Yufudake 由布岳 Oita Hiking 2018/10/7

Yufudake (Mt. Yufu) 由布岳 Oita Hiking 2018/10/7

Mount Yufu is one of the most popular hikes in Kyushu. Its high altitude and rocky treeless summit give it some of the most spectacular views of the area. My hike started at Asokuju national park Yufu trail. 
We parked at the Yufudaketozanguchi (由布岳登山口駐車場) parking lot. Parking here costs 500 Yen and you put the money in the box. There are buses from Yufuin to the parking area. Getting to Yufu can be costly if you use the Yufu express train but there is also the option to use a highway bus instead. 

Gear: Much of this trail is fairly easy to walk however as you near the summit it becomes obvious that brining a hiking pole and wearing proper hiking boots would really help. There are no water sources on Yufu dake so bring plenty of water.

The hike started from behind the car park. Across from the main parking area are toilets but make sure you bring toilet paper as it is not provided!  The section is straightforward; head towards Mt. Yufu. It is almost treeless so easy to keep track of the route and your progress.

After a little while we came to a forest. This is the start of the second section of the hike. The hike zig zags up the mountain making it a fairly easy but long climb.  The trail was well signposted and very clear. It was also quite busy with lots of people climbing up.

After emerging from the trees the third section of the hike starts. We were treated with the first impressive views of the surrounding area.  The path continued to Zigzag however now it starts to get very steep in places.

The final section of hike took us up into the clouds and at times completely obscuring the summit. Some wonderful views of the valley and city below.  Just up from here was the final very rocky path to the summit

The centre point of the summit

The summit was very rocky with two other peaks. I choose the one to the right and climbed up.

Finally I reached the top point. The wind was stronger and the temperatures had really dropped. Felt a little silly in my short sleeved top.  This point was shrouded in clouds all around. It was a fantastic atmosphere.

Rays of light coming through the clouds gave an almost holy impression.

We found some deer on the way down

One final look back at the mountain before getting the car to go back to Fukuoka.  It was an amazing climb and very accessible so I highly recommend it.

Another feature of Oita worth seeing 東椎屋の滝

東椎屋の滝 This amazing waterfall is one of the 100 best in Japan is not far from Yufu and the Safari park in Oita. You park in a small car park which costs 300 Yen. From there it is a short hike along a stream until you get to the waterfall. It is 85m high and is far more impressive than these pictures suggest.

東椎屋の滝