(安達太良山) Mt. Adatara Hike

Right at the edge of what is deemed safe from radiation (80kms ish?) of the collapsed Fukushima Power Plant, I'll be honest and say that the only reason I am visited this place is to try to complete the 100 Famous Mountains, but I'm glad I did.

Budget: JPY1,840 (~USD17) from Koriyama Station

• JPY420. Train from Koriyama Station to Nihonmatsu.
• JPY1,000. Roundtrip bus from Nihonmatsu Station to Shiosawa Station.
• JPY420. Train, Nihonmatsu Station to Fukushima Station.
• +JPY4,820. Two days' worth allocated with Seishun 18 ticket. (if from Tokyo)

Hike Date / Difficulty (Elevation: 1,700m / 5,577ft)

• July 23, 2020
• Difficulty: 4 out of 5.
• Route below is around 13.2kilometers, with an elevation change of ▲1,205m/ ▽1,200m
• PDF Map Link. All the signs are in Japanese, so HAVE AN OFFLINE COPY of this map before hiking. You can do this clockwise or counterclockwise. The map is a clockwise one (though I would recommend a counterclockwise loop so the featured photo above will be in front of you)
• I did this with two more mountains a bit north. Here's my log: Mt. Adatara-Mt Azuma-Mt. Nasu Hikes

When to Go
The bus to Shiosawa Onsen runs throughout the year except for January 1 or 2, so it does seem doable throughout the year. This seems to be famous for autumn foliage, so it is likely gorgeous around early October, but probably crowded too.

Special Notes

• Weather check: English
• This is not the highest mountain in this mountain range - the other two mountains about an hour or two away are higher, but this is definitely the more beautiful one. Definitely go to Mt. Tetsu though to see the gorgeous views.
• Mountain huts.
• Paid: Kurogane-goya (くろがね小屋), with onsen! They also accept day hikers for onsen (JPY500). It is pretty close to Mt. Adatara. Reservations via phone (090-8780-0302), but status can be seen in their website. It's JPY4,100 a night, no meals.
• Free: Tetsuyama Hut (鉄山避難小屋). This one is on the ridge, about an hour from Mt. Adatara, 15 mins from Mt. Tetsu.
• Trailheads. I'm providing a couple here, but really, there's just one as of now.
• Okudake (奥岳). Note: This bus stop, upon confirmation with the train guy in Nihommatsu Station, is closed on weekends/holidays only therefore runs only weekdays (8:06am, 3:23pm and 4:23pm). The bus stop is right outside Nihommatsu Station. Here's the google maps pin.
• Taking a taxi is an option. There is a ropeway going up from Okudake, so if you have a car that will cut the hike to about an hour and a half. To use this, they offer a taxi-ropeway combo package, starting at JPY3,100/person for a minimum of 4 people, reservations needed. Otherwise, just the ropeway is JPY1,050 one way.
• Noji Onsen (野地温泉). There is technically no public bus, but a free hotel shuttle from Fukushima Station here, which runs once a day (though you'd probably have to stay at the inn). 1:30pm from Fukushima Station, 10:30am from Noji Onsen.
• Shiosawa Onsen (塩沢温泉).
• The bus stop is less than five minutes walk from Nihommatsu Station.

 Nihonmatsu Station (二本松駅) to Shiosawa Onsen (塩沢温泉)

Shiosawa Onsen(塩沢温泉) to Nihonmatsu Station (二本松駅)


Itinerary

• 07:48am. Bus, Nihonmatsu Station to Shiosawa Onsen Bus Stop. Everything was closed, and it seems they will only open during winter for those who wish to ski.
• 08:30am. Start hike.
• 11:55am. Summit. I took a 20 minute lunch break. From the summit, most of the directions going down point to Okudake. If you are coming down via Shiosawa Onsen, look for the directions to Kurogane-goya (くろがね小屋), and just follow the map link above.
• 04:40pm. Back to Shiosawa Onsen Bus Stop. There was no onsen.

 

Technically, the bus stop name is not Nihommatsu Station. It's Nihommatsu-iriguchi.

The bus stop where you get off and on. It is about 50 meters past the trailhead. 

The trailhead. A bit to the right is the log for hikers, where you write your hike plan, take off the strip at the bottom and return it once you're done. Not really needed. 

About 15 minutes in, you'll be faced with the choice on whether it'll be a clockwise (left) route or a counterclockwise (right) one. If you have beginners, I would recommend the left one because the chain sections will likely be safer going up. If you are after enjoying the views, I would recommend the right (counterclockwise) one. 

Alas, not even ten minutes in and I am faced with the first of many river crossings. This was the "worst" one going up til the ridge though, and the entire path was a gradual ascent up. 

It was muddy though, and half the time the trail was practically covered by the shrubs. Oh, you know the trail is there, and it is difficult to get lost, but this is definitely a lesser used path. 

Close to Mt. Tetsu is the Emergency Hut, which does NOT have a water source. There are plenty of springs to get water at, says the Japanese guy I asked. 

Here's the inside of the emergency hut. One guy has come and basically set up for the night.

Mt. Tetsu. The first mountain in Japan that does NOT have a marker (I asked around). There's a triangular flat rock which looks like a marker, but basically says a shrine. Apparently this pile of rocks IS the marker for Mt. Tetsu.

This was a mic drop moment for me. Because the mountain is just. gorgeous. Oh, and I can start smelling that onsen smell. To those who don't know, it smells like rotten eggs. 

And this is the view to my left. You should be able to see the mountain hut (paid) on the left near the road. 

Here's a panorama view of the ridge. 

Soon enough, I reach the summit. Obviously this marker is not the summit, as right behind it is a big rock that's clearly higher. This place felt like a dragonfly paradise though, with thousands of dragonflies flying overhead. 

...aaaaand here's the summit! Once you're back down from the rock, just follow the markers to くろがね小屋 assuming you're going back via Shiosawa Onsen. 

About 5 minutes past くろがね小屋 (the paid mountain hut), the road is split. On the left is the path less taken - the path to Shiosawa Onsen. 

One example of the numerous river crossings in this trail.

This is a fork where I took the wrong way. Going straight will take you to the falls below, and Shiosawa Onsen is on the right. 

I might have had taken a wrong turn, but I was pretty happy seeing this falls. Either way, after I had about 5 minutes of a coffee break here, I retraced my steps and continued walking back to Shisawa Onsen.