Wet and slippery in North Yatsugatake
Hike date: September 13, 2026
With unstable conditions forecast for the afternoon I decided to head to the familiar surroundings of Mts Chausu and Shimagare in North Yatsugatake. I parked in the huge car park for the Kita-Yatsugatake ropeway but instead of waiting for the ride to the top, I headed straight to the trail. Recently the ropeway has become prohibitively expensive so like many others I’ve taken to walking up to the upper station. It takes about an hour to walk compared to 7 minutes by ropeway.
The trail was wet from the recent rain and thick fog blocked the views of the nearby mountains. Once I arrived at the upper ropeway station I headed south aiming for the Gotsuji junction. From the plan was to head up to the ridge and then Mt Chausu and Mt Shimagare. Unfortunately the wooden boardwalk through the moss forest was as slippery as if it were covered in ice, but with no alternative footing I struggled along at snail's pace, somehow managing only to wipe out once.
The path from Gotsuji was overgrown with soaking wet grass and before long my shoes and socks were soaking wet for the second day in a row. There were no views from Mt Chausu, Mt Shimagare or their respective lookouts but I was pleased to get a morning of exercise in. After descending Shimagare I did a quick circuit of the ancient Tsuboniwa volcano crater before heading down the way I came.
Check here for more information about Mt Chausu and Mt Shimagare.
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