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graou_hyoga
Mon Oct 25, 2010 8:26 am

Re: Dewa sanzan (Yamagata-ken) [E]
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I'm just back from Dewa Sanzan. Spent two days there, with trips by night bus from Tokyo to Tsuruoka.

First, I recommend renting a car if you're at least two people. It will prove very useful as the buses are few, expensive and not that handy, especially if you're off climbing season (which is only July-August). You will then be able to access different parts easily and FAST. with buses you'll be stuck to one place a day or so.

I have nothing to add to the Haguro-san part above, it's well described.

- Yudonosan
It is never possible to climb Yudonosan as there is no hiking path to get up there. However you can follow a hiking path which takes you half-way up. This path can be quite difficult (very steep) and should NOT be attempted if it has rained the day before. It is very steep and follows a stream in places -> slippery rocks.

Once you arrive at the top of this path (about 45min to 1h), you have three possibilities: 
1- Take the path to the left and go up to Gassan. Count about 2h30 for just the way up, and keep in mind it will get dark around 5pm.
2- Take the path in front: it goes down the other side of the mountain, so obviously you'll need some transportation (can't help you with that, I had a car waiting on the same side of the mountain so...)
3- go back to Yudonosan parking lot


- Gassan
Buses go from Tsuruoka station to Gassan station 8, going through Hagurosan on the way, in July and August only. There are two buses early in the morning and that's it.
If you have a car, the road to the station is open until sometime in autumn (in 2010, until October 20th). after that, the gate at station 4 is closed and you can't get up there.

Now you have two other solutions, until roughly the end of October. The first one is right above, going through Yudonosan.

The other one is to go to Gassan ski resort. It is on the road 112 in direction of Yamagata from Tsuruoka.

Now this is one funky ski resort, since it is closed from November to March. Gassan boasts about ten meters of snow each winter, though it's only 1984m high. Therefore it is plain impossible to open the ski resort before April (when the other resorts in the country are beginning to close, roughly ...!! )
Anyway, after the ski season is over, in July (!!!), the resort stays open to hikers and it's possible to ride the lift up to something like 1500m high. You can always hike the whole distance (much better since you walk through the forest and it's nice). Just take the very small bridge right after the entrance cabin (where you'll pick up a hiking map), go on the left then behind the house. Then follow the path.
It is windy and cold up there, bring warm clothes (should be obvious but there's some kind of micro-climate - the piles of snow must come from somewhere after all).


Accommodation

http://syukubo.com has an English version where you can check various shukubo. You still need someone in Japan to phone for you in Japanese if you can't do it, if you want to make a reservation.
some of them are just like regular ryokan that serve shojin meals. Lots of them are in Hagurosan.


There is a good ryokan that is open all year long below gassan ski resort, in Shizu Onsen. This is the stuff: http://www.gassannoyado.com/
I didn't try the ryokan itself, but we stopped at their onsen... View on the lake with the colors of the autumn, and gassan in the background. splendid. the owner told me they're open even in winter, when they have to deal with around five meters of snow. They apparently have a speciality of cooking mushrooms from the forest around.