only on the list of 100 Famous Mountains, it's also on the list of 100 Famous Flower Mountains. I guess that's kind of like winning an Emmy and a Grammy--or is it an Oscar? I can't get any of those awards straight. Whatever. There are rare and beautiful flowers all over the place.

Area:

Gassan is in Yamagata (山形 "Mountain" "Shape") Prefecture in the Tohoku (東北 "East" "North") Region. Yamagata is known for lots of snowfall. They even ski in summer in some places.

Yamagata has great fruit. Cherries and Lafrance Pears are yummy.

Yonezawa Beef is to die for.

Read to the end to find out about the chili peppers!

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. Please note that there are several mountains in Japan named Gassan. This one is in Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture.

Starting and stopping point:

Ubasawa Parking Lot

See this link for information on another route, from the 8th Station on the Haguro side.

Peaks bagged:

姥が岳 (Ubagatake) ~ 柴森 (Saitomori) ~ 月山 (Gassan)

(First-time) peaks #1,117~1,119

(First-time) 100 Famous Mountain Peak #58

Getting there/getting around:

I drove. There is parking just below the Gassan Lift at the Ubasawa Parking Lot. It costs ¥1,000 in 2026.

There is bus service from either Sendai or Yamagata Stations. In both cases, it is a 2.5 hour trip and you have to change buses on the way. See the Mt. Gassan dot com access page.

Helpful Info

Weather Information:

Mt. Gassan's Tenkura (Japanese) Forecast

Mountain Forecast dot com (English) Forecast

Time and distance

YAMAP's Estimate Time: 6:25 Distance: 11.5 km

The Caveman did it in: Total Time: 4:51 Break time: :17 Distance: 11 km

Elevation: Lowest: 1,154 m Highest: 1,984 m* Total Ascent: 935 m Total Descent: 935 m

*(Truth in advertising....I thought the shrine at the top was the peak until I got home and realized I had stopped about 100 meters short of the top! I probably was about 20 meters below the top.)

Technical considerations/difficulty:

Not too difficult. In the snow, there is the possibility of slipping and sliding, but that was about the most concerning thing. There are no places you have to scramble and not much of it is very steep.

There were a few times I thought of putting on my chain spikes but there were wide areas barren of snow between the snow fields so I didn't bother. I did wish I had a snow axe once or twice; not to use for climbing, but to have as a brake in case I slipped.

I don't like poles, but if you like poles, this would be a good place to have them for descending through the snow.

Facilities:

There are a few lodges near the parking lot.

Near the top, there is a biomass toilet and accommodations at the Gassan Sancho Lodge. They are open from the end of June through September.

The lower portion of the trail crisscrosses the Ubasawa Stream in many spots and you can drink it.

Thoughts/observations/recommendations:

Great place. I'm glad I did it. If I had more time, I would have incorporated the other mountains of the Dewa Sanzan.

Be careful. There are bears in the area, and one was spotted on the trail a few hours after I finished my hike.

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

Bug spray

Sunscreen

Sunglasses

Bear spray

portable sled

chain spikes

Let's look at some pictures.

This is a picture I took the night before at the nearby Sagae Dam.

I can see why the moon might be an object of worship in the area.

On the trail around 5:45 in the am.

A bear was spotted in this area around noontime that day.

I did see reports of bear warnings in the area on my map, but the latest was in August, 2025.

That is the problem with bear warnings. They are inconsistent. I know from my app that someone saw a bear here on this day. I also know that he didn't report it to the authorities. The number of people who know of the sighting is limited just to the few people who read his particular report.

Did you notice the squiggly lines in the snow? Ski tracks.

I wish I remembered to bring a sled.

Heading up the hill to Mt. Ubagatake

Mt. Ubagatake

("Old Woman" "Peak")

The shrine at the top

The view from the parking lot

Miscellany:

Below the mountain, on Lake Gassan, you can find Japan's highest fountain! It's called the Gassan Lake Grand Fountain (DaiFunsui).

It is like Old Faithful. It goes off on the hour.

To be honest, I thought it was exceptionally lame.

One of the local specialties of nearby Nishikawa is hot peppers. In standard Japanese, chili peppers are called togarashi, 唐辛子, but in this area, they are called nanbako, なんばこ.

Mrs. Caveman and I first encountered these delicacies at a restaurant called, either Nomidokoro Matsu 呑み処松 or Hotel Kohaku. Whatever it's called, the food and atmosphere were good. I noticed several bottles of spices on the table. There was a QR code on the bottles. When I clicked on the QR code, it led me to this video showing the local mayor meeting the women producing the nanbako.

Can you guess why they wear goggles and masks?

Yes, the peppers are that hot! 😆🌶🌶🌶

The nanbako are on sale at the local Nishikawa Michinoeki. Note the expression of the poor, old lady in the picture. She's just tasted the nanboko.

