Mt. Chokai

Mt. Chokai (鳥海山; Chokai-san) is a 2236-m-high mountain in southern Akita/northern Yamagata. Hiking Mt. Chokai is a regular undertaking, particularly in the summer. The mountain can also be climbed in the winter.

Get in
The two popular trail heads for Mt. Chokai are in Yurihonjo and Nikaho, both in Akita. There are perhaps 10 different trailheads in all, including some in Yamagata, but most are hard to find and rarely used.

Climbing from Haraikawa

 * Summer. At normal speed, it takes about 4 hours to get to the summit.  Depending on the year and season, there are usually good water sources for the first 2 or 3 hours, but close to the top it is dry.  The first autumn snow is usually in October, and it doesn't fully melt until August.  But there's no problem hiking with a little snow &mdash; consider wearing hiking boots to help kick footholds in the snow.  The summit is 4.4km from the warming hut at Haraikawa.
 * Winter. In the winter, it still takes 4 hours to get to the summit &mdash; just follow the flags up the snow.  Going down is fast, since you probably will bring skis, a snowboard, or a sled.

Stay safe
Mt. Chokai is high and exposed. If it gets cold, windy, and rainy, you should put on rain gear and go down. That being said, the weather doesn't change without warning, so if you use common sense it'll be fine. In the winter, people have died on Mt. Chokai because of bad weather. Don't climb Mt. Chokai in the winter in bad weather.