Oopps I did It Again..
Someone told me that Nantai is easier than Shirane so I thought, “oh maybe it’s not gonna be so bad.” I got this. WRONG. Hikemaster rated this hike 3/5 but for me it’s more like 10/5. Haha! I was dying on the trail.. for real. I think it’s the hardest mountain I’ve ever hiked.
I took a long break from hiking and went from zero to full on crazy, trying to take on a Goliath steep mountain like Mt. Nantai (2,486m). My legs hated me for days after our hike. I did all post-hike recovery tips that ChatGPT suggested – soft massage, alternating hot and cold bath, stretching, foam roller was my bestfriend all day, name it- I did it all just to speed up my recovery from sore muscles.
It was so hard to go up and down the stairs for 3 days. My colleagues were looking at me funny, it was embarrassing. To give you an idea..
The steep ascent was hard and the trail around the big rocks was too much for my short legs. And don’t get me started about the descent because I’ve never experienced a descent like that ever. I was contemplating whether rolling down is a much better option than walking sideways.
But, I think if I had more preparation before this hike (maybe if I hiked a few lower mountains prior to this one) maybe my experience would be different. This is another lesson learned for me. Do not overestimate yourself.
Let me walk you through it.
06:45 – We reached the parking lot and got ready. We were already behind schedule because we originally planned to start at 6:00. There is no bathroom at the summit so make sure you go at the toilet near the parking before you enter the shrine.
We paid 1000 each at the shrine to enter and was given a white omamori which you can keep. We entered the shrine gates at 07:00 and the trail started with concrete stairs so naturally it will end up with guess what, stairs – just worse because you have to go down.
Please note that given that it is 6-7 hour hike roundtrip, they will not let you pass after 12:00.
The hike started out steep right off the bat. No easing you in or anything. There were stairs after the shrine gate and then BHAM, immediate regret. I shouldn’t have bothered bringing my fleece jacket since it wasn’t that cold anyway, at least my pack would’ve been lighter and less bulky. I didn’t even have time to go from stage 1 or 2 of hiker’s regret, I just went straight to 6.
For a while I did not enjoy this part because I only saw dry leaves from the trees and no good views. Spring just started so the forrest part looked dry.
08:00 – After about an hour of immediate steep hike, you will start to see some good views finally.
08:20 – We reached another torii gate that says Trail Entrance / 登山道入口 / とざんどう いりぐち.
Everything after passing by this torii gate was a blur to me. All I know was, IT WAS A STRUGGLE going up the rocks, snow, melted ice (which is the most dangerous because it’s so slippery)- good thing we brought micro-spikes because I don’t think I can climb without it.
See how steep the above photo is? Regret level 999999. My only comfort was counting the markers from 3 to 9, because I know after 9 is the summit.. Even then, I think I started questioning my life choices after 8th station.
But it was too late to turn back because then I would have to do to it all over again when I do my revenge hike and frankly, I don’t think I want to hike this mountain again… okay maybe just one more time in the autumn, BUT THAT’S IT.
Before reaching the summit there is an overlooking and frankly I liked it better because it’s open and you can see lake Chuzenji and the mountains with snow in the background.
12:00 – I FINALLY REACHED THE SUMMIT. YAY! The hard part is over. WRONG AGAIN.
Our friends were freezing to death because they got there hours before I did, the first one even got there at 9:30- what a beast. We boiled water to make our ramen and life was good again.
After eating we proceeded with our photoshoot that lasted about an hour. As for me, I was taking my sweet time just to avoid going down because I already know it’s gonna be a pain in the a**.
13:10 – We left the summit and did all that in reverse. At first I thought, oh okay I think I got this. but after 5th station I was like, are we not there yet?
Eventually we reached the bottom and it took a lot out of me not to roll down the stairs just to get it over with.
16:50 – Finally made it back to the trailhead in one piece. So grateful!
Things I learned from this hike
- I should’ve used a trail running bag instead (the salomon pack I have that hugs on your back) because the trail has a rocky section with large boulders and having a bulky pack makes it harder to climb those rocks.
- I also only brought 1L of water, 2 energy jelly. It was warm that day and that wasn’t enough.
- The weather forecast was Sunny/cloudy (between -6 to 8°C) so I brought my fleece jacket AND rainjacket/windbreaker but I didn’t use the fleece at all. I should’ve left it in the car.
- Again, I should’ve done Mt. Takao or Mt. Mitake a week before doing Mt. Nantai because I think it would make a difference. Especially for a beginner like me.
- I forgot to bring my other gloves, the one I use for summer (has better grip). I only brought my liner gloves and it’s not suitable for the rocky section.
Was it hard? YES
Did I think I was gonna die? YES
But did I actually die? NO
Do I wanna hike again? HELL YES.
In fact I was already planning my next hike after resting for a whole day.
Am I addicted? YES, I am highly positive that I am crazy.. Yamacrazy.
HIKELOG
Mt. Nantai (2,486m)
April 27, 2025
(Tochigi)
Ascend : 3.8km
07:00 – 12:00 (From Futarasan Chugushi Shrine to Summit Marker and huge katana is at)
Descend : 3.8km (Backtrail)
13:15 – 16:50 (From summit back to the Shrine)
TOTAL – 7.6 km
Water : 1L + 2 energy jellies
YAMAP LINK : https://yamap.com/activities/39483056
Thank you always for reading till the end!
I appreciate all the comments and love hearing feedbacks.
I organize beginner/intermediate hikes in Kanto area and joiners are always welcome so feel free to send me a message if you want to join us.