Mostly Japanese Mountains

200 Famous Mountain, Hiking Exhilirating Mt. Hakkai in Niigata

. . . about Hakkaisan

Mt. Hakkai is located in Niigata Prefecture and is one of the 3 great mountains of the Echigo region. The other two being Mt. Echigokomagatake and Mt. Nakadake. Being near the coast of the Sea of Japan, the sea should be visible on a clear day.

It's one of Japan's 200 Famous Mountains.

Hakkai （八海山) literally translated is "Eight" "Sea" "Mountain." The mountain is considered sacred and there are even more than the usual number of shrines dotting the long string of peaks that comprise the mountain.

The ridgeline is very jagged and distinctly visible from a distance. The ridge is quite narrow and it is necessary to do a lot of climbing up and over huge boulders to traverse the ridge.

Mt. Hakkai is the water source for a famous brewery by the same name.

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 of Mt. Hakkai.

Starting and stopping point:

Hakkai Ropeway Parking Lot #2

Peaks bagged: I won't bother listing them. There were 10 altogether! My climbing app, YAMAP, names 6 of them.

(First-time) peaks # 1,041~1,047

Getting there/getting around:

I drove. That enabled me to get a nice, early start.

If you're coming from Tokyo, get the Joetsu Shinkansen to Echigo Yuzawa Station and then go on to Muikamachi Station on either the Joetsu Line or the Hokuhoku Line. From there, you can catch a bus to the Hakkai San Ropeway. It's about a 3-hour trip.

Helpful Info

Weather Information:

Forecast in Japanese

Time and distance

YAMAP's Estimate Time: 10:24 Distance: 18.6 km

The Caveman did it in Total Time: 8:18 Break time: :51 Distance: 18.9 km

Elevation: Lowest: 354 m Highest: 1,778 m Total Ascent: 1,712 m Total Descent: 1,712 m

Technical considerations/difficulty:

The best part of this hike is challenging and I would caution anyone with a paralyzing fear of heights not to bother. There is a tremendous number of sections that you need to climb with chains. Upper body strength is necessary. Some of those chained sections really are quite sheer with few footholds. The ridgeline at the top is razor-sharp in spots with steep, high drop-offs.

Shortening the hike to limit the physical exertion and level of risk is possible. Most people ride the ropeway to the top. (I didn't.) Hiking there added about 4 km (2.5 mi.) in distance and 800 m (.5 mi.) in elevation each way. Also, I assume some people turn back before the exciting part.

Here's a close-up of the spicy bit.

Facilities:

Of course, at the bottom, there is the ropeway. That's open basically from March to December, depending on the snow situation. The first ropeway is at 8, but hikers can board at 7 for an extra ¥500. There are restrooms there and a restaurant.

On the trail, there is one waterhole. There are a few shelters on the trail and two public toilets. (I didn't actually see them, but they are on the map.)

Here is the information on the ropeway.

Prices. It's not listed on this chart but according to the poster on the right, it seems like dogs can ride for ¥1,000. I'm not sure, though. I didn't notice this at the time and I didn't get enough of the poster into the picture.

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

Gloves and a helmet.

Let me subject you to one more map-type picture before getting onto the other pictures.

6:20, looking up at my destination.

The trailhead is just behind the ropeway.

This viewpoint is about a 5 minute walk from the ropeway. I think many day trippers go just this far.

There are a lot of statues up there.

I can't count the number of places with chains.

I also couldn't take pictures of the really scary spots. I needed both hands then!

This information was posted at each end of the dotted-line trail that went along the top of the ridge.

Mt. Echigo-Koma on the left, Mt. Naka, on the right and Mt. Hakkai make up the Echigosanzan--The Big Three of Echigo.

This is at the waterhole. It's just a small stream that runs right across the trail. It is potable.

Japan has so many flowers.

About 20 minutes down the road, I found this onsen. It's a hangout for the locals and was cheap. (¥500).

It smelled like an onsen should--like sulfur.

Map: Moegiensakurionsen

Website: moegien sakurionsen

Final Thoughts/observations/recommendations:

What can I say? It's a great mountain. Do it if you feel adventurous. If chains don't turn you on, try someplace else.

Be flexible. I really wasn't sure about my plans. I had wondered about using the ropeway or not. I wasn't 100% sure what time I'd arrive and whether I would need to take the ropeway up or not. As it turned out, I was quite early and decided to hike instead of waiting for it to open. I also wasn't 100% sure about the hike. I had read all these scary warnings (like I've written in this post!) and wasn't sure if I should go through with hiking over the top along the dotted line trail or not. I also wasn't sure about how far I could/should go. I usually beat the YAMAP time estimates by quite a bit when hiking. In places with a lot of chains and boulders with a lot of climbing, I tend to move closer to YAMAP's estimates so I was concerned about time. I made a tentative plan to go as far as Mt. Nyudo (入道山) but was prepared to cut the plan short if it was too much.

As it ended up, I was able to do everything I'd contemplated and was still back in my car by 3. If I had not been able to do that much, though, I wouldn't have felt bad.

After all, the real goal of climbing is not getting to the top. It's getting back to the bottom alive.

Want to see nearby Mt. Echigokomagatake? Check it out here.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Caveman out.

100 Famous Mountain, Mt. Shibutsu hike. No bears today!

. . . about Oze and Mt. Shibutsu

Oze is the name of a large National Park which spans parts of Fukushima, Niigata and Gunma. Oze is also the name of the smaller specific area where Mt. Shibutsu is. This area is home to beautiful high wetlands.

Area:

Location: Mt. Shibutsu

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 Shibutsu.

