Mountain: Tanigawa (谷川岳）Region：Gunma
Nearest Station: Doai (土合駅）
The Jagged slopes up Mt Tanigawa from Nishikuro Ridge
Gunma Prefecture has quite some subtly treacherous mountains. After my first summit on Mt. Myogi in 2018, I felt I had mustered enough skill to tackle Mount Tanigawa, and was curious to see if it really was formidable as it's nickname "the mountain of death" implied.
Part One: The sweltering 2018 August climb in the sun
The journey to Mt Tanigawa actually begins from inside Doai station, which is an oddity of its own. Built deep underground, there is no choice but to climb over 486 stairs to reach the unmanned ticket counter. Even in daytime, natural light doesn't reach deep into this old bunker. Add the fact that there are no station attendants here, and it makes for one really creepy experience. Especially for those who dare to enter late at the night. There were several small cemeteries and memorials long the road between the station and hiking trail, most of which were tributes to fallen hikers whose lives had been claimed by the mountain.
The seemingly endless tunnel from the platform deep underground in Doai Station
There are several routes to the top of Mt Tanigawa, with the most common being the Tengami Ridge (天神尾根) trail which starts from the top of the Tenjidaira ropeway and is about two and a half hours to the summit. The first time I hiked this mountain, I misread the sign and accidently took the advanced Nishikuro Ridge path (西黒尾根) , which is about a 4.5 hour trek up several chain walls along the exposed face of the mountain.
Start of the Nishikuro Ridge Trail
My trek up the mountain was an arduous one, mostly because I had only prepared myself for the standard course, and hadn't packed enough water or food. I realized I was on the wrong trail about 90 minutes in when I saw a sign that said (Station 1 hour down, summit 3 hours up), meaning not only did I still have a while to go, but also that my pace was slower meaning that it was likely more than 3 hours. I nicknamed this "the sign of disappointment". Still I decided to continue pushing onward.
Just a bit further up the path, the forest shade started to disappear and I found myself along the exposed sunny mountainside. The path up began to become more steep, and eventually I reached the first of five chain walls. Because I had a lack of supplies, it was hard to conserve energy while climbing up these walls in the sweltering heat. I wasn't so used to such an incline, and I started to worry if I would reach a wall that was too difficult for my skill level how I would be able to climb back down. There is a fine line between being cautious, worrisome, and scared - and mountains like these will test one's resolve. I had already climbed up several walls and still the experience had me very rattled. I think it was one of the first times I had been on an exposed mountain ridge so high up. Every chain rope ahead of me made my heart pound with anxiety.
Eventually, I found a small sliver of shade under a big rock and just gave my body some time to cool down. I had no idea how much more I had to climb but from the angle it looked like I had well over an hour left, and being so short on supplies, I really felt like I wasn't going to have enough energy make it to the top. After about 20 minutes rest, a German hiker passed by and said hello. He looked at me confused, "why are you waiting here? The top is only 15 minutes away" "WHAT?!" I shockingly replied. I pushed onward still having a hard time believing him, but sure enough, I was basically right below the summit. I bought several sports drinks at the mountain lodge, and then made my way down the Tengami route and about 2 hours later had successfully arrived at the ropeway station.
However, it wasn't the end of the journey just yet. It turned out that the last train leaving Doai station was 6:00pm, and I ended up going down the wrong platform. By chance, another hiker gave me a lift to Minakami station where I was able to catch the ride home.
Part Two: The 2021 trek in a thunderstorm
I was really unsure whether to go or not for this one, however, I really wanted to get some high alps chain wall experience before trying to tackle Mt. Tsurugi again the following month. The weather on Tanigawa wasn't the looking the best, but I was assured it would be fine on the mountain. The real first problem I encountered was the lightning storm on the way there, which caused some big train delays. Still unsure if I should continue forward or not, I asked the station clerk at Takasaki station if I would be able to arrive at Doai. He said in worst case scenario, there are taxis I could take. The train to Minakami station was eerily empty, and when I finally arrived at 10pm the train line was shut down. The station attended was very rude and I was essentially told there were no more trains to Doai & no taxis. So, my only option was to walk 10km with my heavy backpack along the foggy night roads. (At least it wasn't raining) Perhaps it was due to the thunderstorm a few hours prior, but for whatever reason, the roads were completely void of cars. With no moonlight either, I had to use my headlamp just to see the road in front of me. As creepy of an atmosphere as it was, thanks to modern technology, I had a good long chat with my Canadian buddy John while walking through a deserted tourist town lined with bright lanterns and along the ghostly highway trail. After two hours, I reached Doai station and took a peak inside, but did not have the energy or courage to wander down that deep haunted tunnel, and instead I hung out beside a vending machine. Following a short break, I continued towards the mountain trail, past a glowing red house, a few tunnels & cemeteries, and by 1:30am I finally set up camp just above an information cabin. (Which in hindsight I probably should've just rested there). I had a quick meal inside before trying to get some shut-eye. The ground was too rocky to properly set up the tent and I had misplaced the instructions, so after an hour, it collapsed on itself but I was too lazy/tired to go outside and fix it. Then mosquitoes came buzzing outside, and I was so uncomfortable, by 4:10am I just gave up trying to rest, put away the tent, and started the climb.
