Juunigatake in Autum 十二ヶ岳

Over 10 years ago, I hiked Junnigatake and was able to see the entirety of Nyukawa and the surrounding mountains in Takayama. For quite a while, I have wanted to hike the mountain again for some updated photos. I remember it being a really easy hike, so I finally pulled the cord and went back on a beautiful and clear mid-November day.

The hike was almost exactly the same as it was back when I first arrived in Takayama. Here's my post from 11 years ago. After turning from the entrance, the old abandoned bus was still in its same place.

Comparing both photos, a lot more garbage had been added to it. Looking through the current garbage inside, there were multiple old CRT tvs and an old computer tower with nothing inside. There was lots of old stero equipment and some office chairs. Maybe all this stuff was inside the bus before, and someone had fished it out.

Continuing up the road, the pavement became dirt and I arrived at the familiar crossroads. Taking a left continued up the mountain, and taking a right continued along the edge of the mountain going to some unknown destination. I wonder if there are any abandoned homes or buildings that way. (Actually, the road probably just ends.)

I went with left path and ascended reaching a road block after 10 minutes.

Just a few meters down the road, a landslide had covered some of the path. I probably could have driven around or over it, but the real risk is the current part of the road collapsing. According to my notes, the trailhead for the mountain wasn't too far away, so I parked my car and grabbed my camera. I grabbed a bear bell for protection, too. (Although, if a bear showed up, it's not going to care that I have a bell.)

The trail entrance wasn't too far away. It was around just a few bends of the mountain road. On the edge of one of the bends, was a small, yet clear sign indicating the entrance of the trail.

The trail left the dirt road and went up into the trees. The trail was completely covered in leaves, but there was a clear break in the trees and twigs which guided me further up and down the side of the mountain.

About halfway up the trail, it became completely covered in overgrown brush.

From above, it seemed like there was no organization. Once you entered the brush, each direction looked the same. The brush was about as tall as I was, so I had to crouch walk to keep place with the trail. Even though it felt like I was just plowing through with no direction, the faint spacing of a trail was legitimate, and it lead me to the summit's base.

There is a shrine gate at the base of the summit leading to a steeper ascent, but with stairs this time. The stairs go directly to the summit and observation point. But, there is a less steep option going to the right and circling the summit.

At the summit, you can see all of Nyukawa, the immediate north-eastern neighborhood of Takayama.

Although today, I really couldn't see much of anything. The sun was setting directly in my eyes and a lot of water vapor was collecting in the air readying for the rain fall that would happen in the next 2 hours. I took my photos, but even looking at them now, it's hard to exactly pinpoint certain locations.

My photos from 11 years ago were far clearer.

You can actually see Takayama in the above photo from 11 years ago.

I had much more success with photos going to the east than west. Both Mt. Norikura, Shinhotaka, and Yarigadake were in clear view. And with the sun pointing directly at them, they were clearly lit up.

It's so much easier taking photos of a subject with the lights on them rather than the lights on you.

It's a shame that I wasn't able to get great photos of Nyukawa and Takayama from the summit. Maybe I will try again in the winter. It's really not a difficult hike if you can drive most of the way. Also, there might be an easier way to get to the summit than using my path detailed below. There's a side road located at 36°12'03.1"N 137°21'34.6"E that is a much flatter path, and it might be near the same distance.

Overall, it was a fun quick hike that I could execute after a half-day of work, and I can feel accomplished that I did a minimal amount of exercise.