Mt Ontake

Summary

🚌 Public transport access Accessible via train and bus from Tokyo, but with the timings it's not too feasible as a day trip. 🚗 Car access A 4.5h drive from Tokyo. There is a small car park at Tanohara, and a much larger one at ropeway. Mt Ontake (御嶽山, ontake-san) is one of Japan’s Hundred Famous Mountains on the border of Nagano and Gifu prefectures. At 3067m it is the 14th tallest mountain in Japan. However unlike some of Japan’s other 3000m+ peaks (which are a little more inaccessible), Mt Ontake is doable as a day hike with a total course time of only 5 hours. I climbed Mt Ontake in October 2024, making the 4.5 hour drive from Tokyo in the early morning, and then also climbed Mt Norikura the the following day. The peak of Mt Ontake is visible from the start of the trail, although a little obscured by the clouds today. Mt Ontake is also an active volcano with a sad history - as it last erupted on the 27th of September 2014, killing 63 hikers. The day of the eruption was a sunny Saturday, with the autumn leaves at their peak. Autumn is the most popular time for hiking in Japan, so you can imagine there were a lot of hikers on the mountain. And it unfortunately erupted without warning just before lunchtime, when many were near the summit. A warning sign advising the mountain is an active volcano, and to wear a helmet. As the mountain erupted, a large amount of ash spewed out of its crater, and flung rocks into the air. If you weren’t lucky enough to be near a shelter at the time, a direct strike from one of the falling rocks would be fatal. For this reason, at least 50% of the people I saw today were wearing helmets, or had them strapped onto their backpacks for easy access. I also noticed there was more signage than you normally see on mountain trails in Japan, advising you of the nearest possible emergency shelter in case of an eruption. A Torii gate near the start of the trail.One of the signs showing the distance to the nearest emergency shelter.Taking in the sc...