Mount Ishizuchi
Discover Mount Ishizuchi
Mount Ishizuchi (石鎚山 Ishizuchi-san, 1982 m) is the tallest mountain on Shikoku. The name means Stone Hammer, a suitably awe-inspiring moniker for one of Japan's 7 Holy Mountains. Most pilgrims only make it to the shrine at the foot of Ishizuchi, but if pulling yourself up the side of a mountain on iron chains sounds like a good time, the climb to the summit is for you.
What to Experience in Mount Ishizuchi
Taste of Mount Ishizuchi...
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Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple OptionsThe closest train station is Iyo-Saijō on the JR Yosan Line from Matsuyama to Takamatsu. From Okayama, the Shiokaze Limited Express train makes hourly runs to Iyo-Saijō station (1 hour 50 minutes; ¥4940). The ride from Takamatsu is 90 minutes using the Ishizuchi limited express (¥4520). From Iyo-Saijō, there are connecting buses to the start of the ropeway (1 hour, ¥970), but there are only 4 buses daily. They're run by the Setouchi Bus (tel +081 0898-23-3450). The 10:23 bus is the last that will get you to Ishizuchi in time to make the climb and catch the last bus back (17:22). A detailed schedule can be found online (in Japanese). The Ishizuchi #7, departing Takamatsu at 08:44, and the Shiokaze #3, departing Okayama at 08:30AM, will allow you to meet the 10:23 bus. From Matsuyama, the 09:12 Shiokaze #12 will also allow you to catch this bus. (Shiokaze and Ishizuchi trains generally split and combine at Utazu station....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
Nearly everybody takes the Ishizuchi Tōzan Ropeway (石鎚登山ロープウェイ) halfway up, although it's fairly steeply priced at ¥1000/1900 one-way/return. Make sure to start climbing early enough as the last ropeway returns at 18:00. If you choose to walk instead, the "path" is poorly marked at best and quite dangerous in parts. It will take over two hours. It's quite a hike up from 450 m to 1300 m. For many visitors, the final destination is Jōju (成就), the site of the main shrine grounds — a classically elegant and austere complex notable mostly for the variety of stone hammers on display here and there. The shrine is a leisurely 20-minute walk up from the ropeway station at an altitude of 1450 m. The thing to do in these parts is, naturally, to climb up to the summit. Figure on 3 hours for the ascent and at least 2 hours for the descent.