Japan Beta

I'll be in Japan August 2-6 for work. The plan is to land in the KIX (Kansai) Airport and spend my time there. There are no climbing areas near there on MP dot comBold Text and a search proved useless. The only areas MP shows are further East, nearish to Tokyo.

Kansai

MP Area Map

Does anyone have any more beta!!!?

Hi Tyler,

I lived in the area for a few years, and went to two small areas around Lake Biwa, one with just boulders. I also know of another area, though never visited it.

Will you have a car?

The place I usually went to had only small crags on a hillside, nothing to excite anyone, though I could take the train there and develop my own toprope routes. Of dozens of visits, only twice did I ever see another climber there. It was on the west side of the lake, just uphill from the Kita-Komatsu train station. There is only one road going up the hill - just follow it to the end. You can't miss the main rock.

The other place I went to a few times had really nice boulders, but I never saw any sign that another boulderer had ever visited. You'd need a car for that area, and the hike is about 45 min, a little longer than that for Kita-Komatsu.

The place I didn't visit was in the Kusatsu area. It seemed to be the main rock-climbing attraction around the lake. To find out about it, you might have to visit the climbing gym in Kusatsu.

There is so much to do and see in Japan. With limited time, I don't know if I would spend my off days climbing. There are a lot better things to do!

First off, don't miss Kyoto and Nara. More temples and shrines than you can imagine. (I prefer Nara for its smaller scale, but Kyoto is amazing!) Want to get a little farther off the beaten path? Take the Shinkansen to Okayama and do the Kibi Bike Trail. You can also visit Kurashiki while you are in the area. The list goes on and on and on... Japan is an amazing place.

Jon - Thanks for the insider beta. I don't plan to have a car so that limits me. And I would be relying on meeting other climbers, so if the climbing areas are that low key it may not work out. Perhaps I will visit the gym in Kusatsu and see if anything comes of it!

NC - You have a great point. Ideally I'd do it all! I'd like to climb something worth climbing and it sounds like there isn't much in the area, so I may focus on only the typical stuff. I will likely be staying in Kyoto. The bike trail sounds fun and I am super interested in the historical sites... any other ideas are welcome...