Mostly Japanese Mountains

100 Famous Mountain, Mt. Iwate, an active volcano

(The parking lot at the trailhead was experiencing a veritable plague of locusts.)

S'up?

Mrs. Caveman and I went on a road trip around northern Tohoku ("northeastern area") and I got the chance to climb the highest mountain in Iwate Prefecture. Coincidentally, the mountain is named Iwate.

It was a great trip. I banged out 19 peaks, including 6 of the 100 Famous Mountains on this trip. I want to blog about those Tohoku hikes before going on my next trip tomorrow so this post may be less detailed than most.

. . . about Mt. Iwate (岩手山)

This very active volcano is on the list of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains as well as Tohoku's 100 Famous Mountains.

The characters in the name--岩 and 手--mean boulder and hand respectively. The legend behind the name is interesting.

Whichever route you choose, the lateral distance isn't very long, but the ascent is about 1,500 meters (almost a mile), so it's a taxing hike.

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.

Starting and stopping point:

御神坂登山口 Omisaka Parking Lot

Bear Information

kumamap

Peaks bagged: Iwate (岩手)

(First-time) peaks # 1130

100 Famous Mountain # 62

Getting there/getting around:

I drove.

There is no public transportation to this trailhead. You could take a taxi from Shizukuishi Station if you like.

Whichever trailhead you choose, it appears that you more likely than not will take a taxi in the end. Morioka Station is one station you'll probably pass through on the way.

Helpful Info

Weather Information:

Tenkura (Japanese)

Mountainforecast.com

Time and distance

YAMAP's Estimate Time: 8:49 Distance: 12

The Caveman did it in: Total Time: 5:54 Break time: :41 Distance: 12.1 km

Elevation: Lowest: 608 m Highest: 2,038 m Total Ascent: 1,525 m Total Descent: 1,525 m

Technical considerations/difficulty:

Steep

Facilities:

Emergency hut near the top

Thoughts/observations/recommendations:

Let's look at some pictures.

Looking up from the parking lot. Iwate is behind that ridge.

The flowers are out of control.

I had climbed Mt. Chokai in Yamagata a few days before this.

The yellow line shows the distance from Iwate to Chokai.

I hiked all of the places noted on the map during this trip.

Getting within sight!

Fudodaira Emergency Hut (不動平避難小屋)

This is posted inside this emergency hut, but this price list is actually for another hut, the Eight Station Emergency Hut (８合目避難小屋), which is about 500 meters to the east.

The rim is very cool.

This part of the mountain is very reminiscent of Mt. Fuji.

Actually, in distance and ascent, this hike is almost as strenuous as Mt. Fuji.

I climbed Hachimantai 4 days before this hike and would climb Mt. Iwaki the next day.

The top!

Dropped by a really nice onsen on the way home. I wish I could have taken pictures inside.

Yukotan no Mori

That's all for this one.

Stay tuned for more.

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

. . . a ready-to-go set for the onsen. I keep a change of clothes and towels in my car at all times.

Before I say goodbye . . .

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100 Famous Mountain, beautiful Mt. Hachimantai in Akita

S'up?

I was able to bag another of the 100 Famous Mountains yesterday. I don't feel like I accomplished much, though. Writing this blogpost will take considerable more time and effort than the hike did.

Mrs. Caveman and I are on a longish roadtrip around Tohoku. On this trip, we're (mostly she is) tracking the Christian martyrs and Hidden Christians and I am bagging peaks. Due to weather and time constraints, we decided to do Hachimantai from the shortest route in a short window when it wasn't raining too much. Sadly, because of the fog and clouds, I didn't see much. I also didn't break a sweat so I really don't feel like I climbed a mountain. On the other hand, I had one of the most beautiful mountains in the country all to myself so it wasn't a total loss.

. . . about Mt. Hachimantai

This mountain is listed on the 100 Famous Mountains of Japan, the 100 Famous Mountains of Tohoku and the 100 Flower Mountains of Japan. It is a relatively flat mountain on the prefectural boundary of Akita and Iwate Prefectures in the Tohoku (northeastern) region of Honshu. It's an active volcano and there are fumaroles and hot springs. You can smell sulfur around the mountain in several places and it's cool to see clouds of smoke rising out of the ground here and there. The top of the mountain features several ponds and marshes and the mountain flowers are pretty spectacular. One of the lakes experiences a phenomenon when the snow melts that makes the lake look like a dragon's eye. The Hachimantai Aspite Line Sightseeing road passes right by the top so it it possible to get to the top in a very short time walking on a trail constructed of stone.

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.

Starting and stopping point:

Hachimantai Resthouse Parking Lot

Peaks bagged: Hachimantai 八幡平

(First-time) peaks # 1,129

100 Famous Peak #61

Getting there/getting around:

I drove. The Hachimantai Aspite Line is open from April through early November.

There are buses in the hiking season from Morioka Station or from Kazuno-Hanawa Station. See Japan-guide.com for information on getting there from Tokyo. I think getting there from Tokyo would be about ¥20,000 each way. Ouch.

p.s. Have you noticed the Buy Me A Coffee link to the right? Don't be afraid to click it. It doesn't bite.