Mt. Akita-Komagatake (秋田駒ヶ岳)
Mt. Akita-komagatake is the highest mountain in Akita Prefecture and easily one of the most picturesque. The views down towards Lake Towada are incredible on a clear day, and the wildflowers are some of the best in the Tohoku region.
The hike: From the bus stop, head past the entrance of the souvenir shop to the fountain that doubles as a water source. Fill up your bottles here, as there are no other reliable water sources on the hike. The trail starts to the right of the water. After 5 meters of walking, you’ll see a trail on your left, but ignore this and head straight. The path will curve off to the right, climbing a gentle spur towards the summit plateau. The path looks a bit like a volcanic forest road, with colorful lava rocks and an immense collection of wildflowers. After about 15 minutes of climbing, the mound-shaped peak of Mt. Oname (男女岳) will come into your view. The trail wraps around the northern flank of the peak before flattening out at a splendid volcanic lake. The reflections of the peak in the water are phenomenal when the weather is clear. At the far side of the lake is a mountain hut, so follow the wooden planks and drop your gear out front. This hut was locked when I climbed in August 2010, so I’m not sure whether you’re allowed to stay here or not. It should have taken anywhere from 30 to 50 minutes to reach this hut, depending on your speed. Follow the steps (and the crowds) up to the summit of Mt. Oname, the highest peak in Akita prefecture. The peak overlooks Lake Tazawa, as well as the distant peaks of Mt. Iwate and Mt. Chokai. After a few obligatory snaps, retrace your steps back to the hut and walk back along the lake as if you were going to descend back down to the parking lot. On the left side of the lake you’ll find a trail branching off to the left with a signpost for Odake (男岳). In 5 minutes, you’ll reach the ridge line. Turn right and start the steep, rocky climb towards the twin peak of Akita-koma. This climb is a lot more strenuous than the ascent of Mt. Oname, but the views down towards the grassy crater of Ko-dake are well worth the extra effort. After reaching the top, retrace your steps back to the saddle. Instead of turning left back down to the lake, keep climbing straight ahead on a path labeled on the maps as the “horse’s back” (馬の背). The narrow path lives up to its name, with steep drops on both sides and a panoramic view of lush, verdant peaks all around. It should take about 10 minutes of sweaty climbing to reach Yoko-dake (横岳). Turn left here and follow the ridge up and over the scree fields of Yakemori (焼森). If you’re tired, then there’s a trail on your left that leads down to the parking lot of Hachigome in about 40 minutes. Otherwise, start the long descent and even longer climb towards Mt. Yumori (湯森山). At the bottom of the descent there’s a small stream marked as a water source on the map. I’d recommend bringing a water filter in you’re planning on relying on this water. It should take about 40 minutes from the water source to reach the summit, where the views back towards Mt. Oname are entrancing. Here you’ll have to make a decision. If you want to continue all the way to Nyuto-dake and down to Nyuto Onsen, then you’ve still got 4 to 5 hours of long hiking in front of you. I recommend turning left here for the 20 minute stroll to the peak of Sasamori (笹森山), which has one of the best alpine grasslands in the entire area, filled with a wide assortment of wildflowers. From here it’s a 30 minute descent back to Hachigome. The trail drops steeply to a mountain stream and then climbs up towards the bus stop. All in all, it should take between 4 to 6 hours to complete the entire loop.
When to go: This hike can be done from early June to late October, when the buses to Hachigome are running. Please note that private cars are not allowed at the trailhead, so you’ll have to park at Arupa-Komakusa and take the bus along with everyone else. A winter ascent is also possible with the right gear and experience. Click here and here to see 2 different Japanese blogs.
Access: From Tazawako (田沢湖) station on the Akita Shinkansen, take a bus bound for Komagatake-Hachigome (駒ヶ岳八合目) and get off at the last stop. The bus takes about an hour and runs from June 1st to October 31st. Click here for the bus schedule. You can also take a bus bound for Nyuutou-Onsen (乳頭温泉) and change to the Hachigome bus at Arupa-Komakusa (アルパこまくさ) bus stop. Click here for the Onsen bus schedule.
Live web cam: Click here
Map: Click here
Level of difficulty: 2 out of 5 (elevation change 337m)
Explore posts in the same categories: Nihyakumeizan (二百名山)Tags: Akita-komagatake, blogsherpa, hiking, japan, NIhyakumeizan
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Hiking in Japan 
December 20, 2010 at 2:46 pm
Sounds great!
August 19, 2011 at 3:06 pm
Chokai in the south is the highest in Akita, isn’t it? Chokai is 2236 m high and Komagatake is only 1637m
August 21, 2011 at 5:26 pm
Chokai is technically in Yamagata Prefecture, so that’s why Akita-koma is counted as the highest. Chokai actually stradles 3 prefectures, but the summit itself lies on the Yamagata side.
Another interesting note is that Chokai is actually not the highest peak in Tohoku. Technically it’s Mt. Hiuchi (which is just barely in Tohoku, as it just crosses the Fukushima border). I still consider Chokai as the highest in the ‘real’ Tohoku though
April 13, 2013 at 2:09 pm
I did a condensed version of this hike mid October of last year (just from the bus stop, up to the summit of Mount Oname and then back again) and it was beautiful! Autumn is a wonderful time to go – the colours are stunning. When I went, it was still warm enough to be comfortable in light clothes for most of the climb, although nearer the summit it got a bit chilly. The views were lovely, although cloud quickly rolled in!
I’ve also done a hike of around 3 or 4 hours up from the back of Kuroyu onsen to the summit of Mount Nyuto, and back down the same way. This is a fairly easy climb on a well-maintained trail, and it cuts through some lovely scenery (including some steaming sulphurous pools!). The views from the top were great, with Lake Tazawa very clear in the distance. I’d recommend this if you don’t have enough time to do Komagatake. You can drive up as far as the Kuroyu carpark. The trailhead is just behind the ryokan … they have maps in the reception and I’m sure if you ask the staff will be happy to point you in the right direction!
August 20, 2013 at 4:04 am
it can parking your car at trailhead until 5:30 am. the bus starting to at 6:00am from Arupa. I made the all traverse in 5 hrs and it was not hard . the view from MT Nyuto (300meizan) is great and the hut close there is open. Nyuto onsen is nice.I took a bus from the hotel onsen and paid 290 yen to Arupa where I parked my car.
October 29, 2020 at 11:06 pm
I did the full hike described here on Oct 28 2020. It took me a little over 5 hours. In June, September and October the bus only goes all the way to the 8th station on weekends and national holidays. On weekdays, the road is open to private cars (I drove). It may change again in the future.
https://www.city.semboku.akita.jp/sightseeing/spot/03_komagatake.html
The trail between Yakemori 焼森 and Mt Yumori 湯森山 was seriously overgrown with sasa bamboo grass – at times it was difficult to fray a passage. Between Mt Yumori and Mt Sasamori 笹森山, it was a bit better but often I couldn’t really see where I was putting my feet. No problems walking the last part back to the parking. Maybe it’s just this bad at the end of the hiking season and is better in the spring. Or the trail may be less hiked than it used to be, it’s hard to tell.