Mt. Ibuki of 100 Famous Mountains Fame

Mt. Ibuki from the Ibukiuyama Driveway

 

What's up, everybody?

I took a loooong drive to Shiga Prefecture last weekend and conquered another of the 100 Famous Mountains, Mt. Ibuki.  Since it is so far away and the "hike" to the top of Mt. Ibuki is so short, I spent the first half of the day hiking other mountains around Lake Yogo about 40 minutes away.  I'll write a separate post about that hike.

. . . about Mt. Ibuki (伊吹山)

Mt. Ibuki, at 1,377 meters, is the highest point in Shiga Prefecture.  It is the most prominent mountain in the area and dominates its surroundings.  One side of it faces Sekigahara, the scene of one of the most important battles in Japanese history.  The west side of it faces Lake Biwa, Japan's largest lake, and beyond that, Tsuruga Bay.  The word Ibuki can be translated as breath, and one of the theories for the mountain's name is that the strong winds coming off the peak are like the breath of the mountain.  Another theory is that the mist and fog at the top are the breath of a god.  

My favorite theory is "it's just been called that since ancient times."

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.  

Starting and stopping point: Ibukiyamasancho Parking Lot

Peaks bagged: 伊吹山 (Mt. Ibuki)

(First-time) peaks # 1,079

(100 Famous Mountain) peak #54

Getting there/getting around:  

I drove.  These days, the only access to the mountain is on the aforementioned Ibuki Driveway (伊吹山ドライブウェイ).  That is a toll road and (in 2025) costs ¥3,400.  In season, it's usually open 8 am to 7 pm.  For some of July and August, it's open 24 hours.  November 25 was their last business day this year.  The Ibuki Driveway's starts here at the Ibukiyama Toll Booth (伊吹山ドライブウェイ料金所).

If you want to get there by public transportation, google it.  I think you'll get better information from there than from me!  Bus Company websites are really difficult to puzzle through.  Sorry.

Helpful Info

Weather Information: 

Mt. Ibuki Weather (Japanese)

Mt. Ibuki Weather (Mountain Forecast dot com)

Time and distance

Not really worth mentioning.  Due to the trail being wiped out a few years ago, the only option for hiking is to start at the end of the Ibuki Driveway just a 20~30 walk from the top.  I meandered a little more slowly than usual and walked further than I needed to and still only logged about 3 km (about 2 mi.) and was back in the car in about an hour.

Technical considerations/difficulty:  

Nothing to note, really.  It is the most prominent peak in the area and it's all above the treeline, so it could get cold and windy in inclement weather.  One of the trails could become slippery.

Even though it's a short walk, some of the footing is a bit tricky.  I wouldn't wear sandals but I did see many people in sneakers.  I was glad that I had my boots on because there was a fair amount of mud on one of the trails I used. 

Facilities:  

What doesn't it have?  Give shops, restaurants, and restrooms.  One thing I was happy to find was a station to clean your boots.

Thoughts/observations/recommendations:  

This is a really nice mountain and would be great for people who never climb mountains.  I'd say this would be a nice spot for a date, or for a day out with your young grandchildren.  It's not physically taxing and not dangerous.  I think of this as more of a tourist spot than as a proper hiking experience.  It is beautiful--but there is so much commerce going on at or near the top and there are a lot of people who aren't cavepeople like me.

If you're a caveperson like me, I wouldn't come here without pairing it with some other mountains in mind for the same trip.  I spent the first half of this day circumambulating Lake Yogo about 40 minutes to the west.  The two hikes made for a great trip!

During some dates in July and August, the Ibuki Driveway is open all night and they will allow you to sleep in your car at the top parking lot.  I think it would be a nice place to go and see the sunrise from.  Check the Ibuki Driveway's website's FAQ for the dates.  

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

. . . cash or credit card for the Ibuki Yama Driveway Toll.  They don't take anything else for payment.  Your ETC won't work.

Let's look at some graphic stuff.

You'll notice from the screenshot that the hike, illustrated by the blue line, is only near the top of the mountain.  I always feel like cheating when I drive or take a ropeway to the top but it absolutely can't be avoided these days on Mt. Ibuki.  Drats.

More pics:

The drive up was pretty.

That's the top

The trail from the parking lot starts here.

The Nishi (West) Trail is the easiest to walk on.

That's all for today.

Be sure to check the first part of the day's activities at this post about Lake Yogo (余呉湖).

Lake Yogo hike

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Caveman out

Mt. Rokuman and Mt. Sashio in Ishikawa

 

Mt. Haku

Area:  Mt. Haku vicinity.  Haku City in Ishikawa Prefecture in the Hokuriku Region.

Location:  Ichinose Visitor's Center ~ Mt. Rokuman ~ Mt. Sashio ~ Betto Deai

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

Starting and stopping point: 

Ichinose Visitor's Center Hakusan City, Ishikawa Prefecture

Peaks bagged: Mt. Rokuman (六万山) ~ Mt. Sashio (指尾山)

(First-time) peaks # 1,068 and 1,069

Getting there/getting around:  

I drove and slept in my car.  

