Ontake Mountains

It rises on the border of Nagano and Gifu prefectures. It is also commonly known as “Kiso no Ontake-san,” but as a mountain of mountain worship, it has attracted many believers since the Edo period (1603-1868), and Walter Weston, in his “Mountaineering and Exploration in the Japanese Alps,” describes the ascent and its mountain worship in detail as the sacred mountain Ontake, “the great peak”.
However, today it is more impressive as a volcano, and the memory of the eruption that occurred at 11:52 a.m. on September 27, 2014, the worst mountain accident in the postwar period, remains deeply engraved and vivid in our hearts.
It was a very sad disaster that left 63 people dead or missing.

Years after the accident, the eruption has calmed down and is once again attracting many climbers, but let us not forget the lessons of the disaster and plan accordingly with meticulous preparation.
Here, we will discuss (1) the Kurosawa-guchi route to Kenga-mine using the Ontake ropeway, (2) The Kaidaguchi route, which is long and physically demanding. (3) The Kosakaguchi route from Nigorigo Onsen, a hidden hot spring on the Gifu side of the mountain. And (4) the shortest route, the Otaki-guchi route, which can be climbed directly up to Kenga-mine for the first time in nine years at the end of July 2023. Regardless of where you choose to climb Ontake mountains, please be mindful of the memorial to the victims of the disaster. There is a visitor center along the road to the trailhead, where you can check the record of the eruption disaster. Currently, you can climb the summit of Kenga-mine from July 1 to mid-October only.
If you plan to climb the mountain, check the eruption warning level on the JMA website.