Mount Ibuki

Mount Ibukialpine flowerstoll roadMaibarahiking

Shiga · Maibara

35.4178°N, 136.4063°E

Ibuki stands 1,377 metres on the Shiga and Gifu border, alone rather than in a range, which is why it takes the full force of winter wind off the Sea of Japan and holds the world record for snow depth measured at a weather station — 11.82 metres in 1927. The same isolation gives it a flora list of around 1,300 species, including endemics found nowhere else, and the summit plateau in July and August is a genuine alpine meadow at an altitude that should not support one.

A 17-kilometre toll road climbs from the Gifu side to a car park at 1,260 metres, from which the summit is a walk of 20 to 40 minutes on graded paths. The mountain is also climbed on foot from Shiga, which takes three to four hours. Yamato Takeru is recorded as having been struck down by the mountain's deity here, which is the earliest written reference to it.

Essential Information

Opening Hours

Ibukiyama Driveway is seasonal with hours varying by month — confirm current opening dates and times before travelling

Closed: The driveway closes in winter

Entrance Fee

¥3,140 return toll for a light or standard car | ¥2,200 for a motorcycle | Motorcycles of 125cc and under are not permitted

Best Season

July–August for the summit flower meadow | Late October for autumn colour on the slopes

Visit Duration

3–4 hours including the drive and the summit walk; a full day on foot from the Shiga side

Getting There

Access Information

The Ibukiyama Driveway runs 17 km from the Gifu side to the summit car park at 1,260 m, taking about 30 minutes each way. Return toll for a light or standard car is ¥3,140 and ¥2,200 for a motorcycle; motorcycles of 125cc and under are not permitted. From the car park, walking trails reach the 1,377 m summit in roughly 20 to 40 minutes. The road is seasonal and closes in winter — confirm current opening dates and hours before travelling. The Shiga-side walking route from Kannondo takes 3–4 hours up.

Insider Guide

Premium

**The road is on the Gifu side.** Ibuki is a Shiga mountain but the driveway is entered from Sekigahara. Drivers coming from Lake Biwa go round. **July and August for the flower meadow.** Around 1,300 plant species, several endemic, and the summit plateau in high summer is the reason botanists come here rather than to higher mountains. **11.82 metres of snow in 1927.** Still the world record for a weather station, and it happened because the mountain stands alone in the path of winter wind off the Sea of Japan. **The summit is a walk, not a viewpoint at the car park.** Twenty to forty minutes on a graded path at 1,300 m, where the weather changes fast. Take a layer even in August. **Climbing from the Shiga side is a different day entirely.** Three to four hours up from Kannondo with no shade on the upper slopes, which is a well-known trap in summer. **Ibuki moxa and Ibuki mugwort.** The mountain's herbs were a trade here from the Sengoku period, and the roadside stations at the base still sell them.

View on Google Maps