Ito-dake is a mountain in Tsuruoka City on the borders of Yamagata and Niigata Prefectures. As one of the main peaks along the Asahi Renpo, Ito-dake is often used as a starting or finishing point for traverses. The mountain is famous for its Narcissus or Leontopodium fauriei flowers. Perhaps more famously, though, Ito-dake is known the legendary Takitaro, a giant fish inhabiting the Otori Lake near the summit.
The Asahi Renpo (Asahi Alps)
The mountains on the Asahi Renpo also on the 100 Famous Mountains of Yamagata are (from north to south) Shojiga-take, Ito-dake, Tengusumotori-yama, Torihara-yama, Koasahi-dake, Osasahi-dake, and Okitama Ha-yama.
Awataki Trail (6-7 hours one-way)
The Awataki Trailhead is located next to the Awataki Dam. Follow the path along the Otori-kawa River for 7km until you reach Otori-ike (lake). There aren’t many difficult spots besides the chicanes just in front of Otori-ike, but watch out for landslides. There are toilets and a water source at Otori-ike Hut. This hut would be a good option for staying the night as well.
Once past the Otori-ike, the quickest trail up Ito-dake is the direct trail to the south. There are a number of steep slopes in the forest along this trail. Once out of the forest, there is a view of the Otori-ike that looks like a bear’s paw spread out. If using this trail, when there has been a lot of rainfall, it can be hard to cross the stream where the Higashi-zawa stream flows into Otori-ike (called the Higashizawa Deai). Be sure to check the conditions before your hike.
After Otori-ike, the trail that heads to the east is the Otsubo-mine trail that goes via Otsubo-mine. Once on the ridge past the steep slopes of the beech forest, in summer the alpine vegetation is out, and in winter the autumn leaves make an appearance. The Otsubo-mine trail also offers views of Otori-ike along the way.