Idiots on the Mountain: How NOT to climb Japanese peaks
Respect the mountain, or be humbled.
First up: I’ll be having a conversation with Mark Kennedy of Real Gaijin this Sunday from 8am JST, come join us!
I have been inspired by Mark’s writing since I first discovered it a few years ago now. If you aren’t aware, Mark gives in-depth analysis and well-informed opinions on all things Japan.
For example:
This one is on a very interesting company down the road from me manufacturing spider silk.
This one you just need to look at the title: Fear of Being Accused of Sexual Harassment Sparks Controversy Over Use of AEDs in Japan
As you’ve probably guessed, Mark also has an interview series with fellow ‘Gaijin’, which I for one find extremely enjoyable (this recent one with Christopher Harding I especially enjoyed).
If you join on Sunday you’ll also have the chance to ask us questions in real time, so please come along!
In case you missed it: Latest Video
After I made this video, my wife commented that I should probably have called him Ojizo-san, with the honourific ‘o’ at the start. My argument against that is A) I forgot (sorry Ojizo-san), and B) I assumed Jizo-san might be more familiar to the audience. What do you think?
Now onto this week’s article:
I Left my Sole on Mt. Gassan
I’m going to talk about Gassan, one of my absolute favourite mountains that I hope you too will also get the chance to discover. But this advice goes for basically any higher mountain in Japan (for reference, Gassan is 1984m tall, about 6500 feet).
As one of the three Dewa Sanzan mountains, Gassan is one of my favourite places in the world. I love that mountain so much, and I probably go there more often than most people.
Which is to say,
I’ve seen my fair share.
I have been up Mt. Gassan during typhoons, stood at the summit and looked down at thunder clouds we then had to walk through, fought valiantly against the sideways rain that stung like nothing else, and descended a trail which, thanks to the amount of rain, would probably be more appropriately named…
a river or free washing machine (true story)
I’ve also been up there and on the way home discovered they closed the gate after us to stop people going up (we yamabushi start pretty early, before decisions are made it seems).
Which is to say,
I’ve seen my fair share.
I’ve also seen my fair share of idiots on the mountain too.
Why just the other day I was climbing and I noticed bits of rubber on the ground. The pieces seemed to get bigger and bigger until I realised what it was:
the sole of a shoe.
Someone was climbing the mountain with a shoe falling apart.
Or two.
Then when we reached Gyoja Gaeshi, a notorious part of the mountain named after the (purported) fact that the (purported) founder of Shugendo, En no Gyoja, couldn’t hack it (or so the story goes) and had to turn around (the gaeshi part),
I spotted the culprit.
T-shirt and shorts (sasuga = as expected). Well, it was a hot day, that much can be excused.
But then you look down and see his shoes. Or rather, his toes sticking out of what was left of them.
It’s pretty obvious they didn’t start climbing the mountain like that. Gear failure does happen from time to time. But probably the worst part was that, when we eventually made our way back down, those same bits of shoe were still there. Dude didn’t even bother to pick them up. Probably felt too sorry for himself. But still,
should have just gone barefoot.
(Seriously, Gassan is built for that).
Speaking of, I have been a victim of sole-crushing too, earlier this year on a flight to New Zealand when I noticed a similar problem with my own shoes. I like to wear barefoot runners, those shoes with very thin soles (not the five-fingered monstrosities, sorry Tak and Dan).
Barefoot runners are similar to the Jikatabi split-toed shoes we wear during yamabushi training on the mountains, my hiking shoe of choice despite the fact they wear out quite quickly and are by no means waterproof.
Anyway, barefoot runners are prone to wear out more easily than traditional shoes. And that just so happened to happen on the flight over.
Talk about bad timing.
For someone who likes to travel light, including just having one pair of shoes, this was not welcome! I had to buy another pair of shoes, and of course I couldn’t get replacement barefoot shoes because I couldn’t find the ones I wanted (at least not at a normal price). So, I walked around with holes in my soles for a few days, and then just bought a completely different style of shoe I’m sure I would wear.
So I know it does happen.
Then just this past weekend something similar happened to one of the participants on our training with Master Hoshino. As we arrived at the entrance to Gassan, she noticed that the sole of her shoes were starting to peel off. When we got to the top, I noticed she had MacGyvered velcro bands to stop the soles coming off.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work, and by the end, she was pretty much barefoot. Which, to be honest, is not a bad thing on Gassan, apart from the snow maybe.
Maybe.
But the worst, and I mean worst case of mountain stupidity I’ve ever seen on Gassan happened a few years back. It was a day when Gassan was at its worst, or best if you ask me, the kind of day I mentioned at the start of this article: sideways rain, thunderstorms, lightning, trail rivers,
the works.
The kind of weather that makes you question why you’re even there. In other words, the kind of weather
that makes you feel alive.
We were out for yamabushi training when I spotted him.
T-shirt.
Shorts.
Plastic bag with a bottle of green tea.
Three things. That’s it.
Nothing else. No backpack. No jacket.
Nothing.
Gassan is not the sort of place you go for a leisurely stroll, except for maybe the Midagahara Marshlands near the Eighth Station.
This guy though,
he was full-on trying to climb the mountain.
That’s just stupid. Don’t do that. Always go prepared to a mountain. Who knows?
The soles of your shoes might come off!
So here’s what you actually need to know before climbing taller mountains in Japan:
Before hiking, do this:
Wear proper footwear. Or none at all, like this guy.
Bring layers. Even in the middle of summer Gassan and other mountains can get very cold. Also, rain jackets are not optional.
Bring a lot of water, and also sports drinks / salt tablets, especially if you’re expecting a hot day. For example, Gassan is very exposed, and on hot days the sun can be brutal. My minimum for a climb on Gassan is 2l of water, 1l of OS1, and a whole lot of salt tablets (these ume ones are the best).
Check the weather so you know what you’re in for, this includes checking times for sunrise and sunset.
Respect the mountain, or let it humble you. Either way, the mountain doesn’t care.
Or, just come on yamabushi training with me, I’ll show you the ropes!
Daily Yamabushi for The Week
Daily Yamabushi posts for the week of July 18 to July 24, 2025.
Read Daily Yamabushi at timbunting.com/blog. Everything I make is free of charge if you know where to find it. I’d start here.
Excellent advice.
I remember, back in 1994, when I spent a few days in the Eolie archipelago in Sicily, Italy. The day after thoroughly sunburning my legs, the wife and I decided to climb Mount Vulcano, an easy enough dormant volcano. I was wearing espadrilles-like shoes, so you can imagine what happened. By the time we finished our walk, I was basically walking barefoot.
Good memories though. When you are young and dumb and deeply in love.
Looking forward to our discussion on Sunday morning (JST)!