u/Chlorophilia

I'm writing this report because I didn't find much written about Myoko on the English-speaking web! Myoko-san is an active volcano in the southwestern tip of Niigata Prefecture. It's one of the 百名山 (100 famous mountains).

There are a few ways to climb Myoko-san but I went from the Tsubame Onsen trailhead. This is very easy to get to via a regular community bus from Sekiyama station (which costs 500JPY one way), followed by a 30 minute uninspiring walk to the trailhead proper. The bus schedule is good and the last one leaves fairly late, so there's plenty of time to get up and down. Alternatively, if you have your own car there's a small car park at the trailhead, which would allow you to save the walk from the bus stop.

Myoko-san is very active, as evidenced by strong smell of sulphur and the numerous natural onsen along the lower parts of the trail. I walked past a naked guy, unsure how regular an occurance this is.

It's about 1400 m of elevation gain to the peak. You cover this in only 5 km, so the trail is very steep and pretty unrelenting. While I certainly wouldn't call this an advanced hike, I was surprised by the level of exposure. In the lower third of the hike, much of the path is adjacent to sheer drops and there is one section in particular that was badly eroded, with maybe 30cm at most between mountain and cliff. The trail was very muddy and slippery due to torrential rain yesterday, and I was very glad that I had my poles for stability. Near the summit, the trail turns into a bit of a scramble. There's a short section supported by chains, although I still think the eroded lower parts of the trail are by far the biggest hazard. Confusingly, the 'true' summit isn't actually the highest point. You reach the highest point first (the southern peak, which has a shrine) and then it's a 5 minute walk to the northern peak, which for some reason is considered the true summit.

There were very few people on the trail when I went - I saw a couple of ojisans and a small organised group that I think may have done an overnight hike via Hiuchi, but that was it. It was a week day following very bad weather so I expect it's often busier than this, but it's certainly nowhere near as busy as many of the mountains in the nearby Northern Alps.

Overall - I had a lot of fun and this was an unexpectedly interesting find. It took me 5h30 out-and-back from Tsubame-onsen, although Yamap suggests 8h30. I'd definitely recommend Myoko-san if you're in the area, with the proviso that it's not risk-free. It would probably be less perilous if the ground had dried out.