That's all for today.

This is my 58th of the 100 Famous Mountains. I'm realizing I'm feeling a pull to complete all 100 of them and I find myself unconsciously planning the steps to do it. I'm not going to live forever and I will live in Japan for even less time. While I'm here, I want to take full advantage of the chance I have. ¥ is the issue. If you have it in you to help with the cause, I'd really appreciate it if you hit the Buy me a Coffee button and leave some cold, hard cash. That button is the yellow one at the top right of the page, just under the Caveman's visage. To complete all of the 100, I would need to take dozens of day trips and probably a month's worth of long, road trips. The cost of gas, tolls, lodging, etc. adds up. I will, happily, continue providing you with information and graphics that hopefully help you on your mountain journeys or at least give you some vicarious thrill from far away.

Before I say goodbye . . .

Have you subscribed?

Have you shared the Caveman's info with your friends?

Have you commented? (No, you haven't. Be honest.)

100 Famous Mountain, Mt. Zao in Miyagi. Beautiful volcanic crater.

S'up?

. . . about Mt. Zao (蔵王山)

Mt. Zao is the name given to a collection of peaks extending across the border line of Miyagi and Yamagata Prefectures. It is a place famous for skiing, snow monsters, onsens and beautiful scenery.

Area: Tohoku (東北)

Tohoku is the name of this region of Japan. "To," which sounds like "toe," means east, and "hoku" means north. This area of Japan is famous for agricultural products inland and for fish and seaweed along the coast. The western side of Yamagata is on the Sea of Japan and it's eastern edge borders Miyagi in the center of Honshu Island. Miyagi extends from there to the Pacific coast in the east. Much of Miyagi was devastated in the disaster on March 11, 2011. Perhaps you remember the names of places such as Sendai or Sanriku?

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 the Zao area.

Starting and stopping point:

Okama High Line Parking Lot

Peaks bagged: Mt. Katta (刈田岳 )and Mt. Kumanodake (熊野岳)

(First-time) peaks # 1,113~1,114

(100 Famous Mountains) peak # 58

Getting there/getting around:

I drove. There are buses also. Zao is a famous tourist destination so there are lots of ways to get there. You will often see skiing advertisements for Zao in Tokyo. If you want to go to Zao from Tokyo on public transportation, take the shinkansen to Yamagata and then transfer to a bus. You can get to Yamagata Station from Shinjuku by bus as well.

N.B. The public transportation options I just gave will bring you to the Yamagata side of Zao. I hiked from the Miyagi side. We also stayed on the Miyagi side at a great Airbnb in the Togattaonsen District.

Helpful Info

Weather Information:

Tenkura (Japanese)

Mountain Forecast (English)

Time and distance

YAMAP's Estimate Time: Distance:

The Caveman did it in: Total Time: Break time: Distance: km

Elevation: Lowest: m Highest: m Total Ascent: m Total Descent: m***

***This is a fairly easy walk. There is only an elevation change of about 200 meters and the distance is only about 5-6 km. I had Mrs. Caveman with me so went at a much more leisurely pace than normal. We spent about 3 hours taking in the scenery and enjoying ourselves.

Technical considerations/difficulty:

I guess in winter it would be a different story, but hiking here on a summer day could be done in sneakers and jeans.

Facilities:

The parking lot we started at has restrooms, a restaurant and a shop for souvenirs. It's the type of place tour buses use.

Thoughts/observations/recommendations:

So glad we did this. This was part of a four-day trip we took. We had basically 3 days in Miyagi. One we spent on the mountain followed by an onsen. On the other days, we dropped by a kokeshi doll museum (those are particular to Tokoku), we went to a bird museum of sorts called the Kotori Hausu, and on the same day, we checked out the Michinoku Public Park in Kawasaki was amazing. We also dropped into a fox Zao Fox Village. It's a giant fox zoo which you can walk through. The foxes are walking around freely. Not only that, but for ¥1,000, you can hold a baby fox and have a picture taken. They are really cute. On the way home, we drove through Sendai and then up to Matsushima. That part of the trip was a bit poignant for me. After the disaster in 2011, I volunteered in that area several times and on Sunday morning, we went to Mass at Shiogama Catholic Church, which was the base of volunteer operations. The volunteers would sleep on the floor of the Church and go out from there during the day to help with the cleanup. It was nice to see some of the locals and to see how the area has recovered in the past 15 years. Our final stop was Matsushima, a harbor with an amazing collection of islands strewn about it like dark jewels scattered on a light green carpet. Matsushima gained its title as part of the 日本３景　 (Nihon sankei), (Japanese 3 scenic spots) in a book written in 1643. It is something to see.

Here are some pictures: