Feeling the Wind in the Pampas Grass Highlands of Mt. Katsuragi
Accidentally hiking the infamous Diamond Trail in Gose, Nara
A peak of the pampas grass.
If I told you that my husband and I almost died yesterday, would you believe me? Sure, that question might be phrased rather dramatically, but rest assured, yesterday’s hike—or climb, rather—up Mt. Katsuragi was perilous if nothing else.
And yet, it’s going down as one of my top hiking experiences of this year. With panoramic views of both Katsuragi and Gose City at the summit, blanketed by a field of pampas grass, I soon forgot all the effort it’d taken to reach this point.
Going down to Gose
The fact that I’ve been to nearly every station along the Wakayama Line is no small point of pride for me. This time, we were checking off Gose, but that was only the start of our day.
Catching the 7:56 train, my husband and I spent the half-hour ride watching Stranger Things—the wild boars and slightly venomous snakes we might encounter on the trail seeming like nothing compared to Demogorgons.
Once arrived, we followed the droves of hiking gear-clad travelers to catch the bus to the trailhead. Clearly, I’d underestimated the weekend popularity of this mountain!
My excitement increased tenfold as our bus lurched towards Yamato Katsuragi, which looms over Gose like a verdant Mind Flayer.
To our surprise, vendors greeted us with the inviting smells of dango and duck soup. The temperature had dropped by nearly twenty degrees overnight, and with the chill of high elevation, my cold-intolerant husband couldn’t resist warming up with a bowl.
Meanwhile, I studied the course map one last time, selecting a 50-minute course that would take us through the center path straight to the summit. Going on 9 a.m. already, I was intent on getting to the pampas grass field at the top for a quick photo op before descending via ropeway and returning to Gose for lunch around 12.
But as we opened the gate (luckily not to the Upside Down), my husband and I had unknowingly ventured onto the Diamond Trial course—a section of one of the most technically difficult hiking trails in Japan.
The first viewing point of the Hiraishitōge Trail.
The rustling of the pampas grass
Part of the Kongō mountain range that spans the Osaka-Nara border, Mt. Yamato Katsuragi boasts an elevation of 959 meters. There’s a myriad of trails to get to the top, ranging from beginner-friendly to experienced hikers only, with plenty of sightseeing spots along the way.
By far, the easiest way to reach the peak is by taking the Katsuragi Ropeway, which offers 360-degree views of the lush green carpet below.
Attracting most visitors is Katsuragi Kogen, the highlands on the summit that blossom into a field of crimson rhododendrons, or tsutsuji, in late spring and golden pampas grass, or susuki, in the fall.
As we head into the Koyo season when the leaves begin their autumnal metamorphosis, I decided this weekend would be the optimal time to hike Mt. Katsuragi. My intuition was correct, though my sense of direction, sadly, was not.
The beginnings of the vertical terrain.
Just one more slipping stone
Now we return to the beginning, when my husband and I made the critical error of not confirming our plan of action with anyone else. Had we asked the ropeway staff or duck soup sellers, I’m sure they could’ve told us that the easy, mostly paved Kujira Falls course was straight under the ropeway, not the side of it.
All of the people who had come in on the same bus had already dispersed during the bathroom and duck soup intermission, however, so we veered right towards the gate, sealing our destiny and keeping wild boars from running amok in the town as we closed it behind us.
Right away, we met with a scramble, which, for laypeople, refers to a wall of rocks that you must scramble up, being careful not to send too many loose stones raining down on any climbers beneath you. Reviewers had mentioned some light scrambling on the course, but I hadn’t considered the Japanese tendency to severely downplay the contents of their speech.
Only because I still thought this was the shortest way, we continued for a full three kilometers of climbing. Even scarier than the thought of finishing the hike this way was the thought of going back down the steep rock configurations without gravity on our side.
My Asics Gel Trabucos were designed for the rocky, slick terrain with 5mm lugs that dug in with each step, but my husband’s New Balances were not equipped for the challenge that lay ahead. Having rained the day before, every step was a fight to stay upright.
The old folks scaling the rocks with ease motivated us when we sorely needed it. Though short of proper climbing gear such as gloves or climbing poles, we eventually fell into a rhythm of smart foot placements and adeptly hoisting ourselves through narrow crevices using all four limbs, trusting the mud-cakes ropes more than the vines in the Upside Down.
Don’t get me wrong, the hike wasn’t entirely peaceful after we adapted to the vertical pathway. My husband was cursing into the valley below the whole time, but we avoided plummeting to certain death and even passed a few groups of grandmas along the way.
The shoes and our faces say it all!
On solid ground at last
There isn’t one summit I was more glad to reach than that of Mt. Katsuragi. Just before the victory was realized, we stopped for a skewer of fat dango and sat for a minute at the observation point.