It is possible to get there by public transportation in 4~5 hours from Tokyo or Osaka.  See this link for details.  Special note should be taken of the season when looking at the transportation options.  The actual date for closing the Visitor's Center and the access road to Betto Deai changes "according to snow."  (There was no snow at all when I went there but I missed the closing for the season by a day or two.)  Call ahead if you plan to go after about the middle of November.

Helpful Info

Weather Information: 

Mt. Bessan Weather Report 別山天気予報 (Mt. Bessan is the nearest mountain weather forecast from Tenkura.)

Time and distance

YAMAP's Estimate Time:  6:49    Distance: 12.5 km

The Caveman did it in Total Time: 5:23  Break time: :42  Distance: 13 km  

Elevation:  Lowest: 816 m Highest: 1,666 m Total Ascent: 1,006 m Total Descent: 1,006 m

Technical considerations/difficulty:  

Some places are steep.  There are stairs that are really as steep as ladders.

Facilities:  

The Ichinose Visitor's Center seems nice--but is already buttoned-up tight for the winter so I don't know what it looks like inside.  There is nothing on the trail.  Betto Deai has a very large parking lot (and shuttle service between there and Ichinose during the green seasons) but also is closed up for the season already.

Thoughts/observations/recommendations:  

If you can get here, by all means, do it.

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

. . .  to double and triple check the transportation situation.  I stupidly assumed that, since the access road was open on the Friday before the Sunday I went, it would still be open for me.  No such luck.

Let's look at some pictures

I drove 4 hours or so to get there, just to find this about 5 km before my final destination--the parking lot at Betto Deai.

The road had just been closed for the season.  

Because of a tight schedule in the afternoon after the hike, I wouldn't be able to 

carry out my planned hike and would have to choose something shorter.

I drove back to the parking lot at The Ichinose Visitor's Center and slept in the car.

It was not too cold when I woke up.  38 Fahrenheit is 3 degrees Celsius.

This is the same spot from the picture from the night before.  My hike would take me up the road for a while.

The trailhead

Nice

The marker on the top of Mt. Rokuman.  Not too exciting.

The top of Mt. Sashio with Mt. Haku in the background.

Kamisori Iwa (カミソリ岩) "Razor Boulder"

The day's snowball

Finishing the forest portion of the hike and arriving at Betto Deai.

From here I still have 5~6 km to go, but it was on the road.

The sign announces this as part of the Hakusan National Park.

Bridge is out of order

Betto Deai

As I got lower, the colors got better.  The leaves at higher and colder elevations were gone for the most part.

This monument is just before the Ichinose Visitor's Center

At the end of my hike, I had lunch in a small park behind the visitor's center overlooking the Tedori River.

After the hike, I drove to Kanazawa and stopped to do some sightseeing along the way.

The first place I stopped was the Hyakumangan no Iwa.

This rock is supposed to weigh about 5,000 tons.

Then, I dropped into a really cool village called Shiramine.

This is the Shiramine Onsen Soyu.

After my ablutions, I wandered around a bit.  It wasn't all bad that my initial plan of tackling Hakusan was thwarted.  If I had climbed it, I would not have had any daylight at all to do any sightseeing and this was my first time in Ishikawa.  (I still want to climb Hakusan sometime, though!)

This little hamlet is called Shiramine, which means "white-peak."  It's a section of a city called Hakusan, which means "white-mountain."  Clever, ain't it?

There are a lot of historical buildings and markers here.  It was fun to explore.

Note the ladder on the left.  They get a lot of snow here and removing it from the roofs is imperative.

Back in the car . . .

The next stop was the Wataga Falls (綿ヶ滝) at the Tedori Gorge (手取峡谷)　.

I made it to Kanazawa about 4:30 and had about 30 minutes to look around.  I wish I had a whole day there.  It seems to be a really happening place.

These pics are of the remains of Kanazawa Castle.  I didn't have time to go into the grounds, but I gather there is a beautiful garden.

This scene made me feel like I was in a Hitchcock movie.

Some shrine

And my final destination for the day was Kanazawa's Catholic Church.

(This trip was basically planned around the church because they have a 6 pm Mass on two Sundays of each month.)

This is a statue of Blessed Ukon Takayama

("Blessed" means one step more to being declared a saint.)

Ukon was a daimyo about 300 years ago.  When the shogunate turned against Christianity, he renounced his samurai status to affirm his faith and was persecuted by Hideyoshi, who banished him to Kanazawa.  

While there, Ukon built churches in Kanazawa and Noto. 

In a later persecution, Ukon was exiled to the Philippines by Tokugawa Ieyasu, where he died just a few months after reaching Manila.

(Christianity went underground for about 250 years because of the persecutions.  The present church in Kanazawa was built in 1888.)

Well, that is all for today.  I hope you enjoyed that.

It was nice to get to some places I'd never been before.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Caveman out