"Oakan-dake. What a magnificent volcano! I stood before it once back in 2007, when I used to live a while in Akankohan. This was in the winter. I tried to start the climb once but due to the snow and coldness (and also lack of equipment 😅) I had to abandon the idea back then. 16 years later, (and in the summer) I was able to summit in absolutely perfect weather conditions. The actual summit doesn’t have much views on the nearby Akan-ko, but there are several areas on the way up that provide good views. Oakan-dake, the “male” Akan mountain, much like its “female” equivalent nearby, the Meakan-dake, is less than 1500m high is slightly smaller than Meakan-dake. However, I felt that the Oakan-dake hike is a bit tougher, which comes from the section between the 3rd and the 5th station. This is a very steep route. Nothing too technical but very very steep, and I wouldn’t recommend trying this route in wet conditions. The steepness of the path makes the descend back down very hard. If you are not good with descends (like me) then better plan some more time. The normal route time is usually about 6h, but it took me over 7, but then again, I got into a longer chat with another hiker on the s..." — kyotoben • Sep 23, 2023