Note: this post was re-posted from my old website, originally published in November 2016.

Lies on the outskirt of Sendai in Miyagi prefecture stands Mt. Izumigatake. As popular as it is in the winter as one of the ski destinations of the region, in summer and autumn it attracts a different kind of visitor: the hikers.

One summer day I took a bus towards Izumigatake from the last stop of nanboku subway line in Sendai. It was raining but I had determined to hike anyway on that day. Here is my account of the hike. Note: access information is written at the end of this article.

Ura trail is filled with rocky paths and steps.

One thing to take note, the hiking base starts in the so-called Izumigatake ski area. But the thing is, there are 2 ski areas in the mountain range. The one that we have to make a stop when taking the bus is the Izumigatake Ski Area near Owens Izumigatake Nature Encounter Center (オーエンス泉岳自然ふれあい館) where camping ground is located. There is another ski area named Spring Valley Izumikogen Ski Area which is the last stop of the bus route.

This feels like that one scene from Lord of the Rings.

On a lighter note, that mistake allowed me to tackle the most difficult trails out of Mt. Izumigatake’s 4 hiking trails to the peak, Ura trail (裏コース) because it is the closest to Izumikogen.

The other trails, namely Mizukami (水神) (I am not sure if this is the correct pronunciation), Kakkou (滑降), and Kamoshika (かもしか) each has their own characteristics but relatively easy compared to Ura trail.

More in this series…

Since it’s raining, footing is a bit tricky in the slippery ground.

Trail map. Found this at the entrance of Ura trail.

Refer to the image above, the explanation of the routes is as follows:

Ura – purple – 2 hours 10 minutes to the top: Ura is the shortest trail by distance, but as the change of elevation in Ura is quite big, it is the hardest trail. In a sense, it is a rather steep nonstop climbing all the way to the peak. Even so, hikers taking this route will be rewarded with some unique rock formations along the way.
Kakkou – pink – 2 hours 10 minutes to the top: This trail literally means ‘descent’ because it used to be a ski slope until the vegetation overgrew the path. Although the view in this path is said to be the best, it easily gets slippery here so tread with care.
Kamoshika – green – 2 hours 10 minutes to the top: Kamoshika follows the ski slope of Izumigatake Ski Area so it is a fairly easy trail.
Mizukami – blue – 1 hour 50 minutes to the top: The easiest trail where even children could go with no trouble, this goes in the direction of Nanakita River. The trail name, meaning water-god, if not mistaken is named such because the people who lived in the vicinity used to pray to the god guarding the river. There is a stone monument that serves as a sign of that old custom.

As usual in Japan, there is a small altar at the peak.

The stone marker at the peak. If you see this, congratulations!

Mt. Izumigatake is only 1211 meters tall but it provides you with a complete view of the surrounding areas on sunny days. Since we climbed on a rainy day, all we could see was white all around. Yet it gave a different kind of atmosphere. It felt like a completely different world with the mist and short field of view.

This signpost can be found near Kamoshika trail, the ski slope area.

When we got to the top the mist started to clear a bit so we could enjoy our lunch. Following a quick short break, we continued to the descent. We took a different route this time, the Mizukami.

We did not see the stone monument but we found some streams along the way.

Streams like this can be found nearby the Mizukami trail.

We reached the camping ground at the lower ski area after some long detours because some paths were closed and diverted towards the early part of Kamoshika. We took our rest in the camping ground, which is located in front of the Nature Encounter Center.

It is advised to check with the staff there about the trails before starting hiking. Sometimes due to some unforeseen circumstances, it is possible to have some changes or detours.

The ski slope in the mist. Kinda creepy yet cool in a way.

Journey down to the Nature Encounter Center. On the right, you can see the ski lift station.

The Nature Encounter Center itself has a comfortable rest area and a restaurant that opens until around 3 PM. You could rest after the hike here while waiting for the bus. On another note, on some days the bus towards Sendai does not stop at the bus stop inside the camping ground but only by the bus stop beside the main road, so better check beforehand.

The Nature Encounter Center, as viewed from the parking lot.

The entrance. This building has a nice resting area.

Access information:

From Sendai station take the subway nanboku line and alight at the last station Izumi-chuo. From there take bus no 10 from the station bus terminal. It costs ¥790 and takes about 44 minutes to get to the hiking base at Izumigatake Ski Area.

Around Sendai: Izumigatake Hiking

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