Let’s go to Yatsugatake on the weekends! | Guidable - Your Guide to a Sustainable, Wellbeing-centred Life in Japan

Let’s go to Yatsugatake on the weekends!

By Guidable Writers Aug 11, 2016

Yatsu-ga-take  means eight peaks.

There are eight peaks along the main ridge, which runs from north to south. Yatus-ga-take is divided in two areas. The north area is good for beginners to trek because most of the terrain is gently. On the contrary, the south area looks like alps.

I introduce here regarding South area of Yatsu-ga-take. Aka-dake is the highest peak in Yatsu-ga-take(2899m). The advantage point of this mountain is easy to access, high sunny rate, and there is no need to walk a long time such as central northen alps.

How to access trail head.

The starting point for this trail is at the Minoto-guchi at the elevation of 1500m, which is also bus stop from JR Chino station 40 min from there. Between end of April to end of September, there are 6 buses a day in both directions. https://www.alpico.co.jp/access/suwa/ (The link” 美濃戸口線” is the information in the mentioned URL)

The Chino is the closest town with access to Minoto-guchi by local bus, which main station is Chino station on the JR Chuo line about 2 hours from Shinjuku station by the limited Azusa express train.

Recommendation plan

Day1: Minoto-guchi to Aka-dake chojo hut. At first you walk the unsealed road heading for Monoto about 1 hour hat climbs gently up the valley at the elevation of 1700m. There are huts.(Minodo-kogen  Yamano-mura  http://www.yatsu-akadake.com/noko-k-w.html)



After you passed there, the road reaches the branch of trail head, the Kita-sawa (
北沢) to the left and the Minamisawa (南沢) to the right. Both trail are along the creek. The atmosphere Kita-sawa is a little brighter than Minamisawa due to relation to tree of forest.

 

If you take the Kitasawa,the trail heading for Aka-dake-kosen 赤岳鉱泉
http://userweb.alles.or.jp/akadake/  at 2400m and takes 2 hours from the branch. You can take a bath here for 1000yen.
(With 2 meals / Without meals / Tent site per person :9000yen / 6000yen /1000 yen). You can get water here.



If you take the Minamisawa, the trail follows up through a forested valley along the creek to Gosya-goya
行物小屋 at 2400m and takes 2 hours from the branch. (The url is the same as above, and each price is same as well.) You can get water here too, and is the nearest tent site to the Aka-dake. You can also access here from the Kitasawa and takes 40 min.

You can climb to Aka-dake via Jizo-one or Monzaburo-one. It takes 2 hours from Gosya-goya. You can reach the peak for 6 hours from the Minoto-guchi, so if you start early in the day, you are ready for more.

The Aka-dake where there is Aka-dake Chojo-Sanso 赤岳頂上山荘
http://www.yatsu-honzawaonsen.com/akadake.html (With 2 meals / Without meals  :8800yen / 5300yen) The landscape from the peak is so magnificent.



Have a enjoy in the nature on your weekends!

 

Ryu

Japan