For the last few days the weather has been warm during the day, almost hot in the sun, and cold during the night. Additionally, it has been windy for most of the days I’ve been here. So the plan of hiking up the Kuju mountain range was made without much further consideration.

While driving towards the mountains it became quite clear that going to the peak would involve snow, ice and freezing temperatures. Arriving at the trailhead the air temperature was around 1°C. The current elevation was around 1200m and Kuju-san tops out at about 1800m.

Thankfully I had packed two wool sweaters and long wool undergarments. After arriving at the trailhead a quick change into multiple layers of warmer clothes was in order. Being aware of the unpreparedness of foreign tourists the small shop at the trailhead had a small selection of warm accessories in store. A second set of gloves, as mine were pretty thin, was acquired. Mainly because they were cheap (around 500¥) and gave a bit of peace of mind.

Some mountains in the distance.

After 20 minutes the first snow appeared. What followed were landscapes of snow, muddy trails and the occasional section where use of hands is recommended. Apparently, hiking up Kuju-san is done rather early as a lot of people were coming down the mountain. Sometimes equipped with helmets and snow chains on their boots. Maybe a bit unsettling for me in my normal hiking shoes. Althougn I would recommend a good pair of boots doing the trip in normal hiking shoes was very much possible. Occasionally, some patches of snow were too deep to comfortably step into.

Feels like winter.

With rising elevation the wind would pick up. My thin rain jacket, intended for use on a bicycle, would prove rather useful in keeping of the strong winds. The peaks of the surrounding mountains would often shrouded by clouds, sometimes blown away by the winds, revealing the goal of the hike.

After a short rest inside a very well tended mountain hut the last part of the ascend began. During that ascend the hope for a good view was dwindling as the peak was cloudy the entire time. Reaching the top yielded mostly a grey, foggy wall with the occasional gust of wind blowing away the cover and revealing the landscape below. I had a decent reception though and could livepost from the peak.

ResizedImage_2026-03-13_10-57-25_2967 Kuju-san to the left.

As the other peaks aside from Kuju-san were equally cloudy we didn’t bother. Aiming to not trek the exact same way back as we came up we tried for a small detour. One of the trails at a fork was condoned off so we accidentally went up another peak. The trail went over a beautiful snowy table land with frozen bushes and trees at chest height, yielding a stunning view. As the peak was a bit lower in elevation it wasn’t as cloudy as the others and served us with the nicest view of the day.

Best view of the day.

Going down the trail we’ve had come up turned out to be qnoying. As the day progressed temperatures had risen and at lower elevations the snow has melted. Hundreds of footsteps had turned the nice trails into a slippery slope of mud. Probably the dirtiest my shoes have ever been.

Written in the Shinkansen to Kagoshima-chou