Traversing the Suzuka Seven Mountains: A Tough 50 km Overnight Trek with Camping Gear

Hi, this is Shiina from ROCK STEPPERS!

I went on a two-day traverse of the Suzuka Seven Mountains, carrying everything for a night in a tent!

I wanted a demanding mountain trip somewhere close to Osaka, so I headed for the Suzuka range. Being able to reach the Fujiwara trailhead in about an hour and a half via the expressway from Osaka is part of the appeal.

This time I teamed up with tough guy Tsuyoshi, hoping to practice reading a map along the way.

But instead of a straightforward navigation exercise, we ran short of water, lost the route, and discovered we had not packed enough food. It turned into a pretty hard two days!

What Are the Suzuka Seven Mountains?

The map shows the shortest route, but the distance we actually walked came to 50 km.

The Suzuka Seven Mountains are seven representative peaks of the Suzuka range: Fujiwara, Ryugatake, Shakagatake, Amagoidake, Gozaisho, Kamagatake, and Nyudogatake.

Each has its own character, and from parts of the ridgeline you can see Lake Biwa and Ise Bay. It is wonderful to find such a sense of being deep in the mountains, with so much variety in the scenery, relatively close to Osaka.

Our plan was to link all seven peaks. As this is a one-way route, leaving a car at the start creates the problem of getting back to it afterward.

We decided to leave bicycles at our destination, Tsubaki Grand Shrine, and ride back to the start after descending.

After walking through the mountains, we would still have another 35 km to cycle. Would we make it back in one piece?

DAY 1: Fujiwara to Ryugatake, Shakagatake, and Nenohira Pass

Distance: approximately 25 km / Ascent: approximately 2,800 m / Time on the move: approximately 12 hours

First we drove to Tsubaki Grand Shrine and dropped off the bicycles. Then we drove to the Fujiwara trailhead, ready to start.

Our destination for the day was the area around Nenohira Pass, beyond Shakagatake. We planned to leave the main route and camp in Taketani, sometimes called the “Kamikochi of Suzuka.”

I do not think every one of the Suzuka Seven is a difficult mountain. Linking them all was quite demanding, but my honest impression was that each individual mountain did not present such a high hurdle, either going up or coming down.

We made smooth progress up Fujiwara. Arriving early, we were rewarded with a magical ridgeline! I was also impressed by how carefully the trail near the ridge had been maintained to keep people from damaging vegetation off the path.

The way to Ryugatake was not especially difficult either. Like Fujiwara, it offers beautiful ridge walking. The broad summit had people napping and enjoying picnics, giving it a friendly atmosphere. Heavenly! I wished I could take a nap there too.

From Ryugatake we headed toward Shakagatake, running the downhill stretches where we could.

Climbing is not my strength, so I wanted to make up time on the descents. Going slowly downhill with a heavy pack tires me out more and takes a toll on my knees and ankles. I wanted to keep moving wherever possible.

We flowed down the white sandy trail to Ishigure Pass, between Ryugatake and Shakagatake.

There is a toilet building here. We did not notice at the time, but apparently there is also a water source a little farther down. So much for our map reading!

Little did we know how much skipping that refill would affect us later!

We continued toward Shakagatake. It sounds obvious, but just because they are called the Seven Mountains does not mean there are only seven summits along the way.

The repeated climbs and descents over smaller peaks started wearing us down. The scenery here did not change much. More importantly, our water was not going to last until the end of the day.

It was hotter than expected, and we had apparently been drinking more than planned.

We took a short break at Mitsuikedake, before Shakagatake. That was also where we realized we had misjudged our food supplies. We would definitely need to get more food at Gozaisho.

Around Shakagatake we ran out of water. We collected some from what looked like a pool in a dried-up streambed, filtered it, and drank it.

When I told the boss, Yamane, afterward, he looked at the map and said, “There was water here, and here too!” Sure enough, there were several streams where we might have found water by descending a little from the route.

I can look at a map, but I am not really reading it. A lesson for next time.

We reached Nenohira Pass, our destination for the first day. We descended a little to Taketani, the “Kamikochi of Suzuka,” and pitched our tent.

Signs that other people had been there, including old fire sites, felt reassuring. After struggling with water shortages all day, having plenty of water was a real relief.

We had brought the STATIC CAPSULE series for warmth; it had arrived just before we left. I chose the CAPSULE 60 PULLOVER and Tsuyoshi chose the CAPSULE 60 PARKA.

I paired mine with a mont-bell #3 sleeping bag. I was almost too warm overnight and slept well.

Tsuyoshi also slept wearing his CAPSULE CAPSULE 60 PARKA, but he was so warm that he draped his sleeping bag over himself rather than getting inside it.

DAY 2: Taketani to Tsubaki Grand Shrine

We set out around five the next morning. After about eight hours of sleep, I felt good. The soles of my feet hurt a little, so I applied plenty of petroleum jelly before starting.

