Shimonita is a small town of about 7,000 souls in Gunma. It is just to the east of Mt. Arafune near the prefectural boundary with Nagano. It's famous for konyaku (devil's tongue) and Welsh onions. These hills are not very high but they are rugged and offer the chance for hiking in solitude.
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 Topo map centered on Mt. Akiya
Elevation:Lowest: 440 m Highest: 940 m Total Ascent: 573 m Total Descent: 573 m
Technical considerations/difficulty:
A lot of this hike is slow and tedious. There are no improvements on the trail such as boardwalks or stairways. Much of it is steep with very loose walking surfaces. There are very few things to grab onto if you lose your footing so the chances of slipping and falling are always a concern. You really need a GPS and good sense to stay on track as the trail is difficult to discern. There are pink ribbons along the trail but sometimes they are difficult to spot and these hills get so little foot traffic that it is hard to tell the difference between human hiking trails and animal trails.
Facilities:
Nothing. The stream by the road is suitable for drinking. (At least I hope it is!)
Thoughts/observations/recommendations:
I wouldn't go out of my way to put this on my bucketlist if it wasn't so close to my home. It just met my needs for this particular day. I wanted a shorter hike because I had something to do in the afternoon.
Here are some stats and pictures.
The tunnel between Nagano and Gunma
Looking east across Gunma to Tochigi
To the north is Myogi
Looking west to Arafune, the long flat mountain in the picture.
Arafune is flat because the andesite rock on the top is resistant to erosion.
Its name means a kind of ship. It's thought to resemble an aircraft carrier.
The highest point looks like the bow of a ship.
Myogi again.
It's just so cool looking.
There are some caves on the way to Akiya from the road.
This collection of mountains on the border of Hokuto City and Kai City is at the extreme western end of a series of mountain ranges that extends far to the east into Saitama and Tokyo. It overlooks a valley which encompasses Nirasaki City and much of Hokuto City. The 360 degree panorama at the top of Kayagatake takes in Mizugaki, Kinpu, Mt. Fuji, parts of the Southern, Central and Northern Alps and Yatsugatake.
Kanagatake (金が岳) means gold or money + peak. Kayagatake (茅ヶ岳) means something like grass + peak.
Kayagatake has the sad honor of being the spot where Kyuya Fukada, author of the 100 Famous Mountains of Japan, passed away from a stroke in 1971.
Mt. Kayagatake is one of the mountains listed as one of the 200 Famous Mountains of Japan.
Area:
Hokuto and Kai, Yamanashi Prefecture
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.
Elevation:Lowest: 976 m Highest: 1,764 m Total Ascent: 961 m Total Descent: 961 m
Technical considerations/difficulty:
This is not terribly high so it is not above the treeline. As it is at the edge of a valley, though, the wind was surprisingly biting.
On the approach to Kanagatake, there are a few spots with ropes and steep slopes I would discourage slipping down.
The trail descending from Kayagatake and Ozue is not used very much and was covered with fallen leaves. This is a bit nerve-racking because it makes for a slippery walk over ground where you can't see what you're stepping on.
Facilities:
Nothing. No waterholes, either.
Thoughts/observations/recommendations:
I can't believe I didn't realize that I was hiking on the mountain where Mr. Fukada passed away until after coming home. I am sure I had heard the name of this mountain before but it just didn't ring a bell when I was there. If I was aware of the significance of this mountain I most definitely would have dropped by his gravesite.
I didn't encounter many people on the first or second halves of my hike but in the middle--the peak of Kayagatake, I was surprised at the large crowd on the peak. I'm sure that Mr. Fukada's memory drew many of them. (I'll bet most of them came by bus and therefore used a different trail than I did which would account for the scarcity of people I met while hiking.)
This is what the mountains look like from the road.
The trailhead is near an intersection of a forestry road and a road that goes past the CamppicaAkeno Campground. There is no parking lot near there.
Forgive me for having so many pictures of Fuji. There were so many great viewpoints.
My original plan for the day actually was to be playing in that snow in the foreground but I encountered a road closure on the way to the trailhead. Thankfully, I had a backup plan just in case.
I found this spot interesting because of the ropes and the unusual moss. The ropes up high on the left side of this picture are a barrier so nobody falls off into the abyss that is on the left side of the ridge.
Looking west and southwest
First peak of the day. I hadn't encountered anyone else until just after this peak.
The top of Kayagatake
There were probably 50 people on the top! I was really surprised.
No one seemed to use the trail I descended on.
The last peak I hit doesn't even have a sign.
It's not really that cold! For some reason, the mercury didn't show up in the picture. It was fairly warm. Probably in the low 40s. (About 10 Celsius)
The trail passes through the Akenomura Senbon Sakura Park for a short while before joining the forestry road.
I was too shy to take a picture up close. Those two guys are hunters. You can't see the others, but there were probably 25-50 hunters congregated around all their vehicles. I only talked to them for a minute--just enough to get them to tell me that they were hunting either boar or deer.
I had so many questions I wish I'd asked. For one, I didn't see any guns. I also didn't see any dogs. I don't know how you actively hunt without a gun. I had heard a dog barking throughout the day so I thought it might have been part of a hunting party.
I also was interested in what kind of group it was. I noticed from the license plates that they were from all over Japan.
I was also surprised that there were several cute girls wearing the orange jackets. I never would have expected that in Japan.
This poor girl . . .
I encountered this bitch (for that is indeed the correct term for a female dog) on my last 10 minutes or so of walking. At first, I thought it might be a hunting dog because of all the hunting going on and because she had a rather large collar. I assumed it had some kind of tracking device. She walked more or less with me until I got to my car and I left her.
I don't really like dogs--but this one was nice.
