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Mt. Akadake Two-Day Traverse, Part 1 | Minotoguchi to Bunzaburo Ridge and the Summit of the Yatsugatake

2025.07.16

The Yatsugatake range is often called the roof of Japan, and Mt. Akadake (2,899 m) is its highest and sharpest peak. This time we took on a two-day traverse with Akadake as the goal.

Part 1 covers day one: from the Minotoguchi trailhead through a mossy forest, up the steep heart of the route to the summit, and finally to the mountain hut. It rained, the cloud came in, and I've written it exactly as it happened. I hope it helps if you're thinking about Akadake yourself.

Route overview (two days, southern Yatsugatake traverse)

• Area: Southern Yatsugatake range, Chino City, Nagano Prefecture
• Highest peak: Mt. Akadake (2,899 m)
• Day 1 (this post): Minotoguchi → Minamisawa route → Gyoja Hut → Bunzaburo Ridge → Mt. Akadake → Akadake Tenbo-so hut (overnight)
• Day 2 (Part 2): Akadake Tenbo-so → Mt. Yokodake → Mt. Iodake → Akadake Kosen hut → Kitasawa route → Minotoguchi
• Access: About 40 minutes from the Suwaminami interchange on the Chuo Expressway to the Minotoguchi car park
• Difficulty: ★★★☆☆ (intermediate). The Bunzaburo Ridge climbs steeply for a long stretch, and there are rock sections and fixed chains just below the summit, so it needs care

Starting from Minotoguchi — an hour on the gravel forest road

Minotoguchi is the gateway to Yatsugatake and easy to reach by car. Yatsugatake Sanso, a lodge with a paid car park, sits right at the trailhead, along with a day-use bath, a restaurant and a shop. It makes an ideal base.

From here it's about an hour on a gravel forest road wide enough for vehicles. It was 22°C with 72% humidity that day, and I was soaked in sweat before we'd properly started. With a 4WD you can drive further in, as far as Minoto (Akadake Sanso).

At the end of the forest road you reach Minoto, where the trail splits into the Kitasawa and Minamisawa routes. We took Minamisawa, which leads to Gyoja Hut.

The Minamisawa moss forest

One step in and you're somewhere else entirely: a deep, quiet forest with moss covering everything in sight. We crossed one wooden bridge after another, picking our way over rocks large and small, with nothing to hear but the clear stream running alongside the trail.

The sense of slowly gaining height is what makes this kind of walking exciting. It had been a while since my last hike, there were more insects than I expected, and physically it asked more of me than I'd assumed this early on. From the Minamisawa junction to Gyoja Hut takes about 2 hours 10 minutes.

Eventually we reached Gyoja Hut at 2,350 m, held in the arms of the huge rock ridges of Akadake and Yokodake — the heart of the southern Yatsugatake. On a clear day Akadake and Yokodake stand right in front of you and it's a wonderful place to rest. That day the cloud rolled in instead, and the rain started in earnest.

The crux: the "Mammut staircase" on the Bunzaburo Ridge

From Gyoja Hut the real climbing begins. We chose the Bunzaburo Ridge, known for its long runs of steel steps.

It starts as a steep zigzag through the trees. Once you're out of the forest the view opens up and there it is: a metal staircase that just keeps going, known to hikers here as the "Mammut staircase" for the outdoor-brand logo on the steps. It looks dramatic, and climbing it step by step really does get into your legs.

The rain came and went all afternoon. At one point we heard thunder in the distance, so we put our helmets on and moved carefully over the slippery rock. I got a mild case of altitude sickness partway up — a headache and a slightly unsteady feeling. "People call this a beginner's route, but this isn't about technical rock, it's about stamina," I thought more than once, taking breaks and climbing one step at a time.

Just below the summit the trail becomes proper rock where you keep three points of contact. Chains are fixed at the key spots, and using them as support we worked our way up.

2,899 m — the summit, inside the cloud

After all those steps and the rock above them, we finally stood on the summit of Mt. Akadake (2,899 m), the highest point in Yatsugatake. It felt like the hardest I'd ever worked for a summit.

But as you can see, we were in thick white cloud. The famous 360-degree panorama wasn't happening that day. Even so, the hard sound of the wind and the cold air on my skin felt like the mountain's real face. Maybe the view hidden behind the cloud is the mountain's way of saying come back. Either way, I now have one more reason to return.

Night one: Akadake Tenbo-so

From the summit we dropped to Akadake Tenbo-so, our hut for the night. It stands on the ridge just below the summit and offers beds with a small entry area, private rooms, dormitory space, flush toilets and food with a very good reputation. If you're lucky you can get a room with Mt. Fuji visible from the window.

We were behind schedule, but a hot meal put the day right and we finished day one safely. The rain thinned out in the evening and the sky cleared for a while, which made us hopeful about the morning.

Coming up in Part 2: the ridge in the sky

Day two starts with a sunrise that leaves you without words, and continues along the ridge line. We take on the sharp rock of Mt. Yokodake, work along some genuinely exposed ground, and end up right beside the enormous blast crater of Mt. Iodake. That's when Yatsugatake shows its real face — I hope you'll watch Part 2 as well.

Akadake was in cloud for us, but the satisfaction of finishing the climb was something else. It's an intermediate route, but with the right gear, the fitness for it and a plan that isn't over-ambitious, it will stay with you for life. Put safety first, and take on the main peak of Yatsugatake when you're ready.

Related posts

Mt. Akadake Two-Day Traverse, Part 2 | Sunrise, the Yokodake Ridge and the Blast Crater of Mt. Iodake

Mt. Akagi Day Hike Guide | An Autumn Loop over Kurobiyama and Komagatake, from a Beginner's Point of View (Gunma)

Mt. Daibosatsurei Day Hike | A Beginner-Friendly Loop from Kamihikawa Pass over the Karamatsu Ridge to Daibosatsu Pass, with the Best Mt. Fuji View I've Had

Kintokiyama Day Hike | The Kintoki Shrine Route, Where the Kintaro Legend Meets a Mount Fuji View

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