Mt Hachimantai: a beginner-friendly hyakumeizan

Mt Hachimantai (八幡平, hachimantai) is the third of Iwate prefecture's Hundred Famous Mountains of Japan. I was a little dubious of the merits of Mt Hachimantai, as it's in the top five easiest of the hyakumeizans to hike. Its shortest hiking course is only an hour long, has little elevation gain, and is entirely on a paved path. Also you could argue that its best season is in early summer, when you get to see its famous snow-covered lake known as the Dragon Eye. As a result, for me Mt Hachimantai was more of a detour after a fun day spent hiking Mt Iwate. We did the loop clockwise, which gives you a couple of things to see. And then within 30 minutes we came to the mid-point of the hike, and the official peak of Mt Hachimantai. This was my 79th hyakumeizan, and my last one for 2026! One fellow hyakumeizan hunter was here doing his best to prop up his phone on a rock to try and get a selfie - he was glad to see us show up so we could take his photo. Many of the hyakumeizan peaks proudly…