Tanigawadake (谷川岳)

Location:	Honshu, Japan
Range:	Mikuni Mountains (三国山脈)
Elevation:	1,977 m (6,486 ft)
Route:	Tenjin ridge trail (天神尾根ルート)

Japan Hyakumeizan (日本百名山)



Overview
Tanigawadake has a bit of a bad rep owing to the number of fatalities that have occurred on the mountain. Located at a point where weather systems collide over central Honshu, the mountain is notorious for its changeable conditions. That said, it remains justly popular for its rugged charms, and the Tenjin ridge trail is not inherently more treacherous than any other. Just go prepared - this is not a mountain to be underestimated.

Route Planning

Perhaps the easiest approach to the summit of Tanigawadake is via gondola (or 'ropeway' as the Japanese call it) to Tenjindaira (天神平) - the Plain of the Celestials. From Tenjindaira, there is a clearly-marked and well-trodden trail to the twin peaks of Tomi-no-mimi (トマノ耳) (1,963 m) and Oki-no-mimi (オキノ耳) (1,977 m). Note that the ropeway can get extremely congested in high season.

Source: http://www.tanigawadake-rw.com/tanigawadake

Log

I am not sure why I chose Tanigawadake for my first hyakumeizan hike. Perhaps it was the vague sense of familiarity: apart from Fuji, it was the only other one of the hundred celebrated peaks of Japan I'd heard of - lodged in my consciousness, no doubt, when a couple of friends climbed it the year before.

In the stories of my boyhood, people were forever setting off on expeditions on bright, beautiful days, with the sun beaming on their backs. Today was clearly not to be one of those days. I was optimistic enough when I hit the trail: 'Oh, the sun'll burn through the mist,' I thought. Instead, it began to rain.

The climb towards the summit begins in earnest from the Kuma-Ana-Sawa emergency hut (熊穴沢避難小屋) - a mouthful of a name for a little refuge in a clearing. I meet a few fellow hikers taking shelter, but they have about as much English as I do Japanese, so all we do is nod and smile. The trail is steep and rocky in parts, and slippery in the rain. There are ropes along some of the sections - but I still manage to slip and graze my palm. It could have been worse, I suppose...

The small snow field on the upper reaches of the trail came as an unpleasant surprise. Compacted into ice by the press of passing feet, it made for a tricky patch. A fleece and a pair of crampons would have been a boon, but needless to say I hadn't thought to pack them - it being summer and all!

Thankfully, just above the snow field is the Kata-no-Koya (肩ノ小屋), a small mountain lodge in the shadow of the summit. I find the place rowdy with the chatter of the lunchtime crowd - no doubt dallying because of the bad weather. There's no denying that the warm fug of the interior makes for a welcome change to the cold outside. I manage to find an unobtrusive corner, where I nurse a hot coffee and tear into my pack of Pasco raisin buns.

Suitably fortified, I set out again to conquer Tanigawadake. The 'ears' of the mountain - Tomi-no-mimi (トマノ耳) (1,963 m) and Oki-no-mimi (オキノ耳) (1,977 m) - are a short walk from the lodge. (I wish I knew the origin of the names: as far as I am aware, no other Japanese peaks are called 'ears'!) Sadly, there are no grand vistas from the summit today - just a great grey murk of cloud and a cold, constant drizzle.


Still, I'll admit to a small, smug sense of accomplishment at having completed my first meizan!

Flora

Here are some alpine flowers I saw along the trail: 

Bird's eye primrose
(Primula farinosa)

Japanese moonwort
(Schizocodon soldanelloides)

Menziesia multiflora

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Nearby Attractions

Doai Station

Doai station (土合駅) on the Jōetsu line (上越線) has the deepest subterranean platform currently in use in Japan. Located 70 m underground (by comparison, the deepest Tube platforms at Hampstead are 58.5 m below ground), the climb up to the exit provides a good warm-up for the hike up Tanigawadake. There are no lifts or escalators, just 486 steps (I lost count, but the steps are helpfully numbered). The station itself is unstaffed and has the slightly run-down air of a rural outpost (which it is). A sign above the station entrance bills it 'Japan's premier station for moles' (日本一のモグラ駅).

Doai Memorial Park
Halfway between Doai station and the base of the Tanigawadake ropeway is a memorial park (土合霊園地) dedicated to those who have perished on the mountain. It is a tranquil spot with some interesting sculptures - such as Kōzō Naganuma's 'Image of Mountain Peace' (山の鎮の像) (pictured), which commemorates the death of a friend's son in a climbing accident. There is also a wall on which the names of the victims are recorded, with the earliest inscriptions dating from the sixth year of Shōwa  (1931).