Finding information about ice climbing in Japan can be a daunting task to say the least. Where to go? When? How to get there? What about guidebooks? How about weather? The list goes on...

Winter camping near Sounkyo by -18°C - Hokkaido - Japan

Credits: Gregor Neumann

Overview of ice climbing in Japan

Japan is a great country for ice climbing, due to its cold winter. Unfortunately (or fortunately), these winter typically come loaded with insane amounts of snowfall, often making access difficult. The best period is typically from december to february, although some rare falls might be formed earlier and last slightly longer. Ice falls can be found here and there throughout north Japan, with some well-known areas such as Yatsugatake, Yonagofudo, Sounkyo (Hokkaido) to name but a few. Access by public transport is usually hard, or downright impossible (except to at least add a significant taxi fare). Car is pretty much the only reasonable way of getting to most places. Beware that Japan tends to get insane amount of snowfall during winter, and you will need winter tires and 4 wheel drive. I've personally managed to get everywhere, including Hokkaido in January, with a 4WD Suzuki Wagon Kei-car. More often than not, expect a significant approach hike through snow. Some approaches are best done on skis. Due to this difficult access, it is very common to go for multiple days and winter bivy.

Winter car camping is common practice

It's bigger on the inside!

A good sleeping bag is a must!

... and deep snow!

... but it's all worth it!

... cause you get to climb ice!

Guidebook: Ice climbing and mountaineering guidebooks are somewhat lacking. Your best bet is the 新版アイスクライミング全国版 (クライミング・ガイドブックス) (Ice Climbing - National Edition - Climbing Guidebooks) book [amazon link] that covers all of Japan. Unfotunately it is in Japanese only and heavily relies on text descriptions. It has black on white pictures of most falls, and a few color ones at the begining.

My intent here is not to replace the guidebook, but rather to provide an overview of some of the main areas that I've personally been to, and whenever possible map/GPS coordinates of the parking and falls. You will hopefully be able to find further information in the guidebook and on yamareco (by looking up the japanese name of the falls). Also note that Instagram tends to be a good source of live information to figure out the conditions (although for the most popular falls, expect a small crowd once it gets well-known that the conditions are good).

Honshu

Thinking about ice climbing in Japan, the first place that comes to mind is Hokkaido. But don't let that fool you, the main island Honshu is just as teeming with ice-falls, although the ice season is shorter, roughly december to end of february.

Yatsugatake (八ヶ岳連峰)

The Yatsugatake Mountains (八ヶ岳連峰 - eight peaks mountain) are a volcanic mountain range on the border between Nagano Prefecture and Yamanashi Prefecture. It was formed by repeated eruptions of older much larger volcanoes. Legend has it that Yatsugatake was once higher than Fuji, but Konohanasakuya-hime, the goddess of Mount Fuji, tore it down out of jealousy. This leaves a realatively easy to access mountain range, with multiple smaller peaks of interest for climbing. In the winter, Yatsugatake turns into a freezer with temperatures often under around -10/-15°C, and sees considerably less snow fall than its neighbouring mountain ranges (South and North alps). This makes it a perfect candidate for ice and mixed climbing, altough its proximity to Tokyo and relative ease of access means that the most popular falls tend to be crowded, especially on weekends.

Important note: Don't get fooled by the ease of access and relatively moderate altitude. Weather patterns can be extremely serious, and tends to change very rapidly. Wind and snowstorm, combined with the low temperatures can be particularely deadly if you get caught unaware.

Access: The trailhead starts at the lodge 八ケ岳山荘. This trailhead is accessible by a combination of train and taxi (around 6000-8000yen from the station). You can sleep there for cheap if needed. If you have a car with winter tires and chains, depending on road conditions, you might be able to make it as far as the lodge 赤岳山荘, which saves about 3km of walking. Note that this dirt road tends to be very icy, take care. From there, walk for about 2 hours along the trail leading to the Akadake Kosen Hut 赤岳鉱泉. It is very common to camp around the hut for a small fee. From the hut, one can access the many climbing options around.

Here is a map of the approach to 大同心 waterfall passing by the Akadake Kosen hut and the 行者小屋 on the way down.

Accomodation: Camping or Hut
Information
- Website Akadake Kosen / Gyosha Hut
- Instagram @akadakekousen_gyoujyagoya
- Facebook @akadake1959
Difficulty: Lots of choice from very easy WI3 to hard ice/mixed climbs
Classic climbs:
- Akadake Kosen Ice Candy: Artificial ice fall next to the hut. Rental gear is available at the hut. Toprope only (I believe that you need to bring your own rope).
- 大同心 waterfall ([MAP] / [GPX]): ~50m waterfall, WI4. From the hut, walk up the trail through the forest. The trail eventually turns to the left and the path ahead is blocked by a rope. There pass under the rope and continue up the riverbed until you reach the base of the waterfall. For a more complete adventure you can continue climbing the couloir above and link it with the classic mixed climb of Shodoushin Crack (小同心クラック) (full route description), or of the Daidoushin Ryo (full route description).
- West face Shu-ryo of Akadake (赤岳主稜) (route description). Easy mixed climbing leading to the ridge just short of the summit of Akadake.
- There is another popular waterfall at 35°58'37.5"N 138°20'52.3"E. From Akadake Kosen, walk to the next hut 行者小屋. Just after the hut, take the path leading down on your right until you reach the river. From there follow the river until you reach the waterfall, about a hundred meters up on your left accross the river.

