Mt. Yokoo

Mt. Yokoo (Yokoosan, 312 m) is a hill in Suma Ward, Kobe City, Hyōgo Prefecture, and one of the 100 Famous Mountains of Kansai. It is the high point of the “Suma Alps”, a ridge of weathered granite, and was nicknamed the “Kobe Yari” by climbers such as Buntarō Katō.
Just east of Mt. Yokoo is the famous “Umanose” (Horse’s Back), where bare white rock forms a sharp ridge for a thrilling bit of scrambling. The usual route is a traverse from Sumaura-kōen Station over Mt. Hachibuse, Mt. Hatafuri, Mt. Tekkai and Mt. Tsugao to Mt. Yokoo, then down via the Umanose and Mt. Higashi to Itayado Station, taking about 2 hours 45 minutes. Its charm is that you can set off straight from a station at either end — Sumaura-kōen in the west and Itayado in the east.

The western start is Sumaura-kōen Station on the Sanyo Electric Railway, and the eastern end is Itayado Station on the Kobe Municipal Subway and the Sanyo line; the peaks are low, but there is a steady up-and-down over a string of small summits.
Although the whole range is low, the views are good, taking in the Akashi Strait, Awaji Island and the streets of Kobe. The Umanose is a bare rock ridge with chains and steel steps, so take care not to slip or fall. It can be walked year-round, but there is little shade and it is hot in summer, so carry plenty of water. The route can also be walked in reverse (Itayado Station to Sumaura-kōen Station).

*Information last checked: unverified

1. [Outbound] Sumaura-kōen Station → Mt. Yokoo
2. [Return] Mt. Yokoo → Itayado Station

1. [Outbound] Sumaura-kōen Station → Mt. Yokoo

For Mt. Yokoo, get off at Sumaura-kōen Station on the Sanyo Electric Railway main line and climb to Mt. Hachibuse on the path behind the station. You go over Mt. Hatafuri, Mt. Tekkai and Oraga-chaya (Mt. Takakura), cross a residential area, and climb the long stairway of Mt. Tsugao to reach Mt. Yokoo. Sumaura-kōen Station has frequent trains, including through services from the Sanyo-Himeji direction and the Hanshin/Hankyu lines.

Reference: [Sanyo Electric Railway (official)]

2. [Return] Mt. Yokoo → Itayado Station

To descend, carefully cross the sharp “Umanose” ridge that runs just east of the Mt. Yokoo summit, using the chains and steel steps. Go over Mt. Higashi and down into the residential area to Itayado Station on the Kobe Municipal Subway Seishin-Yamate Line (also served by the Sanyo line). The Umanose is especially slippery after rain or in strong wind, so take care, and if it feels too risky, escape beforehand toward Higashi-Suma or Myōhōji.

Reference: [Sanyo Electric Railway (official)]

Photo by KENPEI