Hiking Mt. Sobo (100 famous mountains in Japan)
Traverse Mt. Sobo (100 famous mountains in Japan) and Mt. Shoujidake
About Mt. Sobo
Mt. Sobo lie on the border between three prefectures of Japan, Oita Prefecture, Kumamoto Prefecture and Miyazaki Prefecture. It is selected as the title of 100 famous mountains in Japan.
Mt. Sobo 1,756m
Mt. Shojidake 1,705m
About the hiking trail
- Distance of the trail: 14.8km
- Cumulative elevation difference: 2,080m
- Total time: 9h45m (Rest 60m)
- Calories consumed: 4875kcal
- Date: 2 May 2022
Very tough course.(I love the steep slope though)
Mt. Sobo lies on three prefectures, so there are many courses to reach to the summit. This time, I have chosen Koubaru course(神原コース), which starts from Takeda city, the north side of Mt. Sobo.
I parked my car right before the starting point of the trail, and the owner of the guest house where I stayed took me to the first station parking area by his car.
There is an another parking space before the first station parking space. 6~7 cars can be parked here and as of 7 a.m. there were still vacancies.
The first station parking space was full as of 7:00 a.m.
I was surprised so many hikers come so early in the morning. It was not just that this day was in Golden week holidays but also the popularities of the mountain.
The owner told me that yesterday both the first station parking space and the parking space before the first station were full as of 5:00 a.m., and it will be more crowded on the next day, since there will be mountain opening event.
The mountain opening event is the event that the Shinto Priest hike to the top of Mt. Sobo and pray for safety of the hikers. They also give hikers a memorabilia such as a towel or tenugui, thus many hikers come on the day of mountain opening.
Though it takes less than 10 minutes to drive to the parking space from the starting point, the road width are very narrow, and the cars cannot pass by one another.
Traverse Mt. Sobo and Mt. Shojidake
Japan is now in the middle of consecutive national holidays, so called Golden Week Holidays.
Friday 29 April: Showa Day
Tuesday 3 May: Constitution Day
Wednesday4 May: Constitution Day
Thursday 5 May: Children's Day
Monday 2 May and Friday 6 May are general week days, but many Japanese take paid holidays on those 2 days, and make it 10 consecutive holidays. Generally, Japanese go back to their home town, and spend time together with their parents ,grand parents or local friends.
In my case, I took day off on 2 May, and used the opportunity to go hiking far away from Hiroshima.
There are many fantastic mountains in Kyushu region, namely Mt. Aso, Mt. Kuju, Mt. Kaimondake, Mt. Yufudake so on and so on. When I googled the area, and near Mt. Sobo, I found a nice guest house which located near the starting point of the trail. The place had a good distance to drive and a nice hot spring.
The budget
Gasoline expense: 7,500 JPY
High way expense: 13,500 JPY
Accommodation: 8,200 JPY
Other expense:3,000 JPY
Total 32,700 JPY (About $250)
I departed Hiroshima on 9:30 a.m., stop by at Takeda Hanakagetu hot spring, and stayed one night at Seiryu Guest House (民宿清流).
Gasoline price costs roughly 4000JPY per one way. Now the price is very high, around 170 ~ 180 JPY/L, compared to 2 years ago, around 120 ~ 130 JPY/L.
Seiryu Guest House(民宿清流)
This place is traditional Japanese style house, very old structure, and there were three rooms in all. A young owner is operating by himself.
The meal was superb! Local ingredients are used and dishes are served one by one.
Fish dish.
Meat dish. Though its a meat dish, the owner told me fresh vegetables are playing the leading role.
Dessert dish.
I was passed to a room on second floor. The room was well-cleaned. It was like my granma's house. When I turned on the air conditioner, a large bee fell to the floor and I was very very surprised.
Though there is a river and mountain next to the guest house, I didn't see so many insects. Its probably because the place was at high altitude (about 600m), and gets cold in the morning.
Meals were all made by the owner. Great quality and quantity!
The accommodation expense was 7,700 JPY, but there was an option of lunch bento for next day by additional 500 JPY, so I paid 8,200 in total.
I started the hiking from the first station parking space. There are toilet here, the fifth station mountain hut and the ninth station mountain hut. Very convenient.
To manage the number of hikers, there is a counter at the entrance, so I pushed it before I start walking.
I enjoyed gentle upward slope, which continue until the fifth station mountain hut.
I arrived at the fifth station mountain hut in no time. It took about 30 minutes.
The mountain hut are unmanned, but hikers can stay overnight.( Of course you need a sleeping bag.)
After the fifth station mountain hut, a steep slope continues. I love it.
Jizo Statue at Kunimi ridge(国見峠).
The ninth station mountain hut. I was exhausted at this point.
The ninth station mountain hut are better then one at the fifth station. Its also unmanned and accommodation is free. Hikers can stay overnight at second floor.
The summit of Mt. Sobo（祖母）. There were many other hikers. I also pass each other with many hikers while walking the trail. Very popular mountain.
Picture taken at the summit. Next, I will head to Mt. Shoujidake.
Great view!
When going down Mt. Sobo, the trail was like a cliff, and there were some ladders to support hikers.
The excellent view while walking from Mt. Sobo to Mt. Shojidake!
The Summit of Mt. Shojidake(障子岳).
Since the place was at country side, there were no such thing as convenience stores or grocery stores near the area. So the service of lunch bento was very helpful.
Traverse Mt. Sobo and Mt. Shojidake
Along the trail, there are nice liver and valley. Forest are filled with spring green. Very nice for walking.
Arrived at Kunimi ridge(国観峠) in about 1h30m. There is a open space.
When I arrived the summit, it was 11:30 p.m., so I took lunch here.
At this point I have walked roughly 7km and 4h30m. I took a rest for 40 minutes, but the physical strength haven't recovered much.
On the way home, I walked depending on the power of will.
I stop by at the first station water fall. It was very high and impressive.
Overall, Mt. Sobo was a great mountain. I loved the view, I loved the steep slope, and I enjoyed the sense of accomplishment.
There are many other hiking courses with Mt. Sobo, such as Kuroganeyamaone course(黒金山尾根コース) and Shouji Iwaone course(障子岩尾根コース), and I want to come back again to challenge them some day.
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