Southern Yatsu-gatake Mountains(The highest peak Mt. Aka-dake) hiking & climbing route

Mt. Amigasa and Mt. Nishi-dake route

Fujimi Kogen Golf Course〜Fujimi Kogen Trailhead〜Sakazukinagashi entrance〜1,900m〜2,100m〜Iwaba〜Mt. Amigasa〜Youth Hut〜Nishidake〜Fudo Shimizu〜Fujimi Kogen Trailhead

Technical Level: C
Physical strength Level: 4
Climbing constant: 32.1
Difficulty level: ⛰️⛰️

These tend to be regarded as a prelude to the main peak of Mt. Yatsugatake, but if you approach them lightly, you are likely to have a painful experience. The standard approach is from Kannondaira, for those who aim to traverse the mountain, or Mt. Gongen-dake, but here we introduce you to a variation route for beginners that includes Mt. Nishi-dake. A certain degree of physical strength is required as you will be climbing up and down on rocky terrain.

●Hiking data

Schedule: one night two days or a day trip
Walking hours: 8 hours 10 minutes
(Up: 4 hours 15 minutes/Down: 3 hours 55 minutes)
Walking distance: 11.1 km
Difference in elevation: 1,328 m

:Mountain Villa Information
Fujimi Kogen Golf Course

↓ 5 minutes

Fujimi Kogen Trailhead

↓ 40 minutes

Sakazukinagashi entrance

↓ 40 minutes

Elevation 1,900

Elevation 1,900m

↓ 50 minutes

Elevation 2,100

Elevation 2,100m

↓ 50 minutes

Elevation 2,300

Elevation 2,300m

↓ 1 hour 10 minutes

Mt. Amigasa

Elevation 2523.9m

↓ 20 minutes

↓ 1 hour

Mt Nishi-dake

Elevation 2,398m

↓ 2 hours 20 minutes

Fudo Shimizu

↓ 30分 minutes

Fujimi Kogen Golf Course

Route Guide

You will find the Fujimi Kogen Golf Course about 20 minutes by car from the Kobuchisawa interchange on the Chuo Expressway. The parking lot for those climbing the mountain is just before the golf course entrance on the left. Leave your car here and walk along the paved road in front of the golf course for about five minutes, and when you pass through the gate, you will be at the Fujimi Kogen trailhead. After submitting your hike registration, follow the easy and gentle mountain trail, and along the way you will pass a forest road and then come upon a 5-way junction. Mt. Nishi-dake is to the left, so keep your eyes on the signs and head in the direction of Mt. Amigasa.

After continuing for a short while, you will arrive at the Sukazukinagashi junction. It should take you about 40-45 minutes to get here from the parking lot. The gentle climb continues even after you cross the dried-up stream. It is now a gradual climb past the unobstructed overlook to an elevation of 1,900 meters. Let’s take a short break here.

From here, the climb suddenly becomes steep. At around the 2,100-meter elevation, it becomes a little less extreme, but once you pass the rhododendron garden and the two rocky patches that start at an elevation of 2,300 meters, you will travel through a forested area, and then find yourself on a steep climb through even rougher, rocky terrain.

The rocky terrain will continue for some time, so it may be wise to put away your trekking poles. Most of the rocks are large and there are relatively few loose rocks, which make the terrain unstable, so that is not a big concern, but do make sure of your footing with each step as you continue. You might think you have reached the summit when the large arrow on the ridgeline comes into view, but one more rocky climb awaits, so don’t let your guard down just yet.

Once you have expended the patience required to pass the rocky area, you will have finally reached the 2,523-meter peak. When looking out at the view from the summit, the southern Yatsu-gatake mountain range will be behind you, and the Southern Alps, Mt. Fuji, and the Central Alps will spread in front of you in such a magnificent display it will be a worthy reward for all of your hard work.
After a short rest at the summit, we will descend in the direction of Seinen-goya mountain hut. Here too, you will find a rocky area before reaching the hut, so make sure to remain alert. It will take between 20 and 30 minutes to get to Seinen-goya mountain hut. There is a junction here that heads off into three different directions: one route will take you to Mt. Gongen-dake, one route will take you down to Kannondaira, and the final route will lead to you a detour route to Mt. Nishi-dake.

The route that we introduce here takes you on the route that detours to Mt. Nishi-dake in order to return to Fujimi Kogen. The route to Mt. Nishi-dake follows the ridgeline, and though there are some minor ups and downs, it is generally a gentle trail that you will take you to its peak in about an hour.

From here, we will descend to Fujimi Kogen. Unlike Mt. Amigasa, there are no rocky areas, and this trail can be ascended or descended with relatively little strain. It might be said that this is an easy approach to the mountain trail for beginners. For beginners who are not yet confident enough in their physical ability to climb rocky trails, you can take the Mt. Nishi-dake route both up and back and enjoy the same view without too much difficulty. It generally takes 2 hours and 15-30 minutes to descend from the summit of Mt. Nishi-dake.