Hiking Mt. Adatara Top 100 Mountains in Japan

Mt. Adatara can be hiked yearly even in the harsh winter. However, for beginners, the climbing season is limited to between late April to early November, when the ropeway is in operation. Keep in mind that the operation schedule is subject to change depending on how heavy the snow gets. By using this ropeway, a three-hour round trip hike will take the hikers to see the unique atmosphere of the volcano like the dynamic view of the breathtakingly beautiful Numanodaira Crater on the relatively easy-to-walk trail. While there are various recommended hiking trails to ascent up the mountain, the easiest is to start at the Adatara Kogen Ski Resort where you can ride the Adatara Ropeway during the green season. During the 10-minute ride on the ropeway, hikers can see the city below, the Adatara mountain range, Azuma Kofuji, and the Zao mountain range.

Many would say that one charm of Mt. Adatara is its surface that looks like a crater on a moon. Just below the summit, a spectacular view of Numanodaira Craters that resembles a crater on the moon has an otherworldly atmosphere as if the hikers has just “landed on the moon”. This crater was created as a result of a volcanic eruption in 1900. To be able to see this view, hikers would need to get on the ropeway and walk through a wooden path as the first part of the trail followed by a rocky steeper trail.

First part of the trail is an easy hike up on the wooden path

Nice easy stroll surrounded by tall trees

However, this panoramic view isn’t the end. To get to the Numanodaira Crater, hikers will need to walk along the ridge line called "Ushi-no-se (literally translated as the backside of a cow". It is a flat path with no ups and downs, but be careful as strong winds often blow. Once seeing the crater, hikers can go back the same route that they just came from to return to the ropeway to head home.

360 degrees panoramic view from the top at an elevation of 1700m

However, this panoramic view isn’t the end. To get to the Numanodaira Crater, hikers will need to walk along the ridge line called "Ushi-no-se (literally translated as the backside of a cow". It is a flat path with no ups and downs, but be careful as strong winds often blow.

Numanodaira Crater

30 minutes taxi ride from JR Nihonmatsu Station. To get to Nihonmatsu Station from Tokyo, ​​ take the Yamagata or Tohoku Shinkansen and transfer at Koriyama Station to a local JR train bound for Nihonmatsu Station.

Mt. Adatara

Fukushima-ken Nihonmatsu-shi Okudake Onsen

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