# Kitadake

> At 3,193 meters, Kitadake in the Southern Alps is second only to Fuji, and the only place on earth where the Kitadake buttercup grows. The Hirogawara trailhead can be reached only by bus or taxi, and only from late June to early November; most climbers spend a night at a hut on the way.

- Prefecture: Yamanashi
- Type: Mountain
- Address: Minami-Alps, Yamanashi, Japan
- Official site: https://www.env.go.jp/park/minamialps/access/index.html

The road sets the season here. The forest road to the Hirogawara trailhead, at 1,550 meters, is closed to private cars, and it opens to buses and taxis only from late June to early November. Drivers leave the car at Ashiyasu, with room for about 650, or at Narada, with about 300, and transfer. Yamanashi Kotsu also runs buses from Kofu Station. Heavy rain can shut the road, so check its status the day before. At 3,193 meters Kitadake is second only to Fuji, and its tree line sits high, at around 2,700 meters, which leaves a wide band of alpine meadow that flowers in July and August. One plant grows nowhere else: the Kitadake buttercup, a white flower that opens near the summit in late June and early July, right after the snow melts. Stay on the path. The old shortcut up the Okanbasawa valley has been closed since a bridge washed out in 2022, so the usual line now climbs through forest to Shirane Oike Hut at 2,200 meters, and most people spend a night on the mountain. On the east face, the 600-meter Kitadake Buttress draws rock climbers.

## FAQ

### How do I get to the Kitadake trailhead?

By Yamanashi Kotsu bus from Kofu Station, or by car to the Ashiyasu or Narada car park and then bus or taxi to Hirogawara. Private cars cannot drive to Hirogawara, and the road is open to buses and taxis only from late June to early November.

### When does the Kitadake buttercup bloom?

From late June to early July, right after the snow melts, near the summit. It grows only on Kitadake, so look from the trail and do not step off it.

### Can I climb Kitadake in a day?

It is a climb of more than 1,600 meters from Hirogawara, and the first buses arrive in the morning, so most people stay a night, for example at Shirane Oike Hut at 2,200 meters or at a hut near the summit ridge. Book the hut before you go.

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Source: Kitadake — Japan Voyage