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Our guide
Mount Gassan is the highest of the Three Mountains of Dewa, with Gassan Shrine on its summit at 1,984 m. Climbing it is a serious undertaking: the description below puts the walk from the trailhead to the top at usually 4 to 5 hours, on an unpaved trail where in places you need your hands, and it warns against going on windy or very wet days. Heavy winter snow closes the mountain and shrine for long periods of the year — which also means there is skiing on it from April into midsummer.
Yudonosan Shrine, another of the Dewa shrines, is about 3.6 km away in a straight line. We have not checked the climbing season or a route to the trailhead, so plan with local information before you go.
Written by japan-spots.com (2026-09-22) from the sources credited on this page. Distances are straight lines between map positions.
Photos
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence — see credits
- Gassan (5693125340) — Jun K · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source · resized
- Precincts of Gassan jinja — ChiefHira · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source · resized
- Mount Gassann 20190811 — Qwert1234 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
- Gassan jinja — ChiefHira · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source · resized
- Gassan Bus stop 2006 — Crown of Lenten rose · CC BY 3.0 · source · resized
- 月山リフト — 澤田学 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
- 鮭川ー月山 — Giccyo221 · Public domain · source · resized
- 20230924鳥海湖と月山 — Tazru · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · resized
What this place is
Mount Gassan (月山, Gassan) is a stratovolcano in the ancient province of Dewa (modern-day Yamagata prefecture) and the highest of the Three Mountains of Dewa. The Gassan Shrine stands at the mountain's summit, 1,984 metres (6,509 ft) above sea level. The hike from its trailhead to the summit usually requires about 4-5 hours and can be challenging. Visitors should be aware of the weather and not try to hike it on days with wind or heavy rain. The trail is not paved and in some parts requires the use of hands to navigate certain parts of the trail. Due to heavy winter snowfall, the mountain and shrine are inaccessible for long periods of the year; however, this also means that skiing is possible on the mountain from April to mid-summer. The mountain is interesting in that it contains elements of both shield volcanoes as well as stratovolcanoes, although it is classified as a stratovolcano.
Background text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
What to expect at this type of place: Mountain
Getting there
We do not have step-by-step transit directions for this spot yet. Open the location on Google Maps for routes from where you are staying.
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