Mount Hachimantai
Hachimantai (八幡平) is a relatively flat topped mountain with a summit at 1613 meters above sea level, and is often referred to as a plateau. It is the third highest mountain in the Towada-Hachimantai National Park after Mount Iwate and Mount Akita-Komagatake, and offers some nice mountain scenery.
Views of the landscape can be enjoyed from the Hachimantai Aspite Line sightseeing road, a former toll road, which connects Akita with Iwate Prefecture and leads to within a short walk of the summit of Mount Hachimantai. The road also passes by Goshogake Onsen and gets partially closed in winter.
A network of walking trails provides access to the summit of Mount Hachimantai from a parking lot along the road and offers easy walks from 40 minutes to two hours. The trails pass by numerous ponds and cut through a forest of evergreen trees. At the summit there is a small observation platform that allows visitors to see over the top of the trees, but due to the flat topped nature of the summit, the views are not very dramatic.
The walking trails also leads to and around Hachiman-numa Pond, which is with a circumference of about one kilometer much bigger than the other ponds along the way. Small marshlands are found on both sides of the pond. Autumn colors around the summit of Mount Hachimantai are usually best in early October, with the best views enjoyed from along the road.
Getting there and around
Mount Hachimantai can be reached by bus or car along the Hachimantai Asupite Line sightseeing road from either Iwate Prefecture in the east or Akita Prefecture in the west. The mountain is inaccessible from early November to late April, when the higher section of the road gets closed.
From Morioka Station in the southeast
From late April to mid October, there is one direct bus per day between Morioka Station and Hachimantai-chojo bus stop near the summit of Mount Hachimantai (110 minutes, around 1500 yen one way).
From Kazuno-Hanawa Station in the northwest
On selected days from mid April to mid October, there are infrequent bus connections between Lake Towada, Kazuno-Hanawa Station and Hachimantai-chojo bus stop near the summit of Mount Hachimantai. Advance reservations are required at least one day in advance. The one way fare to Mount Hachimantai is 2500 yen from Lake Towada or 1500 yen from Kazuno-Hanawa Station.
How to get to and around Hachimantai
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