Climbing Mount Hakkoda – And Conquering Fear

Today’s climb of Mount Hakkoda–a volcanic range located in Aomori Prefecture, just south of Aomori City–actually involved three summits: Akake-dake, Ido-dake, and finally Ōdake (the latter being the highest peak in the Hakkoda volcano group). If you’re counting, that means I actually bagged three summits today, though for hyakumeizan purposes only Ōdake counts–and it counts as one. I started my climb at the top of the Hakkoda Ropeway, via the loop hike route that starts at the visitor center, passes through a pair of circular nature trails, and then leads up to the summits of Akake-dake, Ido-dake, and finally Ōdake, via a series