Following last week-end’s mountaineering, you will find in this article all the practical information (mountain lodge, access…) regarding the southern area of Yatsugatake including Akadake (赤岳) and Iōdake (硫黄岳) summits.

General Information

The Yatsugatake range is located near Tōkyō at the border between Nagano (長野県) and Yamanashi (山梨県) prefectures. The southern part of the mountain range, where Mount Akadake is, is very different from the northern one. Although it doesn’t look like it, as we can’t see any nicely shaped volcanic crater , this part of Yatsugatake is a volcanic group, Mount Akadake at 2,899 m (9,511.8 ft) beeing the highest point. The relief is much steeper than the one of the Northern part of Yatsugatale range and is the closest area near Tōkyō to enjoy alpine landscapes.

Note that Akadake is part of the Hyakumeizan (百名山, one of the 100 famous mountains of Japan).

For information about Kita-yatsugatake (北八ヶ岳), the northern part of the range, check this article.

Outing examples

• Mountaineering : Iōdake (硫黄岳) & Akadake (赤岳)
• Mountaineering : Akadake (赤岳) winter traverse
• Mountaineering : Iōdake (硫黄岳) to Akadake (赤岳) winter traverse

Mountain lodges

Gyōshagoya (行者小屋):
Open from the Golden Week until the beginning of Novembre and during new-year’s eve (exact opening and closing dates day may vary from one year to another)
site web: http://www.alles.or.jp/~akadake/
tel: 090-4740-3808 (lodge)/0266-62-8100 (home/office)
fax: 0266-62-8600
email: akadake@alles.or.jp
Akadake-Kōsen (赤岳鉱泉):
It’s the only mountain lodge in the southern part of Yatsugatake open all year around
site web: http://www.alles.or.jp/~akadake/
tel: 090-4824-9986/0266-62-8100 (home/office)
fax: 0266-62-8600
email: akadake@alles.or.jp
Akadake-Chōjō-sansō (赤岳頂上山荘):
Open from the end of April to early November and during new-year’s eve (exact opening and closing dates day may vary from one year to another)
site web: http://www.yatsu-honzawaonsen.com/
tel: 090-2214-7255 (lodge)/0266-72-3260 (home/office)
Akadake-Tenbōsō (赤岳天望荘):
Open during new-year’s eve, from beginning of February to end of March and from end of April to beginning of November (exact opening and closing dates day may vary from one year to another)
site web: http://www.yatsugatake.gr.jp/tenbousou.html
tel: 0266-58-7220 fax： 0266-53-4121
email: yatsugatake.fujimori@nifty.ne.jp
Iōdakesansō (硫黄岳山荘):
Open from the end of April to early November and during new-year’s eve (exact opening and closing dates day may vary from one year to another)
téléphone : 090-3142-8469 (refuge)/0266-73-6673 (domicile)
email : iou@xd6.so-net.ne.jp

Here is a link (in Japanese) to the list of all mountain lodges of Yatsugatake : http://www.tateshinakougen.gr.jp/yatu/accommo/accommo.html

Access from Tōkyō

The first bus from Chino (茅野) train station to the start of the trail at (美濃戸口) is at 6:15 (2009-2010 winter schedule). Unfortunately if you leave in the morning, there’s no train leaving Shinjuku (新宿) early enough to be on time for the first bus. You will have to take the 9:37 bus (warning, this bus only operates on week-ends and national holidays). Check the English bus schedule web page : http://www.alpico.co.jp/access/route_k/suwabus/haramura/index_e.html

To be on time for the bus you will have to take the first Super Azusa (スーパーあずさ1号) which leaves Shinjuku at 7:00 and arrives at Chino station at 9:08. It costs 5360 yen for unreserved seat and 5870 yen for a reserved seat. With the 9:37 bus, you will be at Minoto-guchi at 10:15. The price for a one-way bus ticket is 900 yen

To go back, the last bus leaves Minoto-guchi (美濃戸口) at 16:34 (arning, this bus only operates on week-ends and national holidays) and arrives at Chino at 17:26. You won’t probably be on time for the Super Asuza n°28 (スーパーあずさ28号) train which leaves Chino at 17:28. The next train, the Super Asuza n°30 (スーパーあずさ30号) leaves at 17:50 and arrives at Shinjuku at 20:07.

Train timetables : using http://www.hyperdia.com/en/ website, you can search Japan trains timetables in English.

Maps

Maps covering the southern part of Yatsugatake mountain range are:
1/25000地形図、 八ヶ岳四部、甲府9号-3、NI-54-31-9-3 (Yatsugatake-Nishibu, Kōfu 9-3, NI-54-31-9-3)
1/25000地形図、 八ヶ岳東部、甲府9号-1、NI-54-31-12-3 (Yatsugatake-Higashibu, Kōfu 9-1, NI-54-31-12-3)

webcam

• Akadake-Tenbōsō (赤岳天望荘) lodge

Safety

Depending on your itinerary, you might be exposed to avalanche risk. All members of your party should be equipped with a beacon, a shovel and a probe and trained on how to use them. These devices do not prevent avalanches! They are used to rescue your partners caught in an avalanche. So even if you are equipped and trained, it is your responsibility, to evaluate on the field the ever changing snow conditions, the avalanche danger, which is the safest route and if it is wiser or not to go back and cancel your outing.

Warning : In winter, this itinerary require Alpine techniques and gear to reach these summits. The area above the forest and the ridge leading to Iōdake summit can present depending on the snowpack conditions some avalanche danger. Stairs and chains which secure the trail on the Jizō-one ridge are buried under the snow in winter. These steep areas can be dangerous when covered by ice and might require to use a rope depending on your level and conditions Les escaliers et chaînes qui sécurisent le sentier de la crête de Jizō-one sont recouvert par la neige en hiver.

Check the weather forecast on the English page of the Japan Meteorological Agency : http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/indexe.html

For the latest information regarding mountain conditions, check the Nagano prefecture (長野県) police station web site (in Japanese) or the lodges web sites or call the mountain information service of the Nagano police at 026-235-3611.

National phone numbers for rescue are 119 for firefighters and 110 for the police. The following numbers can also be useful in case of emergency:

• Chino police station at 0266-82-0110,
• the central phone number of the Nagano prefecture police at 026-233-0110,
• the mountain information service of the Nagano police at 026-235-3611 or one of the nearest mountain lodge.