About 30 minutes up the muddy trail, I ran into three young hikers who had decided to retire after reaching "the sign of disappointment". I asked if there was anything wrong with the trail, but they just said one of them wasn't feeling well, so they decided to turn back. One of them gave me a bottle of water which was a very kind gesture and a much better welcome than the rude station attendant the night before. I wished them a safe climb down, and continued upwards. Along the trail was a freshly exploded tree which may have been struck by lighting during the thunderstorm on the previous day. Being still early in the morning, there was a cool breeze through the trees that helped keep my body cool as I moved up the steep trail. About 2 hours in, I found myself once again on the exposed mountain ridge. There, I met a couple who I was able to keep up pace with. Unlike my first climb, I knew exactly what to expect, and even with a heavy backpack, I didn't feel an ounce of anxiety while climbing the steep chain walls along the jagged mountain ridge. I felt much more confident in my own strength, although my only concern was the thick fog clouds that were climbing with me up the side of the mountain. Taking little breaks, I made it to the summit of Tanigawa-dake by around 9:30am. Afterwards, I wandered down to the rest hut to wait for Naoyasu & his group to come up along the Tengami path.
As I waited, I saw large black storm clouds coming towards the mountain from the West at incredible speeds. Three of Naoyasu's students soon arrived - as did the rain - and so I recommended to them to quickly head to the top before the rainfall got heavier. I messaged the hiking sensei that I would guide his students down, as the conditions at the top wouldn't be good. I watching over the students' backpacks while they quickly ran to the top and back, meanwhile I fashioned a rain jacket from my orange tent cover. The four of us raced down the mountain and by the time we met the hiking teacher the rain had temporarily stopped. For about 30 minutes things were going fine, and Naoyasu took a photo of me standing on a lookout point. Moments after he took the picture, another storm cloud suddenly rushed in.
It happened so incredibly fast, we hardly had time to put back on the rain gear. The rainfall came so heavy that I had no dry place to put my phone and wallet, but thankfully one of the students let me throw it in her backpack. The easy hiking course soon turned into a extremely dangerous descent down slippery rocks and a waterfall/river path. Thankfully, we made it down the rock path without any accidents and quickly ran towards an emergency shelter in the woods, where we organized our supplies and gear.
All this going on, and I realized I essentially hadn't slept in 2 days and the exhaustion had really started to get to me. Naoyasu gave me a bottle of tea in the shelter and some amino acid jelly drink, which was very helpful in giving me a last boost of energy to complete the last 45 minute trek down to the ropeway. We were worried it would be suspended due to the thunderstorm but thankfully it was still operating when we arrived.
I bought a waffle and several bottles of water at the souvenir store at the base of the mountain. We went to a hot spring to refresh ourselves, and after that, I was dropped off at Takasaki station, where instead of continuing the journey home, I booked a cheap business hotel. The moment I got in the room around 5:30pm I jumped onto the bed and instantly fell asleep.
Part Three: The melting snow in early June (2022)
I started hiking much more frequently in 2022 - almost one mountain per week. After my March adventure on Mount Gozen, I formed a little hiking trio with my friends Nadia & Makiko. After a partial climb on Myogi-san, Nadia was interested in climbing more mountains with "kusariba" - chain walls. Although not as much of a technical climb as Mt. Myogi, Tanigawadake is always a challenging mountain with "character", and so I decided to guide her up the infamous Nishikuro ridge. After the previous year's weather disaster, I made sure both of us had a rain poncho packed just in case. Makiko had another schedule that weekend so it was just Nadia & I for this one. We started a bit later than I had anticipated, reaching the trailhead at about quarter to 10 in the morning. About 90 minutes up the forest trail, we eventually reached an area covered with an ice sheet. This had me a bit worried about the conditions near the top.
The weather was absolutely perfect that day. It was sunny, but not overbearingly hot. The two of us progressed up the ridge at an average speed, taking small stops to take some photos here and there. The various kusariba was no problem for either of us. However, as we reached the final section, one of the chains was covered by a layer of icy snow, so we had to climb up and around it on the hillside.
It was only right before we reached the summit & rest cabin that the snow had really piled on. There was a small rope for support, but it wasn't so assuring. I really should've learned by lesson from Mt. Nyoho the previous year, but that was May and Tanigawa didn't have as high altitude, so I didn't anticipate the need for crampons. We had to walk horizontally across the sheet of snow, so it wasn't too bad... or so I thought. The two of us then made our way to the first summit, and although Nadia was eager to continue to the next peak, but we had to turn back in order to make the last ropeway.
After a quick rest and bite outside the summit lodge, we had to begin our downward journey. I had calculated that we would reach the ropeway with a good +30 minutes to spare, but I added some extra time in case of unforseen circumstances - which was a good idea, because despite finishing the supposed "advanced Nishikuro ridge", we had yet to encounter the real danger. Just a hundred meters below the summit cabin, the regular path was covered by a steep 70 degree slope covered in melting ice, with nothing but a very low rope to grip onto. Even yoga balance master Nadia had a difficult time keeping her footing here, and I was in serious trouble. I tried to slide down on my butt the way I did on a snowy Mount Tō four years earlier with Sneha, but this slope was much steeper, and the snow was far worse quality. I sped down too fast and would've gotten some nasty rope burn had I not worn climbing gloves. Thankfully we made it to the bottom of the ice slope without further incident, which was more lucky than some other hikers just a few weeks beforehand. Although there were a few other patches of snow along the trail, the path was relatively easy. The snow slope slowed us down a bit, so we took almost no rest until we reached the ropeway, arriving just nine minutes before it shut down.
Conclusion
An interesting pattern I noticed is that every time I climb the mountain, no matter how much I try to prepare, I am always having to dash to the ropeway before it shuts down. Weather conditions can change in an instant on mountains, and the higher the altitude, the less predictable it will be. Even in summer it seems, Mt. Tanigawa does its best to live up to its foreboding nickname. Despite its danger, the Tanigawa mountain range is a place of immaculate beauty. To further illustrate the awe of this place, on the way to Doai station in 2022 we even saw rainbow clouds.
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