Hello Jeff, my apologies for late reply, was on the road coming back to Japan and now in quarantine :) Yes you can climb Kuju, Kyushu's highest peak, all year round. Since you will go for it in Winter (I did the same, this video is from mid January) I suggest you have quite a lot of gear with you and definitely do it when the weather conditions are right, unless you are a very experienced climber. Crampons would be good for the snow and if the lake is frozen will allow you to walk on it without slipping. Gators would be also useful as depending on the conditions the path can get really muddy. The elevation at the top is not that high but at 1791m. altitude when the wind is blowing it can still be very cold so good clothing would be appropriate. I don't consider it dangerous but climbing any mountain during winter can become dangerous if the weather goes bad so please always check the weather forecast. There are various shelters around in case of a whiteout. An old granpa told me his tale when he got stranded in one of these shelters with a full whiteout. He and another guy chose to spend the night in the shelter while others wanted to go down because they had to go to work the next day etc. Sadly, most of the people who decided to leave didn't manage... It's one of the most beautiful areas in Kyushu and during Winter is pure magic, you will enjoy!! One good source of information with details on each path - route is this one: www.env.go.jp/en/nature/nps/park/guide/kuju/map/index.html Enjoy!!
It's great!!! We love seeing this video, esp the frozen lake is so amazing!!!
Thank you!!! Yes the frozen lake was so beautiful, I think our dogs would love this hike!
we are planning to climb this coming February. is it safe?
Hello Jeff, my apologies for late reply, was on the road coming back to Japan and now in quarantine :)
Yes you can climb Kuju, Kyushu's highest peak, all year round. Since you will go for it in Winter (I did the same, this video is from mid January) I suggest you have quite a lot of gear with you and definitely do it when the weather conditions are right, unless you are a very experienced climber. Crampons would be good for the snow and if the lake is frozen will allow you to walk on it without slipping. Gators would be also useful as depending on the conditions the path can get really muddy. The elevation at the top is not that high but at 1791m. altitude when the wind is blowing it can still be very cold so good clothing would be appropriate.
I don't consider it dangerous but climbing any mountain during winter can become dangerous if the weather goes bad so please always check the weather forecast. There are various shelters around in case of a whiteout. An old granpa told me his tale when he got stranded in one of these shelters with a full whiteout. He and another guy chose to spend the night in the shelter while others wanted to go down because they had to go to work the next day etc. Sadly, most of the people who decided to leave didn't manage...
It's one of the most beautiful areas in Kyushu and during Winter is pure magic, you will enjoy!! One good source of information with details on each path - route is this one:
www.env.go.jp/en/nature/nps/park/guide/kuju/map/index.html
Enjoy!!