Mt. Ibuki is a bald turtle-shell shaped peak located near the city of Maibara on the eastern shore of Lake Biwa, Japan’s largest fresh water lake. It was my first hiking experience in Japan, though the weather was bad and the sky is cloudy it doesn`t stop us to climb the mountain. From Nagoya we took JR Tokai line bound for Ogaki and get off at Omi-nagaoka then we change to a bus bound for Ibukiyamatozanguchi.
The hike: From the bus stop, we walk up the road past the shrine, through the trail leading into the forest. The trail starts off steep for the first 20 minutes or so, and then flattens out as you approach the top of the first ski lift. There are lots of run down buildings here that function as restaurants and ski rental shops during the short ski season. There’s a public toilet a short distance up the ski field, which is open all-year round. The water in the sink is safe to drink, and it’s your last chance for water before the summit. This is where the real hike begins, as the trail heads straight up through the resort. After about and hour of steep climbing, we reached the mid-point of the ski resort (and the top of the gondola). We took a quick break, because we still got over 600 vertical meters to climb before reaching the summit plateau. At first the hiking is quite gentle to the end of the ski lifts, where you’ll reach a hut selling refreshments. This is the 5th station (五合目). A little further up, you’ll find an immaculate emergency hut at the 6th station (六合目), which is free to stay in (but has no toilet or drinking water). From here until the top, it’s a series of never-ending switchbacks, but it really is enjoyable if the weather cooperates. You’ll have a panoramic view of Lake Biwa, and the views keep opening up as you get higher and higher. After a seemingly endless ascent, we finally come to the summit plateau, but a bit disappointed because the clouds spoil the view from the top but indeed it was an accomplishment for me to have reached the summit. There are shops and canteen at the summit so after our 3 hour hiking we ate lunch. It started raining, instead of heading back the same way we decided to take the bus at the parking lot which is 20 minutes from the summit. Anyway, if the weather is clear then you can forget about all of the ugly buildings and enjoy one of the greatest panoramic views in Japan! (No lie). All of Lake Biwa stretches out to the west, as Hakusan dominates the northern horizon. The endless stretch of the Japan Alps are visible to the east, and the skyscrapers of Nagoya glitter to the southeast. Due south, the rolling sea of mountain ranges in Mie Prefecture majestically overlap themselves.