Here is when it hit us that we’d definitely chosen the hardest trail as kids and trail runners bounded gleefully in front of us. Looking at my map—completely redundant until this point—I saw our error: instead of shooting to the top in under an hour, we’d climbed the entire eastern side of the mountain, taking two hours in total.
But once we stepped foot on Katsuragi Kogen, none of it mattered: not waking up 20 minutes late, not taking twice as long as I’d wanted to, not the aching of my calves, nothing. The pampas grass cloaking our weary souls made everything it took to conquer those 959 meters worth it.
With the biggest smile on my face, I asked a father-and-son duo to capture the moment before taking my own photographs of the billowing field. Unknowingly, I backed up traffic in some spots as I took my artsy fartsy photos, the grass so tall it blocked views of oncoming traffic. Nevertheless, I apologized and chased after my husband as he took in the views as well.
Gose from above the clouds.
The green descent
After a few minutes of surveying the area formerly known by the name of Yamato, it was time to head down for lunch.
With the state of our legs, taking the ropeway was a given. Before boarding, there was one last stop: Katsuragi Tenjin Shrine.
Compared to the ornate shrines and temples I’ve seen in other areas of Nara, this one wasn’t much to look at, but I snapped a few photos of the crumbling building and hurried back to the ropeway station.
I gotta say: what a way to experience the mountains! The aerial views were breathtaking even smushed up against the side door. It was so rewarding to observe from above for just a few minutes what had taken us two hours to climb. I normally prefer to get back down a mountain on my own two feet, but I just might be a ropeway convert now.
Unfortunately, we were not so lucky with the transportation on the way back. With buses running only once per hour, my husband and I had 30 minutes to wait until we could return to Gose for lunch. But we had Stranger Things and overpriced vending machine Coke to pass the time with, so all was well.
Our lunch was a seafood rice bowl for me and fried chicken for my husband. Gose has an unexpected amount of highly-rated restaurants and cafes, so choosing just one was difficult. We ended up waiting for our train in another cafe, sipping chai while, again, watching Stranger Things as a bunch of obaasan chattered away gleefully in the background.
And finally, at 3 p.m., we touched down on solid, mercifully paved ground to find our way home.
Katsuragi Kogen, or Katsuragi Highlands.
Until next time
We didn’t make it to Gose Machi, the downtown area with Showa Era buildings, this time, but I know for sure I’m coming back in the spring for the rhododendrons, if not in the wintertime as well to see the trees frosted with snow.
Hazards aside, Mt. Yamato Katsuragi has shot to the top of my hiking favorites in Japan. Let’s hope that next time I manage to locate an easier trail to the summit, where that unmatched view of my prefecture awaits me.
Access:
You can access Mt. Katsuragi from either JR Gose Station along the Wakayama Line or Kintetsu Gose Station. From Kintetsu Gose Station, which is a few minutes on foot from JR Gose Station, you’ll take the bus to Katsuragi Ropeway Zen bus stop, where the ascent begins.
From Nara Station, take the Yamatoji Line bound for Ōji Station. Transfer to the Wakayama Line bound for Wakayama, getting off at JR Gose Station and walking to Kintetsu Gose Station. The journey will take just over an hour, including the train, the walk, and the bus ride.
The directions from Osaka are much the same, except you’ll take the Osaka Loop Line Yamatoji Rapid towards Kamo, transferring to the Wakayama Line towards Wakayama at Ōji Station as well. The duration from Osaka Station to Katsuragi Ropeway Zen Station is just under an hour and a half in total.
Be sure to pick up a free map at the shop in Kintetsu Gose Station while waiting for the bus. Most are in Japanese, but there should be ones in English and other foreign languages.
There is typically only one bus per hour, so please plan accordingly. You could theoretically walk or hail a taxi, but the mountain roads have no shoulder, making them dangerous to walk on.
As far as costs go, the bus ride to the ropeway station is 430 yen, while the ropeway itself is 950 yen one-way, or 1500 round-trip. Expensive? Yes. Worth it? Absolutely.
Katsuragi Kogen Lodge near the summit offers accommodations and meal plans starting at 11,000 yen per adult per night. During the summertime, the campground is a popular place to barbecue. Either one would be a great option to see the sunrise or sunset.
One thing I’d like to try in the spring is enjoying a picnic at the summit, which a couple of families were doing when we were there. If you can get food at the konbini in Gose before heading to the base of the mountain (because there aren’t any on the mountain), this would be a great way to finish off the trip. Otherwise, your only option is duck cuisine.
Regardless of whether you take the ropeway or ascend on foot, I hope you have a wonderful time and a safe hike. I highly recommend the Diamond Trail Route only if you have the necessary footwear and gear, but I’ll be back to sing the praises of the other trails soon enough!
Planning on traveling to Japan? Sign up to get notified every time I post a new story. Like my work? Consider buying me a chai! Thank you so much for reading and supporting my work here at Koyo Travels.
