Yakebitaiyama Tozan Course

This 7-kilometer intermediate trail rises 400 meters to the summit of Mt. Yakebitai (2,009 m) and takes just over two hours to complete. At the top, ski slopes turned green in summer frame a view of Chigo Pond sitting in a small caldera below, with a wooden torii gate standing at the water's edge. Coins have been pressed into the top beam of the gate over the years, easily reached in winter when deep snow brings hikers level with it. The trail passes through groves of Maries' fir, whose sap carries a sharp lemony smell similar to citronella. Autumn brings rich gold and red foliage across the slopes that the route climbs through.