(鳳凰山) Mt. Houou Hike

A gorgeous mountain with three main peaks, this is a great alternative to the more crowded Kitadake. 

Budget: JPY9,458 (~USD-90) from Tokyo

• JPY2,509. Local trains, Tokyo area to Kofu Station. 
• JPY1,990. Bus, Kofu Station to 広河原
• JPY1,450. Bus, Yashajin-touge to Kofu Station. 
• JPY2,509. Local trains, Kofu Station to Tokyo area.
• JPY1,000. Camping fee (per person)

OR

• JPY5,530. Share in gas, tolls and hostel the night before (4 people, a friend has a car)

Hike Date / Difficulty (Elevation: 2,841m / 9,321ft)

• June 24, 2023
• Difficulty: 5 out of 5. 
• Route below is around 15.2kilometers, with an elevation change of ▲2,187m/ ▽2,199m. 
• We had a car so we took the Aoki-Kousen Route, went up Mt. Jizo, crossed to Mt. Kannon and Mt. Yakushi and then went back to Aoki Kousen. 
• Map Link 

When to Go
Buses are generally running from late June to early November. Private vehicles are not allowed in some trailheads, but some people did recommend simply walking down the road for winter hikes. 

Special Notes

• Highest point at 観音岳, Kannondake. There are three peaks in total, which is why this is normally called the Three Peaks of Houou (鳳凰三山)
• There are a couple of short but legit rope/chain sections. I would say ok for beginners though. 
• A non-hiking friend attempted this summit before, got lost and spent the night in the forest. Having had done it, it is well marked but quite a couple of false trails. The pair ahead of us have taken false trails at least three times, so be warned. 
• Weather forecast: English / Japanese. 
• Trailheads.
• Yashajin-touge (夜叉神峠登山口). Ascent will take 07h40m, 10.3kms, ▲1,770m/ ▽301m going up.
• Train, Tokyo to Kofu Station (甲府駅)
• Bus, Kofu Station (甲府駅) to 広河原. Buses are not running for 2020, but here's the schedule for 2019. JPY1,420 one way. Cars are not allowed to the trailhead, so if you're driving, you'll need to drive and park, then take the bus.

• 広河原. Ascent will take 06h35m, 6.1kms, ▲1,611m/ ▽290m going up.
• Same access as 夜叉神峠登山口 above. Bus is JPY1,950 one way. 
• 青木鉱泉. Ascent will take 06h05m, 7.3kms, ▲1,836m/ ▽79m going up. Google maps pin. 
• Train, Tokyo to Nirasaki Station (韮崎駅)
• Bus, Nirasaki Station (韮崎駅) to 青木鉱泉. Buses are not running for 2020, but here's the schedule for 2019. JPY1,800, one hour, one way. 

• 御座石温泉. Ascent will take 08h10m, 7.0kms, ▲2,047m/ ▽261m going up.
• Same access as 青木鉱泉 above. 
• Mountain huts. 
• Paid. 
• 鳳凰小屋
• 薬師岳小屋
• Free. None. 
• Camping. 
• 鳳凰小屋, but not allowed for 2020. 
• 南御室小屋, reservations required for 2020, via call only: 090-3406-3404. JPY500 per person fee. 

Itinerary - public transport draft
Friday

• Train, Tokyo to Kofu Station. Stay in Kofu Station area. Some people sleep in front of the station. In our case, we camped in the castle nearby (google maps pin). Someone did see us set up camp, but he just let us be. Simple rule - leave no trace. 

Saturday

• 04:35am. Bus, Kofu Station to 広河原
• 06:28am. ETA: 広河原
• 06:30am. Start hike. 
• 01:05pm. ETA: 観音岳, Summit!
• 02:54pm. ETA: 南御室小屋. Camp. 

Sunday

• 06:20am. Start hike. 
• 10:20am. Yashajin-touge. Wait for bus.
• 10:41am. Bus, Yashajin-touge to Kofu Station. 
• 11:55am. ETA: Kofu Station. Train back to Tokyo 

Itinerary - via Car
Friday

• 05:30pm. Meet up in Tokyo
• 09:00pm. Arrive at a hostel near Nirasaki Station. 

Saturday

• 04:00am. Wake up and start getting ready. 
• 05:00am. Arrive at parking lot, start hiking. 
• 10:46am. First peak - Mt. Jizo.
• 12:50pm. Summit - Mt. Kannon. 30 minute break. 
• 01:47pm. Third peak - Mt. Yakushi. Put on knee supporters, get trekking poles ready. 
• 05:19pm. Almost there - we tried to take the shortcut which involves river crossing, but the river was swollen so we had to abort. 
• 05:30ish. Back at parking lot!

We're old(er) so we preferred to stay in a hostel than camping on a parking lot the night before. 

Do you see Mt. Fuji in the background? Doing our shopping right before the hike. 

The crowded parking lot at trailhead. There's a way bigger parking lot at the side. 

Starting the hike at the trailhead. 

Hike was pretty gentle at the start. 

We passed by a gorgeous dam. 

I love our trail. Crossed a couple of streams. Some as small as this, some with with a waterfall. 

Those are switchbacks. One of the steepest ways up. 

Looking down.

Past a waterfall. Cracked my gopro here. 

One of the rope sections. 

Gorgeous waterfall. Wish we could take a dip. 

Plenty of signs like these (only in Japanese)

Some signs at the mountain hut. 

How many ribbon markers can you count?

The sandy section has started. 

And this is where the "take 3 steps up, one down" reputation came from. Ugh. I hated this section. 

And it continues on. 

Almost pure whiteout. I am already resigning myself to a zero-view hike. T.T

The cloud clears for a split second and goes back again. 

We put our bags here. Didn't want to carry them up the rocky section. 

First of the three peaks. 

Oh, it cleared a bit!

My buddies looking at the jizo (buddhas) near the marker. 

Up at the ridge, where a lot of people were taking breaks. 

Looking back. Such beautiful ridge. 

The clouds cleared for a second!

Very sandy ridge. 

Sandy and rocky. 

Final push to the summit!

Looking back again. Yes, I keep on looking back. 

...still looking back. 

This time looking forward. 

Continuing on. 

Looking back down. It's just so pretty. 

The summit is the little hill to the right. 

Almost at the summit!

An ojiisan (uncle)! Do you see it in the rock's shape?

Almost at the summit!

Looking back down, this time from the summit. 

Summit marker. No, i can barely read the sign either. 

Continuing on. 

A different ridge down. 

On our way to our last peak!

Still sandy. 

Last peak! I honestly don't know what this means. 

Last peak's marker. 

Our descent down. 

Looking up the switchbacks we just passed. 

An akiya (abandoned house) near the trailhead. Anyone interested?

We tried to take this shortcut but the river was too swollen, so we had to go back and take the original route. 

Did a rather lukewarm onsen on our way back, but I got this pinkish sunset while waiting for them to be done. Do you see Mt. Fuji?