Approach towards the Akadake Kosen Hut

Akadake Kosen

Cold tent bivy

Approach towards 大同心

大同心 (WI4, 50m)

Japanse climber in 大同心

Left: Daidoshin (大同心稜), Right: Shodoushin Crack (小同心クラック)

Reaching the summit of Shodoushin Crack (小同心クラック)

Mount Akadake

The Ice Candy artificial icefall next to Akadake Kosen

Yonagofudo

Yonagofudo is known for its hard multipitch ice falls, some of which boasting over 120m of WI5 climbing.

Access: The road leading to Yonagofudo is only partially cleared in the winter. You should be able do drive until an intersection a few hundreds meters after the 水神様 shrine, about here. If you're lucky you might be able to keep making it up the road until reaching a closed barrier a few kilometers higher. Watch out as you might very well be able to drive up on the hard packed snow in the early morning but might not be able to make it back down in the afternoon after the snow has softened (last time I went there my kei car bottomed out and got stuck and we had to dig it out). I've heard similar stories from multiple locals. Upon reaching the barrier up the road, keep walking (snowshoes or skis) for about 2 to 3 hours until you eventually see the falls in front of you. There is a bridge on your left, ignore it and keep going straight towards the falls. About 100m after the bridge is the area where people typically camp. Store the gear you don't need there, and keep going towards your project :)
Difficulty: Very hard. WI4 and above, with a large majority of harder multipitch falls (WI5, WI6).
Weather conditions: Generally mild weather with cold temperatures.
Accomodation: Wild bivy
- [GPX access]: the track goes from the road barrier past the campground until Anaconda/Cobra ice falls then returns to the camp near the bridge
Best period: Late January to early February. Most falls are WI5 and above, with many pillars and hanging structures. They tend to form late in the season and remain in conditions for short periods of time.
Classic climbs:
- Cobra: 120m, WI5 with a snow slope between the firsts and last pitches [GPX approach from camp] (rightmost climb in this area)
- Cobra left: WI5+/WI6, left of Cobra, this route is rarely in condition [a few meters left of Cobra]
- Anaconda (WI4+, 3 pitches) [left of Cobra Left]
- Dragon God (WI4, ~60m) [left of Anaconda ~50m walk]

Bivouac with icefalls in the background

Approach to Dragon God

Dragon God Icefall - WI4

Cobra - WI5

Exiting on the snow slopes above Cobra

Cobra Left - WI5+

Above the crux of Cobra Left

Oyafudo

Disclaimer: Due to a conflict between local climbers and the landowners (temple?) a few years ago, access to this area is currently discouraged (as of 2021). From what I've gathered from the locals, the conflict arised over fecal matter due to the high popularity of the area, relatively easily accessible from Tokyo. Sadly I'm not sure if any steps are being taken to try and resolve the issue, it seems to be more of a wait-and-see situation. If you decide to ignore this disclaimer, please be particularely respectful and leave no trace.

Access: Drive up a forest road (not cleared) as high as you dare, then snowshoe/ski up along the road for about 2 hours. There are multiple falls, here is the [GPX track] from where we parked the car (big 4WD SUV) to access the one in picture below (I don't recall the name).

Difficulty: Hard. WI4 and above, with a majority of very hard climbs.

Arafuneyama

Gunma prefecture is not particularely known for ice climbing. Yet Arafuneyama has some high quality ice-falls, along with some gullies and mixed routes.

Access: The trailhead is located around the shinto shrine 荒船神社奥の院
Accomodation: You can sleep in your car at the trailhead (but the parking lot is small and not flat). From there you can reach two separate areas. Aizawa is reached by following the road for a while and taking a trail to the right along the river
Difficulty: Easy to hard. WI3+ and above
Classic climbs:
- Dog Killing Waterfall (犬殺しの滝 - Inukoroshi no Taki) - WI4 pillar, ~50m
  - GPX access: Don't follow the uphill bend in the path towards the end of our approach (wrong), instead keep on following our return path along the river until you reach the fall.
- Aizawa Black Wall (相沢奥壁大氷柱) - WI4+, 50m (GPX access).
- Aizawa (相沢) - April's Fool (エイプリルフール) (GPX access) - WI4. Multiple possible lines, and about 3 pitch route.
- There are also mixed routes and gullies, and some harder ice falls

Annoying approach through the forest

Dog Killing Waterfall

April’s Fool (エイプリルフール)

Aizawa Black Wall (相沢奥壁大氷柱)

Drying shoes

Unryukeikoku Falls (雲竜渓谷)

The area around Nikko has the poptential for many interesting waterfall. Unfortunately good ice conditions are hard to come by. The best period generally seems to be late-january. The most well-known climbable area is Unryukeikoku Falls (雲竜渓谷). It also happens to be a popular hike, and on good sunny days you can expect a crowd there (litteraly hundreds of people when we went there in the weekend in early February 2021).

