Mount Rokko

What?
Mount Rokko (六甲山) is the most easily accessible mountain (931 meters) in the Kansai area and is being revered by the people of Kobe (神戸). The mountain is visible from nearly everywhere in the city and it has the city symbols alighted on its side. There are different spots of interest on the mountain, but we took the path that led us past the Koza Waterfall (高座ノ滝), the rock garden (ロックガーデン) – an area full of eroded sandstones and the peak to eventually arrive at Arima Onsen (有馬温泉).
Where?
Mount Rokko is located in Hyogo Prefecture’s (兵庫県) capital Kobe. There is a cable car from Shin-Kobe Station (新神戸駅) to the Nunobiki Waterfall and herb garden which is most popular with tourists. To really hike up the mountain like we did, you have to start at Hankyu Ashigawa Station (蘆屋川駅) though, accessible in a straight line from either Kobe or Osaka. The hike ends in Arima Onsen from where it’s easy – but expensive – to return to Kobe.
URL
Japan Guide Outline Rokkosan

I’ve always postponed climbing Mount Rokko. When there a was a blank in my schedule I preferred any destination farther away, as Mount Rokko is merely a 20 minute train ride from my home and “I could do this any time I want”. After 6 years of postponing though, I finally decided to accept the challenge of Mount Rokko on a public holiday.

Getting off at Ashiyagawa Station I immediately wondered whether it was a good choice to climb the mountain on a holiday. I knew Mount Rokko was popular with the Kansai people, but the amassed number of hikers was a little bit too much. It made finding the way though very easy. The first point if interest was the Koza Waterfall where there was literally a line waiting to go up the mountain. It felt a bit like climbing Mount Fuji. This line would continue all the way up the Rock Garden which lasted around 20 minutes.
I could notice the beauty of both the waterfall and the Rock Garden, but it was impossible to enjoy. Only the commanding views over Kobe and the sea could grasp my attention for a little while, but only a little as people behind me were lining up immediately.

After the Rock Garden though, the number of people diminishes. It’s still very hard to walk your own pace – either people in front of you walk too slow, either people in front of you let you pass which means you have to walk too fast, or people behind you want to pass which means you have to stop – but at least it’s possible to enjoy the surroundings which were beautiful in this koyo season (the changing of the color of the leaves). Also, most people stay on the main ridge, so occasionally wandering off to for example the Yokono Pond pays off.

Koza Waterfall.

Climbing up Rock Garden.

View on Kobe and the sea from Rock Garden.

Yokono Pond.

I must admit climbing Mount Rokko was way harder than expected. The ascending parts are really steep and without any breaks. While that wouldn’t be a problem, it is when there are a lot of saddles on the route, ensuring you don’t reach the top too soon. And as my friend would say, it “cheats on your hard work of going up”. In that way I found climbing Mount Rokko tougher than Mount Yake. Maybe also because reaching the top wasn’t very awarding; it was just an electric pole…

The first half of the descent towards Arima Onsen though was very nice. Not many people took this path through the forest ensuring a smooth pace. The colors were a little bit behind their peak but still beautiful in places. We made good time, although the signs on the path are quite confusing. Not regarding the direction, but regarding the distance and time. One sign said another 45 minutes, while 20 minutes later another sign said 40 minutes. We didn’t get lost or were particularly slow. And there were several of them.

Anyway, we arrived in Arima Onsen without any problems to enjoy a well-deserved bath. You can read more about that here.