Hikes in Japan: The Mt. Akanagi Trail (赤薙山)

BASIC INFORMATION

• Name: The Mt. Akanagi Trail (赤薙山)
• Location: Nikko, Japan
• Distance: 3.2 miles (5.1 km)
• Max Elevation: 6,594 feet (2,010 m)
• Elevation Gain: 2,088 feet (636 m)
• Time: 3-4 hours
• Difficulty: Medium
• More Information: 30 Day Hikes Near Tokyo

Google Earth Map of the Hike

Mt. Akanagi Elevation Map

Directions

The trailhead is lcoated on the Kirifuri Highlands and takes about 30 minutes from Nikko Station or Tobu-Nikko Station by bus to reach it.  Look for buses going to Kirifurikogen/Ozasa Bokujo to Kirifurikogen.  If driving take Route 169 out of Nikko to the Kirifuri Highlands.  The route is easy to locate from Nikko and is a beautiful drive through forested land until the views open up once you reach the highlands.

Parking

For those driving, parking can be found very close to the trailhead for the Mt. Akanagi hike.  Though it has a very large parking lot this hike is very popular and the parking lot was almost filled the day I visited.

Narrative

During my visit to the historic Japanese city of Nikko I budgeted time on a weekend afternoon to go on a hike.  After looking at the various trails in the region, I decided to hike up the Mt. Akanagi Trail since it was at a high enough elevation to escape the heat and the distance & elevation gain was doable to complete in an afternoon.  Mt. Akanagi is the first in a chain peaks that tower over the Nikko area.  When the weather is clear Mt. Akanagi can be seen as the furthest right peak in the chain of mountains:

Below is a closer look at the mountains with Mt. Akanagi being the peak on the far right.  Past Mt. Akanagi the trail actually continues to explore the other high peaks in this chain of mountains:

After completing the winding, mountain road drive to the Kirifuri Highlands, I parked my van and made the walk over to the building located adjacent to the trailhead:

This building is a place to stock up on snacks & water or get a bite to eat before or after a hike into the surrounding mountains:

Adjacent to the building is the trailhead which has a signboard showing the trail up Mt. Akanagi as well as other trails in the area:

There was a deer fence that I had to pass through that had signs warning pet owners to keep their dogs on a leash and to pick up after them.  During my entire hike I did not see one dog on the trail and very rarely in Japan do I see people taking their dogs with them on hikes:

The first half of the trail up Mt. Akanagi is a very steep staircase.  There is 1,445 steps on this staircase that occassionally has signs on the steps to show hikers how far they have left to go:

For those that do not want to take the staircase there is also a switchbacking trail that can be taken up the first half of the mountain.  There are signboards all along the route to ensure no one gets lost:

Below is a view looking down one of the steeper sections of the staircase:

I powered my way up the staircase passing many people and made it to step 1,445 in about 30 minutes:

At the top of the staircase there is a lookout with stunning views of the surrounding Nikko region:

Down below I could see the parking lot and the building at the trailhead:

Here is a panoramic photo of the view from the lookout:

Many people end their hike here at the lookout.  However, from the lookout there is trail behind it that continues up the mountain toward Mt. Akanagi:

A short distance later I found myself having to pass through a turnstyle that is used to keep the wildlife on the mountain and away from the people down below:

After the turnstyle there are signs pointing hikers in the right direction towards Mt. Akanagi:

Along this section of the trail it is very exposed to sunshine.  The day I went hiking it was very hot out so I made sure I was lathered in sunscreen and had plenty of water with me:

The trail soon came to an intersection where hikers can either continue up the longer trail up Mt. Akanagi or do the shorter hike up the nearby Mt. Maruyama:

Here is a look at round-shaped Mt. Maruyama:

I continued up the trail towards Mt. Akanagi.  As I hiked up the trail there was a number of people coming down the mountain. A few of them tried to warn me to turn around because they were worried I would be on the mountain when it gets dark.  Knowing my fitness level I knew I would get to the top and back down before it got dark.  Plus even if it got dark I was not worried because I have hiked in the dark plenty of times before, especially hiking up 14-thousand foot peaks in Colorado where some of them you have to start in the early morning darkness to get up.  I was more concerned about the weather as I saw dark clouds brewing above Mt. Akanagi:

As I continued up the trail I could see the steep green ridgeline ahead of me that is very noticeable throughout the hike:

This steep, green ridgeline can even be seen from all the way below the mountain in Nikko.  When I finally reached the ridgeline, it was pretty cool to cross it:

Below is a panorama photo of the view from this ridgeline:

After crossing the narrow green ridge the trail then entered into a thick forest before the final push towards the summit:

On this section of the trail the signs are in Japanese so I made sure to remember the Japanese kanji for the mountain, 赤薙山 to ensure I stayed on the proper trail:

Here is the view looking back towards Nikko just before I was engulfed by the surrounding forest:

After I entered the forest the trail became much steeper, narrower, and difficult to hike up:

I continued to power up towards the summit and was stopped by one man telling me I need to head down the mountain soon because of darkness.  I told him I was fine and would head down after reaching the summit.  I soon found myself on the summit of Mt. Akanagi where it is capped with a torri gate and a small Shinto shrine:

From the summit of Mt. Akanagi the view is not that great because of the trees.  However, I was able to see the other peaks of the ridge of mountains that rise over Nikko:

After spending a few minutes taking in the view I tried to find a location to fly my DJI Mini Pro 3 drone through the trees.  However, I could not find a safe spot and decided to hike back down the mountain to an area clear of trees.  After carefully making my way back down the steep wooded section of the trail, I was actually able to maintain a slow jog once I was out of the forest.  I made great time and found a perfect clearing to launch my drone from.  Here is a photo from my drone looking towards Nikko:

The drone footage just helped me further appreciate how much forested lands and mountains surround Nikko that makes for amazing hiking opportunities.  I next had my done fly parrellel to and capture this image of Mt. Akanagi.  From this vantage point I could see how steep this side of the mountain was:

I then had my drone fly out and capture a picture of Mt. Akanagi with the green ridgeline visible:

The below picture shows the view in the opposite direction from Mt. Akanagi where an impressive highway bridge can be seen in the distance:

I flew my drone over to get a better look at the bridge:

Below is a panorama picture I took using my drone centered on the highway bridge with Mt. Akanagi visible on the left:

Here is one final picture I took from my drone which is a panorama of Mt. Akanagi with the sunsetting behind it:

I spent about 45 minutes flying my drone around before packing it up and heading back down the trail.  As soon as I reached the staircase I was able to do a slow jog down it saving me a lot time.  I made it back to the parking lot just before it started to get dark to conclude what was a fantastic afternoon hike.

Conclusion

The hike up Mt. Akanagi is a short one being just 3.2 miles (5.1 km) roundtrip in length, but it packs a respectable 2,088 feet (636 m) of elevation gain within that short distance.  Most of the elevation gain comes from the very long staircase that ascends about halfway up the mountain.  The views during the hike of the Nikko region are fantastic except from the summit that is covered in trees.  The crowds on this hike are not that bad especially after passing the staircase section of the trail.  If looking for a short hike in the Nikko area this is definitely one worth considering.