I Came for the Autumn Leaves. I Got a Gateau Chocolat Instead.

I climbed Kurofu-yama — the mountain that overlooks Mt. Asama — right after the first snow of 2025. Mt. Asama is currently under a volcanic activity restriction, and entry within roughly 1 km of the crater has long been prohibited. Because of this, the hiking route to Kurofu-yama — which sits right next door and offers a great view of Asama — has become very popular. Mt. Asama has a jet-black volcanic landscape dotted with sparse trees, which makes it incredibly atmospheric. The autumn foliage there is also extremely popular. I went thinking I'd enjoy the fall colors, but it turned out the night before had brought snow — so instead of autumn leaves, I got a gateau chocolat!

Access & Parking

To reach the trailhead at Takamine Kogen Visitor Center, take the Joshin-etsu Expressway to Komoro IC, then follow Route 94 (Cherry Park Line) for about 40 minutes. From central Tokyo, leaving early in the morning, you can get there in around 3 hours.

The parking lot in front of the Visitor Center is free and fits about 60 cars. On weekends during the season it fills up early, so arriving by 6 a.m. is a good idea. (During the autumn foliage peak, you might want to arrive even earlier.) I went on November 3, 2025 (Monday), and because it was a three-day holiday weekend, the day before had apparently been extremely crowded. However, snow fell overnight on Nov 2–3, turning the roads and trails into snowy paths — so it seems many hikers gave up, and both the roads and parking lot were uncrowded on the day I went.

Clothing & Gear

I didn't bring crampons or microspikes, though microspikes might have been nice to have. There was about 5–10 cm of snow, but it was manageable without them. That said, Takamine Kogen gets quite cold, so you'll want to be well prepared for the chill. On this day the snow clouds kept moving in and out, and at times the snow came down hard. I hiked in a down jacket with a mountain parka over it.

Definitely layer up for warmth. The snow level right at the trailhead was about as follows.

As you climb a bit higher, the snow depth felt like it increased slightly.

Trail Log

There are a few different routes up Kurofu-yama, but this time I chose to just head straight to Tomi no Kashira and back — a quick trip to catch the gateau chocolat view.

The round trip should take about 1.5 to 2 hours, but I spent about an hour at Tomi no Kashira waiting for a clear view of the gateau chocolat, so the whole thing took around 3 hours. The difficulty level is on the easier side.

It was snowing at the start of the hike, but by morning it had cleared and I set off under blue skies. Snow was only sticking to the trees higher up, and the lower slopes still felt like autumn.

I took it easy this day and started hiking around noon. The road to the Visitor Center had been plowed, but the parking lot still had snow. I saw cars with regular tires, but snow tires are definitely the way to go.

In the lower section, snow was only on the upper parts of the trees and the base of the mountain still felt autumnal. Takamine Mountain Park was completely white though — it felt like, "oh, winter has officially started today."

It really did feel like the first day of winter. There were very few hikers, and the trail was wrapped in silence. Apparently yesterday had been incredibly busy — what a contrast.

After about an hour of walking, I finally broke out of the forest and the view opened up. But — it was completely clouded over, and Mt. Asama wasn't visible at all...

I could tell it was probably out there somewhere, but the snow was falling hard at times and I started to think, maybe today is going to be tough... Still, I decided to push on to Tomi no Kashira for now.

I could sense that it was there somewhere, but it was completely hidden in cloud.

There was a moment where I thought, oh? — but nope, still totally clouded over.

After waiting 30–40 minutes, a big gap finally opened in the clouds, and Mt. Asama came into view all at once.

And there it was — the gateau chocolat! The autumn foliage on the mountainside with a light dusting of snow on top, yellows and oranges mixing with white — exactly like a gateau chocolat!

The fall colors were still fully there, and you could see the snow sitting right on top of them. Mt. Asama's distinctive jet-black volcanic earth, dotted with sparse trees — seeing first snow settle onto that unique landscape was really moving.

The trees near Tomi no Kashira had a bit of rime ice (ebi) on them too. Beautiful.

Having gotten to see the gateau chocolat of Mt. Asama, it was time to head back down.

After the Hike: Hot Spring

After a cold hike, a hot spring is a must! This time I stopped at Takamine Onsen, just a short distance away — only a few minutes by car from the Visitor Center. At this time of year, you can still drive right up to the entrance.

Apparently it becomes inaccessible by car in the winter, so please check the latest information before you go.