Unryukeikoku Ice Falls slowly forming - 20 December 2020

Credits: Arnaud TANGUY

Access: From the trailhead parking Unryukeikokutozanguchi Parking Lot - 雲竜渓谷登山口駐車場, walk for about 2h until you reach the Unryu Keikoky Falls. Note that if the river is not frozen, the falls are very difficult to access as you have to walk above the river bed for a few hundred meters at the end (but in that case they probably aren't formed anyways).
Best period: Might be in condition for a short amount of time around late January. The main fall takes the sun from around mid-day. The smaller pillars are somewhat more protected from the sun, but being freestanding structures they need consistent low temperatures. I tried going twice last year: 1 december 2020 (not fully formed yet) and 6th February 2021 (already melting). It seems that around the week of 15th January conditions were good.
Information:
- Nikko's frozen waterfalls: Unryu Keikoku [japan-guide.com]: Excellent source of information and beautiful pictures (and I'm not just saying that just because the article was written by my good friend Joe Mignano).
- My own post written before winter

Leaving alone from the car with a heavy bag

Dam

Night bivy next to the falls

Cold, but not cold enough!

Melting snow

Februrary, and already melting!

Unryukeikoky: when in good conditions!

Kaikomagatake

See the Kaikomagatake - Pachinko Climbing post.

Sunset along the west coast of Hokkaido - January 2021

Credits: Arnaud TANGUY

Hokkaido

Hokkaido is most well-known for the insane amount of snow it receives during the winter months (sometimes meters in a single day), making it a world-renowned skiing destination. It also happens to be a heaven for ice climbing, with its low temperatures, and multitude of ice falls. The most well-known area is the Sounkyo gorge teeming with multipitch waterfalls a short walk above the river.

Sōunkyō Gorge (層雲峡)

Located in the Daisetsuzan National Park, the Sounkyo Gorge is a world reknowned ice climbing venue. With its steep walls looming above the Ishikari river, teeming with hundred meters waterfalls, each steeper and bigger than its neighbour. It is also reknowned for its ice climbing festival with its man-made ice village, held around February every year.

Access: Drive to the free parking lot Ginga Waterfall Parking Lot (銀河・流星の滝駐車場). The main falls Ryu Sei no Taki and Ginga no Taki are visible from the parking lot. Most falls are located along the Ishikari river, upstream from the parking lot. To access more remote falls, it is recommended to walk along the closed road on the right river bank (on the parking lot side). Note that you will need to find a way to cross the river as there is no bridge.
Further information:
- General information on the area
Difficulty: Hard. WI4 and above
Classic climbs:
- Ginga Waterfall (GPX): 3 pitches, WI4
- Kumoino Falls (GPX
  - note: don't follow the same approach path that we did, instead prefer taking our return path along the road on the right river bank (parking side)) - WI4

Sadly, not fully formed yet!

Ginga no Taki

Xiaoyang crossing the icy river

River crossing

Sounkyo Ice Festival

Xiaoyang plowing through snow on the approach

Winter bivy on the way to Sounkyo

When you can't decide between skiing, ice climbing and traveling

River crossing on the approach to Ginga Waterfall - 07 January 2021

Credits: Gregor Neumann

Mount Raiden (雷電山)

Mount Raiden (雷電山) is home to the Kumamono Falls (雲間の滝) and can only be described as a stunning ice climbing venue. Imagine steep multipich ice falls above steep snow slopes, overlooking the ocean. Simply stunning.

Access:
- Park at the free parking lot 敷島内風の駐車場 along the seaside just after a tunnel's exit. The falls are visible from the parking lot.
- Walk above the tunnel to the left of the parking lot (facing away from the sea) and follow the most logical path towards the falls. There is about 300m of elevation through snow slopes. You can do it either with snowshoes or skis, but be aware that for the most part this goes through dense trees and bamboos.
- [GPX]: Don't follow the same approach path we did as we went too far to the right and ended up having to traverse and do a short rappel to access the fall. Instead follow our descent path.
Difficulty: Very Hard. Multipitch, WI4+ to WI6

Car park next to the sea

Ski or snowshoes approach

Skiing, Ice Climbing, and the Sea, what could be better?

Kumamono falls (雲間の滝) - WI4+ - WI5

West coast

When conditions are right, many ice falls can form along the west coastline of Hokkaido. Unfortunately for us, when we travelled around Hokkaido during the first week of January 2021, most falls weren't fully formed yet, or downright inexistant, with the exception of Mount Raiden described above. Here is an overview of the partially formed ones that we could find: