A Morning Hiking Mount Hakkenzan + The Best Lunch Spot!
In Hokkaido, the opportunities for hiking are endless, and Mount Hakkenzan was our first taste of it in the Sapporo area. Mount Hakkenzan can easily be accessed via bus from the centre of Sapporo, and by car.
We climbed it at the start of November, weather was ambient, but knowing what we know now… we’d probably avoid climbing at such a quiet period of the year.
Bears are an ever growing problem in the area, and there were signs on the hike that there could have been active bears in the area. We didn’t come across any other hikers during this time either. Whilst we wore bells for the duration of the walk, it’s fair to say it scared us a lot as we came back down the mountain and spotted what looked like a fresh bear poo. If you ever come across active signs, you should always abandon and leave the hike as quickly, and as safely as possibly.
So, this was our experience hiking Mount Hakkenzan in the morning, along with the best little lunch spot which we’d highly recommend afterwards!
Hiking Mount Hakkenzan
Getting there:
- By bus (from central Sapporo):
- From Sapporo Station Bus Terminal, head to the Jotetsu Bus stops (usually around Stop 12 in the terminal area).
- Catch a Jotetsu bus bound for Jozankei Onsen or Hoheikyo Onsen — these are often labelled as routes like Rapid 7 (快速7) or similar local lines heading towards the Jozankei area. The bus routes throughout Hokkaido are very reliable!
- Stay on the bus for roughly 60–75 minutes as you travel out of the city toward the Jozankei foothills.
- Get off at the Hakkenzan Chuo Guchi (八剣山中央口) bus stop, which is commonly used as an access point for the hike.
- From there, you’re right near the trail entrances and can begin your walk before starting the ascent.
- By car: there are a number of free car parking spots nearby, we parked at the Hakkenzan Winery Bonfire Campsite
You can climb via the central route or the west route (more challenging and steeper). You guessed it, we ended up hiking the west route! The hike took us around 2 and a bit hours to get up and back down. It was a challenging route even on a dry day, you need to be physically fit and have relatively good strength as there are ropes in certain areas which are particularly steep.
We are both physically fit and regularly walk and run, but hiking is fairly new to us, and it was certainly challenging in places! The hike starts off quite flat and is well signposted, it quickly begins with the elevation, and in super steep areas there have been a variety of ropes installed which makes both the ascent and descent a lot easier for supporting you in uneven and steep terrain.
Climbing during autumn made things less challenging as it wasn’t wet, I can imagine that during winter it can be even more dangerous, but needless to say, you do need to take care on this route!
Here’s Nicole going down on the descent!
It took around an hour to get to the top, it was challenging, but oh was it worth it for those incredible views! The colours during autumn are breathtaking and it was amazing to see the surrounding nature from this height. We had a little rest here, took some photos before heading back down.
What surprised us the most is that we saw no walkers, we think in hindsight that the central route is probably much busier because it is less challenging. As I mentioned earlier on, we did see what looked like fresh bear poo and large tracks right at the start of the walk which weren’t there on the incline.
There is bear activity in this area, so picking when you walk here is imperative. You should always wear bells when hiking in the area and continue talking throughout so if there are bears circulating nearby and they can hear you, there’s more of a chance that they will stay away.
Bears are most active following their hibernation in the spring, and through to early autumn, although there have been growing sightings of bears and accidents even during the winter due to them not finding enough food for the winter season.
Just remember to stay alert, carry bells and bear spray as a last resort, and always abort a hike if you spot signs of active bears in the area.
We then headed back down the mountain, and of course, with the promise of pizza the descent took even less time, but around an hour or so. The ropes were definitely needed on some of the steep drops!
Exiting at the West entrance to the walk, you will find Ayungu (あゆんぐ), the most beautiful restaurant situated in this rural part of Sapporo, and an excellent place to grab a pizza, or two! Just a reminder that the restaurant is closed on Monday & Tuesday every week! Feel free to make a reservation, of just turn up on the day, which is what we did.
Despite the cooler edge to the breeze, we were incredibly warm after the hike and decided to sit outside. The owner even provided us with some cosy blankets in case we got cold.
The menus are only in Japanese, but you can easily use Google translate on the images if you need to, and you can also view the menu online on Tabelog. We opted for a seasonal pizza and a meat pizza, along with a beer and tea!
The pizza was actually so refreshing after our hike! The seasonal vegetable pizza was incredible, and it felt so light and hearty. The owner was so kind and her lovely dog even joined us, probably after a bite of our pizza more than anything, I’m sure!
Sitting here eating a pizza surrounded by beautiful nature is one of those moments you never forget! It was so peaceful, and a lovely rest after surviving the hike, and thankfully not bumping into any wildlife…
If you’re looking for less than a half a day hike, we’d really recommend this one. Remember to never climb on your own, bring bells and bear spray as a precaution and enjoy your walk, and maybe, a slice of pizza or two! Let us know in the comments below if you have any other questions, and what you think of this hike!