Starting and stopping point: Hatomachi Pass 鳩待峠

Peaks bagged: Koshibutsu (小至仏山) ~ Shibutsu (至仏山)

(First-time) peaks # 1,040 and 1,041

100 Famous Mountain peak # 52 (Shibutsu)

Getting there/getting around:

I drove and spent the night sleeping in my car at the Daiichi Oze Parking Lot . From there, you take a shuttle bus to the trailhead at the Hatomachi Pass. ¥1,300. Here is the bus schedule from that parking lot to the Hatomachi Toge. Note that its last day is November 3. Click on it to enlarge it.

There are various and sundry ways to get there by public transportation. Some people start by bus at Shinjuku's Basta. ("Basta" is short for "Bus Terminal". It's the highway bus station in Shinjuku. Others start by taking the Joetsu Shinkansen to Jomo Kogen Station.

This picture is a bus schedule for the Shinjuku Basta. That runs until October 19.

Helpful Info

Weather Information:

Tenkura (Japanese) Shibutsu Weather Forecast

(I was disappointed in this weather forecast this time.)

Time and distance

YAMAP's Estimate Time: 6:05 Distance: 10.7 km

The Caveman did it in Total Time: 4:28 Break time: :18 Distance: 10.9 km

Elevation: Lowest: 1,409 m Highest: 2,228 m Total Ascent: 897 m Total Descent: 897 m

Technical considerations/difficulty:

Some chains. Some scrambling. The rocks and the boardwalks can be slippery.

Facilities:

Nothing on the trail. The last restroom, etc. is at the Yamanohana Campground/Shibutsu Sanso.

There are a few streams that you cross but not all of the water is potable.

Thoughts/observations/recommendations:

Yet another beautiful mountain I have climbed but haven't seen. It started out foggy and misty in the morning and the weather just got worse from then on. I had planned on tacking two more peaks onto Shibutsu and Koshibutsu but deleted them from my plan because of the rain.

Weather can never be accounted for. I usually consult 2 or 3 weather forecasts and they almost never agree with each other. The forecast I linked in this report was calling for a perfect day. It was wrong. Thankfully, it wasn't cold. It was foggy and rainy, though. (Until I got down. Shortly after I got back and behind the wheel to head home, the sun came out and it got hot.)

Unless it's obvious there is a typhoon coming or some other inclement weather is obviously coming, I've come to, if not completely ignore, at least not let the weather~~man~~ weather~~girl~~ weatherperson stop me from hiking. I've hiked so many times when they have forecast rain only to be pleasantly surprised that they were wrong. On the other hand, there are many days like this one when they forecast clear skies but were wrong. It's a crap shoot. I get to see so much beautiful stuff when in the mountains. If the price of that is a rainy or foggy day sometimes, it just makes the nice days even nicer.

All that said, I do try to prepare for inclement weather when I'm out there.

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

. . . to be conscious of bears. There are a lot of bear sightings and attacks in Japan these days. Even in developed areas such as Tokyo! This pamphlet has some general advice. Sorry, it's in Japanese. It does say to be cautious in the early morning and at dusk. The area to be especially careful on this hike is around Yamanohana (山の鼻地区) in August. At the beginning of this hike, I hiked with a local for a while. He has climbed this mountain 10 times and told me that he has encountered bears twice. Each time, the bears ran across the trail in front of him and he was fine.

I am not a fan of bear bells, but I do try to make noise when I am alone. I will talk out loud or sing to announce my presence.

Also, don't forget some money. Parking costs ¥1,000. The bus also isn't free, either. It was ¥1,300 each way.

Picture time

What's up, cavepeeps? It's been a while since I blogged. I've exhausted all the mountains nearby and find myself needing to travel farther and farther in order to get to someplace new. I am still going to the mountains all the time, but mostly to places I've already been and I basically don't want to blog about the same place twice.

This hike was on Mt. Shibutsu in Oze. I went to Oze for the first time a month or two ago to climb Aizu Komagatake and Mt. Hiuchi. As the crow flies, the campground we stayed at last time is only about 25 km (15 milesish) from where I parked to climb Shibutsu. Driving between the two points on the winding roads would take about 3.5 to 4 hours, though.

This is what google earth thinks of my hike.

. . . and this is what youtube thinks

Here are some pictures:

This is the parking lot when I arrived around 10 pm. I decided to stay in the car overnight because I'd heard from other people that the parking lot can fill up by morning. It wasn't full when I got up, but since I'd spent the night there, I was able to get the first bus to the trailhead at 5:30.

The bus goes to Hatomachi Pass and the hike starts there.

This place is the Lucy Ozehatomachi by Hoshino Resorts. I looked at the t-shirts here when I finished the hike. The cheapest were ¥5,500! (About $37.)

The Caveman did not commemorate this hike with a t-shirt.

At the Hotomachi Pass.

There are a lot of boardwalks here to protect the wetlands.

This was as clear as it got all day and this was the only picture I got of a view.

I like chains.

It's not that far. I was actually surprised when I got to the top of Shibutsu.

Soon after that, I reached Koshibutsu.

The boardwalks didn't seem slippery, but I did slip and fall on my derriere once.

I wonder what the purpose of this measuring stick is. Is it like the measuring sticks I've seen in some convenience stores in dangerous neighborhoods? You know, the ones they put there so the clerk can give the police the correct height of the perpetrator after a robbery. Maybe this is to get a correct estimate of the size of a bear?

(FWIW, it does display the correct height. I checked myself against this stick and it showed the same height I get when Nurse Ratchet makes me stand on her stadiometer.)