Mt. Hakkenzan (八剣山), also known as Mt. Kan-non-iwa-yama (観音岩山), is a small mountain with a height of 498 meters located south of Sapporo, near Jozankei Hot Springs. The mountain derives its name “Hakken” from its distinctive shape resembling eight swords in Japanese.
Despite its modest height, climbing Mt. Hakkenzan is considered challenging due to the terrain and ascent time. The round trip typically takes between 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours, making it a suitable trekking course for beginners but not recommended for children.
Attension
On October 10, 2017, a woman suffered serious injuries after slipping and falling from the middle of Mt. Hakkenzan. Tragically, in 2016, two individuals lost their lives due to similar accidents while descending the mountain.
Access
You can park your car for free at the Hakkenzan Kajuen (八剣山果樹園), the fruit farm’s house. From there, walk through the farm towards the mountain where you’ll find the central entrance. There are three entrances available for climbing.
Farther you go, steeper trail.
After 20-30min, you can see the widely opened the sky.
This is not the top.
Another 10-20 minutes climbing.
The trail is really narrow and both sides are precipices. You can realize If you fall over, you can’t come back and live.
When you go down the mountain, you may walk through the Horse riding, Wild Mustang.
Fishing, BBQ and more activities.
