Fodor's Expert Review Mt. Haguro
The climb up Mt. Haguro begins at the red Zuishin Gate (Zuishin-mon), then goes up 2,446 or so stone steps to the summit. The strenuous ascent cuts through ancient cedar trees that rise to dominate the sky. You'll pass a 14th-century pagoda sitting alone in the forest. A tea shop is open from late April through October. The trail is just over 1.7 km (about 1 mile) in all, and it may take you an hour to reach the 1,400-foot summit with its thatched-roof shrine, Dewa-Sanzan Jinja. Up to 12 buses a day make the 35-minute trip to Zuishin Gate and up to the peak of Haguro from JR Tsuroka Station. It is possible to stay overnight on the mountain at the temple-lodge of Sai-kan, which is attached by a long stairway to the Dewa-Sanzan Jinja.