Kuju Mountains

The Kuju range is a cluster of volcanic peaks of around 1,700 meters, known as the roof of Kyushu. Nakadake, at 1,791 meters, is the highest summit on the Kyushu mainland, with a crater pond, Miike, just below it; Kuju-san itself is 1,786 meters. Two trailheads take most of the traffic. Makinoto Pass is at 1,330 meters on the Yamanami Highway, with 161 parking spaces, toilets and a shop, so from there the climb to the top is only about 460 meters. Chojabaru, at 1,040 meters, has a free visitor center and about 450 spaces, and trails from it lead to the Bogatsuru basin and Hokkein Onsen, a mountain lodge you can reach only on foot. Bogatsuru and the Tadewara marsh behind the visitor center are Ramsar wetlands. Iwoyama, the steaming peak on the north side, is closed to climbers because of volcanic gas. The weather turns fast, and the summits are windy and cold when the plateau feels mild. In the azalea season and in autumn the car parks fill early; on some weekends a park-and-ride shuttle runs from Chojabaru to the Makinoto and Omagari trailheads. The Kokonoe Yume Suspension Bridge, in its own entry, is on the way in from the north.