(倉岳山) Mt. Kuratake Hike

This mountain is the only mountain I've ever encountered snakes on. SnakeS. Two of them, on the trail. Ugh. 

Budget: JPY2,340 (~USD22)

• JPY1,170. Train, Nakano Station to Torisawa Station. 
• JPY1,170. Train, Yanagawa Station (梁川駅) to Nakano Station.

Hike Date / Difficulty (Elevation: 990m / 3,248ft)

• April 2020, May 2020. 
• Difficulty: 3.5 out of 5. 
• Route below is around 11.7kilometers, with an elevation change of ▲1,149m/ ▽1,182m
• PDF Map Link
• I would recommend you do the Mt. Takahata (高畑山) to Mt. Kuratake (倉岳山) route though. 

When to Go

• It seems that the ideal time to go is autumn, which is likely around end of October to November given that the pond will probably reflect bright red leaves. 
• Spring, on the the other hand, has gorgeous greens, so it's still a pretty nice place to go.

Special Notes

• There are plenty of springs that you'll have to cross, so if it's raining, maybe don't do this hike. 

Itinerary

• 06:31am. Train, Nakano Station to Torisawa Station. You'll likely have to transfer once. In my case, I transferred at Takao Station. 
• 07:58am. Arrival, Yanagawa Station. Start trek. There's only one exit. For the actual trailhead, here's the google maps pin. It's an offshoot in right next to the main road (see picture below), but there IS a sign pointing to Mt. Kuratake. 
• 10:30am. ETA: Mt. Kuratake-summit. Sit down at the bench while looking at Mt. Fuji, take an hour lunch break.
• 01:15pm. ETA: Yanagawa Station. Once you are seeing the end of the trail, look up your google maps to check the train schedule, as trains come every 30 minutes. 

The trailhead view!  

Mt. Fuji IS visible. If you're lucky. 

Do you see the little snake? I didn't either. Til it almost bit me.