Mt Tateshina (蓼科山)
Mt Tateshina (蓼科山 Tateshina-yama) is a Hundred Famous Mountain located at the northern end of the Yatsugadake mountain range in Nagano. With only a course time of 3.5 hours it’s a mountain that can be done as a daytrip from Tokyo if you have a car.
Since I climbed this mountain in mid-May of 2023, there was still a bit of snow left as we gained elevation. The terrain was also a bit rocky, so that combined with the snow meant that we had to be careful of our footing.
Once you get close to the summit, the trail starts to become very rocky. The summit itself is just like a vast, sea of rocks. It’s kind of incredible how large it was, although a bit of a pain to walk across. Unluckily it was cloudy that day so there wasn’t much in the way of views.
It was forecast to rain from noon, so we hastily made our way back down the mountain.
Hiking course details
| Date climbed | Length | Course time |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-05-13 | 4.6km | 3h30m (the expected time for an average hiker without breaks) |
This is the shortest possible course to climb Mt Tateshina from the 蓼科山七合目 (Tateshina-yama Nanagoume) trailhead.
There is a toilet available at the trailhead.
Public transport access
The public transport options don’t look too great for Mt Tateshina. There apparently used to be a 蓼科高原ラウンドバス bus service, but it was not running for 2023.
The official website has a public transport route that involves going from Chino station, two buses, a gondola lift, and then a 20minute walk before you reach the trailhead. If you’re looking to do a longer course or are just trying to hit all 100 Famous mountains it may be worth it, but in my honest opinion there are other, more accessible mountains to climb.
Car access details
| Car park | Time (from Tokyo) | Round trip cost |
|---|---|---|
| 蓼科山七合目 駐車場 （たてしなやまななごうめ ちゅうしゃじょう) | 3h30m | ~13200 yen |
The car park is right near the trailhead and fits 50 cars. I don’t remember it being very crowded when we went in May, but I assume it gets more crowded if you go in summer.
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