We tried to return from Taketani to the hiking route, but there were hardly any signs of people having walked there. Searching for the route cost us a lot of time first thing in the morning. Once again, our map reading let us down!

We finally found the trail and headed for Amagoidake with renewed spirits.

It would be no exaggeration to call Amagoidake my favorite mountain in the Kansai region. I love the feeling of being deep in the mountains, and the view that appears after weathering the fierce wind along the ridge.

There is no town in sight. Clouds fill the sky, occasionally opening to let shafts of sunlight through. Apparently these are called crepuscular rays.

I have never been rewarded with a completely clear view here, but I love watching those rays of light at Amagoidake.

From Amagoidake we continued over Higashi-Amagoidake toward our long-awaited resupply stop, Gozaisho.

A ceremony was taking place at Daigongen, a temple before the summit. Even though we were just passing, they gave us an offering: bath salts!

Receiving bath salts in the mountains was an unexpected and lovely moment.

I had assumed there was a shop at the summit, but realized we needed to go to the summit park to find the restaurant and shop. Oh my God.

It looked like a walk of about thirty minutes, off our route. Having already lost about an hour in Taketani that morning, and wanting to avoid finishing too late, we chose the chairlift.

We do not often get a chance like this anyway!

Curry at the summit park brought our energy right back.

Rather than taking the chairlift back to the summit, we followed another route toward Buhei Pass and then Kamagatake.

This might be my second-favorite of the seven. Its pointed summit looks like a sickle, just as its name suggests.

Only Nyudogatake remained! My legs and spirits still felt good, but the toughest part was yet to come.

More than two hours passed as we headed for the final boss, Nyudogatake. What was going on?

Judging by the distance and ascent, we should have been close by now, but the endless smaller peaks were wearing us down.

My legs seemed to have something left, yet somehow I could not find any power. We were eating, but even my tough companion looked like he was struggling.

There were no views, just scenery like our usual local hills, and I was completely bored. On top of that, the descents had big steps that we could not run down.

This really was the final boss!

At last, Nyudogatake! The great white torii at the summit looked magnificent. A fitting finale to the Suzuka Seven!

From here we descended about 800 vertical meters to Tsubaki Grand Shrine to collect the bicycles.

We reached Tsubaki Grand Shrine and, without much of a rest, started cycling back to the car. Another 35 km!

Both legs cramped on the final climb. What a finish!

Who planned this business of cycling back? I did!

It was a wonderfully tough and demanding mountain journey!

Our Main Gear

Here is the main gear we used on this trip!

• Pack: Gossamer Gear／Grit 28
• Tent: NEMO Equipment／Hornet Elite 2P
• Sleeping bag: mont-bell / Down Hugger #3
• Insulation: STATIC / CAPSULE CAPSULE 60 PULLOVER and CAPSULE 60 PARKA
• Shoes: LA SPORTIVA／AKASHA II

STATIC / CAPSULE Series

I used the CAPSULE 60 PULLOVER, while Tsuyoshi used the CAPSULE 60 PARKA.

What made me happy first was having warmth without so much weight. Mine is about 40% lighter than the down jacket I have owned and used for years. I could also leave out some other warm layers, which I think made a substantial difference to the weight of my camping kit.

It feels light in your hands, but when you put it on, it has plenty of loft. It felt as though I had wrapped myself in warm air. So much warmth for so little weight! The insulation is synthetic, but wearing it felt close to wearing down.

For sleeping, I paired it with my mont-bell #3 bag. I was almost too warm and slept well. Tsuyoshi also wore his CAPSULE 60 PARKA to sleep, but was so warm that he stayed outside his sleeping bag and draped it over himself.

First Time in the AKASHA II: My Impressions

The Sportiva AKASHA II, which I was using for the first time, seemed to suit my feet really well.

The sole felt firm, but not too firm, and reassuring underfoot. I often sprain my ankles, but the stability on landing made me feel that these could work well for me. I also thought they dried relatively quickly after getting wet.

I caught them on branches and roots several times, but the uppers had no tears or noticeable scuffing.

On terrain like my usual Mount Ikoma trails, I sometimes choose shoes that feel lighter and more nimble. But on rocky mountain routes in the Alps or on this Suzuka traverse, the stability of the AKASHA II was reassuring.

Matching shoes to the terrain matters too. Choosing between shoes for different situations seems a good way to enjoy the mountains while considering both the load on my feet and wear on the shoes themselves.

To Finish

Water shortages were a particular struggle on this trip, but there were so many moments when better map reading could have helped.

We could probably have found our way more smoothly, too, if I had been better at reading the map. I want to understand maps properly! That is my next goal.

With gear, especially packs and shoes, you really do need to use it, put it on your back, or try it on to find out whether it suits you.

You are always welcome to ask us in the shop about equipment and routes. Your first night in a tent, your first traverse, and anything else.

Trying something new is always exciting!

Thank you for reading!