The moss man at Mt Amigasa
Hike date: September 20, 2026
Today I decided race up to Mt Amigasa for some exercise. Grey, cloudy skies were forecast so any views were going to be a bonus. But did this put me off? No! Because when there are no views I like to look at the rocks, the plants, the moss and other nearby things, and Mt Amigasa has plenty of these.
The day didn’t start well as I overslept by 30 minutes. However, this didn’t make any material difference to my plan because the mountain is less than a hour’s drive away and there was more than enough time to complete the hike. There was thick fog on the drive to the trailhead, which had me doubting my sanity. Anyway the fog partially lifted and I was soon just over the Yamanashi border at the Kannondaira trailhead, at around 1,500 metres above sea level and almost exactly 1,000 metres below the summit.
The trail started flat but this didn’t last long and I was soon scrambling up the wet slippery rocks that are a feature of this mountain. The moss was great, the views were not, and the number of hikers was unsurprisingly few given the conditions. Serenaded by howling deer I raced through the popular rest points at Unkai and Oshitegawa before finally arriving at the dilapidated mountain hut located about 30 minutes below the summit.
With so few views the rocks, plants and moss became a little monotonous but I listened to podcasts and enjoyed the final ascent to the summit up the massive boulders. Then it was back down via the steep mossy loop course to Oshitegawa, and then back to the car where I enjoyed a magnificent 30-minute car sleep.
Check here for more information about Mt Amigasa.
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