Mt. Amakazari is a tough climb, but one that returns an ample amount of reward in exchange for the effort to get up and down it's steep (at times) slopes. Amakazari, most famous as being included in mountaineer and author Kyuya Fukada's quintessential Japanese climbing text - 'One Hundred (Famous) Mountains of Japan', presents hikers with a beautiful and varied trail starting out in dense forest, crossing rocky stream beds, winding through an open plateau lined with bamboo grass and alpine flowers, and ultimately climaxing on a narrow rocky summit with panoramic views of the Sea of Japan and the Northern Alps. It also happens to be our local peak, located just a short drive up the road from our headquarters.

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The one-way hike to the summit is short of 5 kilometers, but is packed with around 900 meters of climbing. At first glance those stats may seem daunting, but even they are a bit deceiving, as the first 1km of trail is on a mostly flat traverse, meaning that nearly all of the elevation gain is crammed into less than 4 kilometers, for an average gradient north of 20%. We've allotted plenty of time for the hike however, and our slow and steady pace combined with several strategically planned breaks in key locations throughout will be a sure-fire recipe for a successful summit if your level of fitness and experience match up with the 4-B rating ascribed to this tour.

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​The yearly seasonal cycle sees the mountain beautifully transformed by the fresh greenery of spring, the wide variety of flowering plants in summer and the vibrant fall leaves that blanket it slopes in fall. Each season comes with plenty of unique reasons to to make the climb to the peak, but of course the weather and conditions can vary considerably across the four months that the tour is offered. If you have any questions about a specific season please don't hesitate to ask.