I had this hike in mind for a while, but since it could only be reached by car, it was low down on my list. I would follow the route described in my Mountains of Ibaraki guidebook: a loop hike, with short roundtrips to each peak, at opposite ends of the top ridge. These two mountains are situated near Mt Amamaki and Mt Takadate, on the Tochigi and Ibaraki border, halfway between Utsunomiya and Mito cities, their respective capitals. I decided to rent a car from the latter, about an hour’s drive to the parking on the east side. This way I could take the comfortable Hitachi limited express to Mito station and back. Since it was a relatively short hike, I could get an early lunch at a soba restaurant on the way. The weather was once again supposed to be sunny and I was looking forward to getting more views of the low mountains of the southern end of the Abukuma plateau.
Mt Keisoku (south peak) seen on the way to Mt Yakemori
View of the Abukuma Plateau from Mt Keisoku (north peak)
I was relieved that the parking lot was practically empty when I arrived at 1pm; according to the Google Maps, it’s always full in the morning, especially at this time of the year. After getting ready, I set off up a forest road through the cedars. I soon reached a switchback trail leading to Tarumi Pass (弛み峠) on the ridgeline. There, I turned left, heading west, towards today’s first peak.
Start of the hike (left) Below the south peak of Mt Keisoku (right)
Ridge trail leading to Mt Yakemori
As I followed the undulating ridge, I had glimpses through the fir trees of today’s other peak. After navigating the rocky trail round the base of Zazen Rock (座禅岩 meaning “Zen meditation”), I arrived at the summit of Mt Yakemori (焼森山 やけもりさん yakemorisan meaning “burnt forest”) from where I had a view of Mt Takamine to the southwest and the vast Abukuma Plateau stretching into the distance on the north side. At 2h30, after a short break, I headed back to Tarumi Pass.
View of Mt Keisoku from Mt Yakemori
View northwards of the Abukuma Plateau
I followed the sunny trail up a steep slope and soon reached a junction and a bench in the sun. A signpost indicated that this was the south peak of today’s second mountain; apparently Mt Fuji can be seen through the trees, but not today. I turned left, going down for a bit, and then up again through dark forest. At 3pm, I reached the north peak of Mt Keisoku (鶏足山 けいそくさん keisokusan meaning “chicken foot”), a Tochigi 100-famous mountain, and the exact same height as the south peak.
View northeast from Mt Keisoku
The outline of Mt Nantai can be seen on the right side
The summit was free of trees and offered a wide view on the north side. At this late hour, it was also free of people. I could make out the shape of Ibaraki’s Mt Nantai to the northeast, about 30km away. I followed the trail as it continued down the north side, and a few minutes later, I arrived at Tori-iwa (鶏岩 meaning “chicken rock”), where I had a view on the east side. I quickly made my way back to the junction on the south peak, and and continued along the main trail as it curved south and started to head down the mountain.
View to the southeast from Mt Keisoku
View on the way to Niwatori Rock
It was a pleasant descent through the winter forest, bathed in the late afternoon sun. After passing the minor summit of Mt Fuji-ga-hira (富士ヶ平 340m), marked by a small shrine, the trail became rockier and steeper, slowing my pace somewhat. At 4pm, I was back at the now completely deserted parking lot. I managed to get to Mito before sunset, where I boarded the limited express for the 90 minute ride to Tokyo.
View east from Niwatori Rock
Level trail leading to Mt Fuji-ga-Hira
This was another short hike with great views, ideal for the short and clear days of the Japanese winter. I found out afterwards that there’s a spot with many Mitsumata flowers on the north side of the mountain, that were in full bloom around the time of my visit, giving me a reason to return someday in the future.
See a video of the Mt Keisoku hike
Hiking Around Tokyo 