(岩湧山) Mt. Iwawaki Hike

Just saw this in instagram and figured if I get to the Kansai area then might as well. Boy, I'm glad I did. 

Budget: JPY1,760 (~USD16) from Osaka

• JPY570. Train, Osaka to Kawachi-Nagano Station. 
• JPY540.  Bus, Kawachi-Nagano Station to Takihata Dam. 
• JPY650. Train, Kimitoge Station to Osaka. 

Hike Date / Difficulty (Elevation: 897m / 2,943ft)

• May 3, 2021
• Difficulty: 3 out of 5. It was a nice gentle hike, no sharp drops or risky sections. 
• Route below is around 13.5kilometers, with an elevation change of ▲1,104m/ ▽1,155m (3h47m), based on this hike.

When to Go
Anytime during the year!

Special Notes

• Weather forecast: Japanese. 
• Trailheads. In both trails, there is a water source on the way, and some benches. More benches on the Kimitoge Station though. 
• Takihata Dam Bus Stop (滝畑ダムバス停). Google maps pin, though google maps work. Careful on the bus schedule though, and confirm with the link below.  
• Train, Osaka to Kawachi-Nagano Station (河内長野駅). 
• Bus, Kawachi-Nagano Station (河内長野駅) to Takihata Dam Bus Stop. 
• Bus schedule here. Bus stop 7. JPY540, 51 minutes one way. At Kawachi-Nagano Station exit, turn right for West Exit, and turn left around 15 meters in. Go down the stairs, straight down, curving a bit to the right.
• If you plan to backtrail, there's a JPY650 unlimited ride for a day. 

• Kimitoge Station (紀見峠駅). Accessible by train. JPY650, 51 minutes one way.
• Mountain huts. 
• Paid. None. 
• Free. None.
• Camping. One near to Takihata Dam Bus Stop. 
• Mountains covered
• Mt. Ougi (扇山)
• Mt. Iwawaki (岩湧山)
• Mt. Kiyouzuka (経塚山)

Itinerary

• 08:23am. Train, Namba Station to Kawachinagano Station. 
• 08:55am. ETA: Kawachinagano Station. 
• 09:04am. Bus, Kawachinagano Station. 
• 09:52am. ETA: Takahata Dam Bus Stop. Start hike. 
• 02:00pm. ETA: Kimitoge Station. Train back to Namba Station. 

Actual Log

• 08:53am.Arrived at Kawachi Nagano Station. At exit, turned right for West Exit. Turned left around 15 meters later (with Japanese sign bus stop バスのりば). Down the stairs, went straight about 50 meters. Bus stop 7. Took bus that says 419V going to 滝畑ダム. There was already a line so make sure to rush once you get off the train. When I went (weekend, holiday, sunny weather forecast) the bus was standing room though I was lucky and early enough to get a seat. Bus arrived at 9am, boarded with my IC card.
• 09:04am. Bus, Kawachinagano Station.  
• 09:50am. Arrived at Takahata Dam Bus Stop. Started walking along the road to the trailhead, less than 3 minute walk. It was easy to follow given the crowd. The trailhead was right behind the restroom. 
• 10:02am. Started the hike. It was a well marked (just follow the signs to 岩湧山), gentle, fully covered hike to the top.  Things cleared out close to the summit, where I enjoyed the clear beautiful view, flew my drone, and descended back into the woods. 
• 12:02pm. Arrived at the summit. It was a generally gentle descent. 
• 01:47pm. Arrived at the rough road section of the hike. 
• 02:20pm. Arrived at Kimitoge Station, took the train back to Namba Station. 

After exiting the turnstiles, turn right, and within a couple of meters turned left for the bus stops. 

Bus stop already has a line waiting. The girl on the same train as I was took a restroom break and had to stand for the hour long bus ride. 

From the bus stop, it was about three minutes walk to the trailhead. Followed the crowd. 

The trailhead right behind the toilet. 

Starting the hike.

Beautiful trails. Very reminiscent of the Tokyo hikes. 

One beautiful bridge. 

Water source on the way. 

How the trail signs look like. 

Beautiful, beautiful forest. 

Took a segue to see Mt. Ougi 扇山. There's a warning sign, ignore that. 

It was a quick segue but beautiful views. 

Here's the summit marker. 

Back on the official trail, I had to pass under a huge electric tower. 

Outside of the treeline, close to the summit. 

That is the false summit, the actual summit is right behind it. 

Here's the actual summit. 

Yey!

View from the summit marker. 

Shot from my drone. 

Another shot off my drone. 

People collecting "warabi" at the top. 

Starting to go down. 

The descent. 

Water source on the way down. 

A short section with concrete. 

Back on the trail. 

A short segue to the left that goes nowhere. 

It just goes to here. No views really. 

Except if you have a drone then the drone can go up. 

Back on the trail with oh so many benches. 

Gulley?

Back on concrete. 

Following the river. 

Now in town trying to find the train station. That town led me to a merry chase. DO NOT FOLLOW the signs, follow the map. 

Found the tracks, not the train. 

Here's the train station!

No English signs at the station, so look for Namba (なんば)