I hope she wasn't lost and that she her owner were reunited. I was not sure if I should do anything or what I could do. It was in the middle of nowhere.
Here are a few more labeled pictures for any of you who are curious.
This is one of the 100 Famous Mountains listed by Yuyu Kukada. Jonendake is on the Panorama Ginza Trail that has spectacular views of the other mountains of the Kita Alps. Nearby is Mt. Chogatake, which is also on the Panorama Ginza. Both mountains are served by lodges during the green seasons. These mountains are fairly accessible year-round unlike the rest of the Kita Alps which are only accessible during non-snowy seasons without a *lot* of walking.
Map: ***The Caveman is giving up on posting links to Yama to Kogen maps. They go out of date after a year or so and the links die. If you want a link to their latest map, comment and I'll get you a link to their latest map of the area.
Peaks bagged: 前常念岳(Maejonendake) ~ 常念岳(Jonendake) ~ 蝶槍(Choyari) ~ 蝶ヶ岳(Chogatake)
(First-time) peaks # 976~978
100 Famous Mountain # 46 Jonendake
Getting there/getting around:
I drove. The closest parking is at the 三股駐車場トイレ (Mimata Parking Lot Toilet), about 15 minutes walk from the trailhead. There are two other parking lots further away down the road if that one is full.
If you're coming by public transportation, the nearest train station is Toyoshina (豊科駅)Station on the Oito Line(大糸線). A taxi will take 40-50 minutes from there. You can also get there by taxi from Hotaka Station (穂高駅). The rate schedule is here. That taxi company does have an English page but the rate schedule is in Japanese.
The road from the Holiday Yu to the Mimata Parking Lot closes at the end of November. It is possible to hike to these mountains from the Holiday Yu but it is an additional 8 km. I don't think that would make a day trip feasible at tall. Taxis are available to the Holiday Yu by the same taxi company linked above. It's much cheaper to go only to the Holiday Yu.
Total Time: 11:00 Break time: 1:04 Distance: 16.5 km
Elevation:Lowest: 1,278 m Highest: 2,857 m Total Ascent: 2,086 m Total Descent: 2,086 m
Technical considerations/difficulty:
It's steep. There aren't too many ropes, chains or ladders but there are a lot of boulders and there are many places where you need both hands and feet to climb. Much of this hike is above the tree line so it's imperative to have protection from the wind.
It's not easy to make time so be prepared for a long day. I generally move faster than most people but I still averaged only about one mile per hour on this hike. It is tiring too, so I rested longer than usual.
The majority of people come to this area for a two-day trip and stay at one of the local lodges such as Jonen Goya Lodge or the Chogatake Lodge (蝶ヶ岳ヒュッテ) . If you want to do the whole Panorama Ginza (from Mt. Tsubakuro to Chogatake), it's a 3-4 day trip.
Facilities:
Toilets at all the parking lots. Bring water (not for the toilets, for drinking. 😉)
Thoughts/observations/recommendations:
They say revenge is a dish best served cold. It is true in this case. I was thwarted in my first attempt at Jonendake but I was able to get my revenge in the snow.
I am so glad I was able to bang this out on the last weekend the road was open. I was able to get some great views of the Alps and play a little in the snow before it gets too deep.
I had tried shooting for Jonendake a few months ago but turned back at Maejonen. I had camped at the Susado Campground the night before and it just poured all night long. I got a late start in the morning after cleaning up my wet camping gear. On the hike, the weather went bad again so I turned back. I realized from that experience that an early start was imperative for this hike. The funny thing is that this time I started from home and was on the trail 2-3 hours earlier than I was in the summer. Of course, that meant getting up at 3:30 am. 😔
This is about 6 minutes long. That's a lifetime in our ADHD world.
Here are some pictures.
So, in the middle of the night, I bent over to look at my foot as I slipped it into my pants leg to see this situation.
Don't tell Mrs. Caveman. She'd be scandalized if she knew I still decided to wear these pants for the day. In the dark, it didn't look this bad. Also, I was not anticipating seeing more than 5~10 people at most all day, anyway. And besides, I wear bullet-proof underwear.
Speaking of Mrs. Caveman, she really does have woman's intuition. She's been asking me for the past few weeks if a new pair of hiking pants wouldn't be a bad Christmas present.
I had been telling her that I was ok on the hiking pants front. On this particular morning, I starting thinking I should change my mind.
On top of the draft in the rear, I managed to rip a hole in the knee on the trail that day, too.
That settles it. I know what I need to ask Mrs. Claus for Christmas.
Enough about me. I'm sure you'd rather see some pictures of the mountains.
I was worried about the weather. The weather forecasts I'd looked at all conflicted. Even though it was a crisp, clear starry sky at home when I left, I encountered clouds and rain on the way. Thankfully the mountains had only gotten snow.
What a pleasant start to the day.
The first peak, Mt. Maejonen.
I think these are from Ptarmigan. (Thunderbirds)
Looking down on the Jonen Lodge
The top of Jonen
From Jonen to Chogatake, I was almost alone. There was another hiker close behind me (I hope he wasn't looking at my butt) but nobody had preceded me. It was nice to walk on fresh snow.
The ridge to Chogatake
Mt. Choyari
Choyari means butterfly-spear
🎵The hills are alive 🎶
The top of Chogatake
Campsite by the Chogatake Lodge.
This was 2 pm. It was 20 degrees f (about -5 degrees C). I imagine these people had a long, cold day and night ahead of them since all their hard work was already done for the day.
I finished about 5:30--after sunset. I got to use my headlamp.
That's all for today.
Make sure you subscribe so you know when I post.
Feel free to comment.
If you want to see more of the Kita Alps, check out my hike around Kamikochi and Hotaka.💯💯💯
