Great weather forecast plus a 3 days week-end: it’s the occasion to go for some not easily accessible hikes. Desination the Southern Alps, with the objective of climbing both Kaikomagatake (甲斐駒ケ岳) and Hōōsanzan (鳳凰三山) three summits which have been on my “want to go” list for a while. Unfortunately we are not the only one to take advantage of this long week-end. Arrived at Kōfu (甲府) train station, people are already queueing for the bus to Hirogawara (広河原) to change there for a bus going to Kitazawa (北沢峠). Although the bus company added 3 extra buses, we have to stand for the 2 hours trip; there’s no seat available anymore !

Arrived at Kitazawa pass at 12:45, we head for the camp site to pitch the tent before there’s no more space available. When done it’s already too late to hike anywhere and the following two days will be long trekking days. So the program is simple : relaz at the camp site.

Sunday morning, the objective is, as many other hikers, Kaikomagatake summit. It’s very crowded on the narrow, steep and rocky foot path, leading to the summit. Let’s put it straight, all this crowd is very unpleasant. But that’s the price to pay for doing a famous summit during a three days week-end in the middle of the season.

But it doesn’t change the beauty of the landscape that we can contemplate during the climb nor the one of the alpine flowers of this dry, rocky summit inhospitable to any life form: chamaepericlymenum canadense, rhododendron brachycarpum, rosa nipponensis, trientalis europaea, schizocodon soldanelloides f.alpinus, potentilla nivea, anemone narcissiflora var. nipponica, Geum calthifolium var. nipponicum, Arenaria artica var. hondoensis.

Back down to Sensui pass (仙水峠) around 11 AM, we just have time to eat lunch before heading to Hayakawa-one-koya lodge (早川尾根小屋) camp site on the way to Hōōsanzan using the trail going uphill on the other side of the pass. The contrast with this morning trail is striking. As 99% of hikers only go to Kaikomagatake summit, there’s almost no-one. We meet at most 10 people in the entire afternoon while they were hundreds in the morning. It’s great to enjoy mountains peacfully. The landscape and the weather also change and it is nice to walk on this woody ridge in the coolness of the clouds after the morning uphill on Kaikomagatake‘s desert like slopes under a very strong sun.

It’s the occasion to meet by chance a rock ptarmigan and, on the trail in the woods before the lodge, two marten, surprised of seeing us, who escaped by running in our direction before diseappearing in the woods. Despite all these trekking years it’s the first time for me to see these animals. Once again, it’s away from the common trails that I make the nicest encounter.

Arrived at the camp sit at 6 PM, after a 12 hours day, It feels very good to get in the sleeping bag and take an horizontal position!

The next day is again a long but great day with the traverse of the three Hōōsanzan summits: Jizōdake (地蔵岳), Kannondake (観音ヶ岳) et Yakushidake (薬師ヶ岳).

Nature is waked-up by oblique sun rays which penetrates the woods on the ridge. This enchanting atmosphere is very peacful. A great start for the day. One out of the woods, the view clears suddenly on yesterday’s summits and surrounding mountains. This morning the mountains expanses is our own and I have the feeling I’m gliding.

When we arrive at Hōōsanzan first summit at Jizōdake the sun is already high and it’s baking. It’s a scorcher, shadow is very rare and the ridge between the three summits looks sometimes like a desert of rocks ans sand. Everything is in perfect harmony to give the feeling to be walking, on some sections, on the moon.

At the contrary to the other two summits, Kannondake and Yakushidake, which are almost flat, the one of Jizōdake is made of two big blocs, of about 10 meters high, balanced on the base rocks. It’s possible to climb up quite easily on top of it but going down can be very tricky and dangerous. I left the summit very top for the next time I’ll be passing by with a rope.

During this hike accross Hōōsanzan ridge, also very dry, rocky and inhospitable to life, we had the chance to see some more lovely alpine flowers: draba sakuraii var nipponica, trautvetteria caroliniensis var japonica, silene keiskei var akaisialpina, pediculasis chamissonis var longirostrata, euprasia kiso-alpina, dhianthus shinanensis,

including one Japanese variety of Edelweiss: leontopodium shiroumense,

and on the way down a strange flower which looks like a ghost: monotropastrum humile.

If Kaikomagatake outside the view and flowers, was kind of unpleasant because of the crowd, the rest of this trek was simply one of the nicest I made in central Japan in summer. But I will be soon back here as I still have to take my revenge with Kaikomagatake in winter and come back with a rope to Jizōdake summit.

Maps

Necessary maps for this hike are:
1/25000地形図、甲斐駒ヶ岳、甲府14号-1、 NI-54-31-14-1 (Kaikomagatake, Kōfu 14-1, NI-54-31-14-1)
1/25000地形図、仙丈ヶ岳、甲府14号-2、 NI-54-31-14-2 (Senjōgatake, Kōfu 14-2, NI-54-31-14-2)
1/25000地形図、鳳凰三山、甲府10号-4、 NI-54-31-10-4 (Hōōsanzan, Kōfu 10-4, NI-54-31-10-4)
1/25000地形図、夜叉神峠、甲府11号-3、 NI-54-31-11-3 (Yashajintōge, Kōfu 11-3, NI-54-31-11-3)

GPX file GPS:
D1: kaikomagatake-hoosanzan-0710d1.gpx ,
D2: kaikomagatake-hoosanzan-0710d2.gpx ,
D3: kaikomagatake-hoosanzan-0710d3.gpx .
Read the disclaimer before using the GPX files.

Facts about Kaikomagatake

You will find all the information (mountain lodges, access, security…) regarding the Mount Kaikoma area in this article.