Route name: Asahi-dake South East arête (朝日岳東南稜)
Mountain: Nasu-dake (那須岳)
Map sheet: 12 [Yama-to-kougen-chizu (山と高原地図) series]
Time: 5-6 hours car
to car
Difficulty: Grade 2
alpine route / IV+ crux
The Nasu volcanic range is an area of real natural beauty in northern Tochigi
prefecture. Its hiking trails and abundant onsens, art galleries and cafés make
it a popular getaway destination for people from Tokyo and the surrounding
areas, and it even features on Fukada Kyῡya’s list of the 100 famous mountains
of Japan, or ‘hyakumeizan’. On the whole it is an area for hikers and trail
runners, but there is one gem for the alpine climber.
The
South East arête, or ‘Tōnan-ryo’, of Mt Asahi offers one of the most elegant scrambles in the
range. It can be climbed in summer, but for full character I recommend doing it
in winter, to experience the brunt of the wind and snow for which Nasu is
famous.
Despite
being located on one of the most accessible mountains in the region, the route
retains a surprisingly alpine character, with airy crest climbing, superb views
and a mix of steep scrambling and pitched rock climbing.
Getting
there:
If
travelling by car from Tokyo, take the Tohoku Expressway as far as Nasu IC (那須IC). After exiting, turn right onto route 17 in
the direction of Mt Nasu and stay on it. Eventually the road climbs into the
mountains and becomes single lane, passing through the Nasu Yumoto onsen
village.
Keep going up until you reach the Nasu Ropeway Sanroku Station (那須ロープウェイ 山麓駅), and park in the car park on the right. In summer it is possible to drive slightly further up the road and park at the Tōge-no-chaya car park (峠の茶屋駐車場), but in winter the road is gated and locked above the ropeway station.
Description:
Cross
the road from the car park and enter the hiking trail via a short set of stone
steps. About 10 minutes up the trail, you will pass the Tōge-no-chaya (峠の茶屋)
hut. Continue through the stone torii gate that marks the official start of the
Mt Nasu trail, and keep going up.
About
30 minutes out from the car park, you will reach a signboard on the trail
giving information about alpine plants. You can already see the SE arête on
your right, and this board is the point at which you need to descend to the
sawa to access the start of the climb.
The
first few hundred metres of the arête are quite broad and indistinct and you
can pick the line you prefer. As you gain height, walking gives way to steep rock
scrambling and snow climbing.
Eventually
you will approach a distinctive feature known as ‘the gates’. Turn this and
then make a 10m vertical rappel from the in-situ bolt anchor on the back side
into a notch in the ridge.
On
the other side of this notch a short pitch of approximately grade III up the
obvious steep chimney (cracks available for medium-sized cams) brings you to
another bolt anchor.
Now
continue scrambling steeply up the arête on rock and snow. The exposure
increases as the views become more dramatic.
Eventually you will come to the final rock step that bars the way to the summit of Mt Asahi. Many people climb this by the easier rock slab in the gully on the left side of the arête at grade III.
But if you want to take on the full challenge, climb the
steep arête directly at around grade IV+, with in-situ bolt/piton protection.
The 1896m
summit lies just a few metres beyond the top of this final pitch.
Descent:
From
the summit of Mt Asahi you need to follow the normal hiking trail down to the
old Mine-no-chaya (峰の茶屋跡) hut on the pass between Asahi and neighbouring Mt
Chausu (茶臼岳). From there, just follow the hiking trail back down to
the ropeway car park. You can now enjoy one of the famous local onsens of the
Nasu highlands!
Summary:
A
short but satisfying climb up a beautiful natural line that ends directly on
the summit of Mt Asahi. Bring a 50m rope, and a selection of medium-sized cams
and slings/quickdraws.
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