Kagikake Pass

Kagikake Pass is the most celebrated of the roadside viewpoints ringing Mt. Daisen, set on the mountain's southern side where the peak shows its wildest face. Here the smooth, Fuji-like cone seen from the west gives way to the jagged, eroded ridgeline of Daisen's south wall (nanpeki), a dramatic sweep of grey rock and crumbling buttresses that towers directly above the pass. A wooden observation deck built right beside the road lets you take in this rugged skyline in comfort.

What makes Kagikake extraordinary is the forest in the foreground. The pass sits within one of the largest beech (buna) forests in western Japan, an ancient woodland that carpets the slopes below the rock wall. In summer the beeches form a deep green sea; in late October and early November they turn to a blaze of gold, amber and russet, and the contrast between the fiery canopy and the stark grey mountain above makes Kagikake Pass one of the finest autumn-colour scenes in all of the San'in region. Photographers gather here through the koyo season for exactly that composition.

Because the deck is essentially at the roadside, the viewpoint is accessible to almost everyone; there is no climb involved. A car park with space for around fifteen vehicles and public restrooms sit beside it, all free of charge. The pass lies at altitude on the Daisen ring road, so mornings are cool and the light on the south wall is best early in the day before cloud builds around the summit. Beyond the deck, walking trails lead off into the beech forest for those who want to immerse themselves among the trees, though the roadside view alone justifies the trip.

The address places Kagikake Pass in Ogawara, Kofu Town, in the Hino District of southern Tottori, deep in the Daisen-Oki National Park. Being high on the mountain, the road here is subject to winter closure and snow, so the reliable season runs from late spring through late autumn, peaking spectacularly in the foliage weeks.

Getting to the pass is easiest by car. From JR Yonago Station it is roughly a thirty-five minute drive up the Daisen and Kagamiganaru roads that wind around the mountain's flanks, and the free car park is right at the deck. There is no year-round bus, but during the autumn colour season a seasonal Daisen Loop Bus operates on weekends and holidays and stops at Kagikake Pass, offering car-free visitors a way in during the busiest and most beautiful weeks; check current schedules before relying on it. Many drivers link Kagikake with the nearby Kagamiganaru highland and the western Masumizu Highland to make a full circuit of Daisen's changing faces in a single day. For the signature experience, come on a crisp, clear autumn morning when the beech forest is at its brightest beneath the grey ramparts of the peak.