Ginsendai

What to know

Ginsendai (銀泉台) is one of several trailheads leading into Daisetsuzan National Park. It is among the first places in Japan—and within the park—to display autumn colors each year.

Situated at about 1500 meters above sea level on the eastern side of the park, Ginsendai is reached via a 15-kilometer unpaved road. The area consists of little more than a parking lot and a toilet. During the peak of the fall foliage season around mid-September, the road is closed to private vehicles and shuttle buses run instead.

From Ginsendai, the only hiking trail ascends to the summit of Mount Akadake. This steep but scenic climb takes roughly three hours one way and requires no advanced mountaineering skills or gear. About 20–30 minutes into the hike, you'll encounter a famous slope blanketed with nanakamado bushes and other vegetation that burst into vivid colors around mid-September, making it one of the earliest spots in Japan to see autumn leaves each year.

Some less ambitious hikers turn back after admiring the colorful slope, but the trail continues upward through bushland, offering rewarding views of forested hills below and volcanic slopes above. After a few particularly steep sections, hikers reach Mount Akadake (2078 meters), one of several peaks surrounding the vast interior of the Daisetsuzan mountains. From here, well-prepared hikers can venture deeper into the national park.

Ginsendai is accessible from late June to early October via a 15-kilometer unpaved road that branches off National Route 273 near Lake Taisetsuko. The unpaved road is closed to regular traffic for about two weeks during the peak autumn color season, which typically occurs around mid-September (on weekends from September 13–21, 2025). Shuttle buses operate during that period instead. Ginsendai is not accessible from early October to late June.

From July to September, there are two bus round trips per day between Sounkyo and Ginsendai (60 minutes, 920 yen one way; how to get to Sounkyo). During the autumn road closure, the number of round trips increases to about six per day (some require a transfer at the "Lakesite" parking lot), and the fare rises to 1750 yen one way.