Jogasaki: Seaside Andesite Cracks and Sport Lines on the Izu Coast, a Winter Crag | Japan Climbing Crags

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What kind of crag is this

Jogasaki (城ヶ崎) is in Ito, Shizuoka Prefecture, on the east coast of the Izu Peninsula. The Ito Tourism Association describes the coast as formed by lava that flowed out when Mt. Omuro erupted about 4,000 years ago (「約4000年前、大室山が噴火した時に流れ出した溶岩によってできた」). From Tokyo it is about two hours by car from the Atsugi interchange on the Tomei Expressway.

Sources disagree on the rock. ROCKTOPO and CLIMBING-net both say andesite (安山岩). theCrag tags it "Andesite Basalt" and describes it as "Dark grey basalt, sports and trad climbing."

CLIMBING-net's overview explains the crag's character. Development only began in 1981, and from the start it was treated as a free-climbing venue (「初めからフリークライミングの岩場として扱われた」). Along more than ten kilometres of cliff, every corner in the columnar jointing hid a crack, and early climbers climbed them one after another. After JAO held the Seaside Cup in 1987, face routes followed, and the Seaside sector became the most popular area. CLIMBING-net gives the angle as 90 to 110 degrees.

Size

Route counts vary a lot by site (all checked 2026-10-12):

Grade spread and who it suits

ROCKTOPO's grade chart shows the cracks lean easy to moderate. Of 255 cracks, 76 are 5.2–5.9, 94 are 5.10, 44 are 5.11, 30 are 5.12, 10 are 5.13 and 1 is 5.14. The 105 sport routes cluster at 5.10–5.12, with 5.11 the largest band (36 routes). Among the 128 boulders, 29 are around 1-dan (shodan), 14 around 2-dan and 5 are 3-dan or harder.

CLIMBING-net marks the crag as suitable for beginners and intermediates, but the same page warns that outside Seaside you should assume no maintenance since first ascent (「開拓後の整備はいっさいされていないと思ったほうがよい」). You place your own gear, judge fixed gear yourself, and some routes have no lower-off. Outside Seaside, Family and Kadowaki-minami-no-iso, nuts and cams are the default. In practice, "beginner-friendly" here means climbers who can place trad gear, or who go with someone who can. CLIMBING-net also asks that pairs of beginners not descend into Seaside at all (「初心者、初級者同士の方はシーサイドには降りないようにお願いしたい」).

When to go

The two Japanese sites disagree on the edges; both include December through April, and only CLIMBING-net adds November and May. theCrag's reasoning is that the rock is dark and mostly south-facing, so cold months are better. None of the three sources goes further than that on why summer is bad, and no temperature, humidity or sea-state figures turned up.

Two more seasonal hazards:

• Fixed gear at the start of the season. CLIMBING-net: because of the sea, all fixed gear degrades much faster than at other crags, so take extra care especially at the start of the season (「とくにシーズン始めは注意されたい」).
• After typhoons. The Jogasaki Boulder Guide says typhoons and waves can move boulders or wipe out problems (「台風や波の影響で岩が動いたり課題が消滅したりすることがあります」). ROCKTOPO's Kosaitsuna boulder entry also notes some problems have disappeared because the shore got rough.

Peak season also means crowds. Mountain Project warns that the exit route can jam when everyone tries to leave at once, and suggests bringing headlamps.

Getting there

By train

CLIMBING-net says most sectors are walkable from one of three Izukyu stations: Futo, Jogasaki-Kaigan or Izu-Kogen. Which one depends on the sector. The Jogasaki Boulder Guide gives walking times on each sector page:

For the Kadowaki suspension bridge tourist area, the Ito Tourism Association gives about 35 minutes on foot from Jogasaki-Kaigan station. ROCKTOPO lists the main roped sectors (Seaside, Family Crack and others) under the "parking near Izu-Kogen station" entry but gives no walking time from the station, and no other source checked here gives one either.

By car

• Interchanges. From Tokyo, about 2 hours from the Atsugi interchange on the Tomei Expressway; from Aichi, about 1 hour 30 minutes from the Nagaizumi-Numazu interchange (Ito Tourism Association, Jogasaki Boulder Guide). Then head south on Route 135 along the east coast.
• Traffic. CLIMBING-net warns this is a major tourist area and weekend traffic to and from Tokyo can be heavy (「休日の東京方面からの行き帰りの渋滞は、十分に覚悟していただきたい」).
• Roadside parking. Every Jogasaki Boulder Guide sector page says never park on the road, and that locals may report you. Mountain Project: "illegal parking and roadside parking is strictly prohibited," and no overnight parking is currently allowed.

Parking by sector

ROCKTOPO lists ten parking spots; all capacities are approximate:

Sources conflict on parking in three places, so double-check before you go:

• Kadowaki capacity. ROCKTOPO says about 30 cars; the Ito Tourism Association says 123 cars plus 3 microbuses. They may be counting different things; the sources don't say.
• Where to park for Nichirenzaki. ROCKTOPO lists a lot near Renchakuji, but the Jogasaki Boulder Guide Nichirenzaki page says the Renchakuji lot is not available (「蓮着寺駐車場は利用不可です」) and suggests the paid Izu Kaiyo Koen lot instead (¥550 per day, 8:00–17:00, locked outside those hours; the page dates this to February 2022).
• Around Hashidate. CLIMBING-net says the free Hashidate lot fills with climbers' cars on weekends, which annoys locals, so use a paid lot (¥500) on weekends. The Jogasaki Boulder Guide says the Hashidate tourist parking is not to be used (「橋立観光駐車場は不可です」).

Rules to know before you go

None of the sources checked for this post mentions registration or an access fee. But this is a crag that sits right next to a climbing ban (「登攀禁止と隣り合わせ」). The JFA access-issue list flags "Izu / Jogasaki coast" as "use with care, follow the rules." After accidents on consecutive days in February 2009, the prefecture, city, police and fire service inspected the site in April. Climbing has continued only after JFA negotiated with the authorities, and JFA asks climbers to follow each sector's rules (「各エリアの利用ルールを遵守してほしい」).

CLIMBING-net adds what concerned officials: the run of accidents, and bolts and slings left inside a national park. The coast is also both a national park and private land (「国立公園であると同時に私有地でもある」). CLIMBING-net notes it is still not an officially approved area (「今なお公に認められたエリアではなく」).

Mountain Project lists the rules:

• No new bolts anywhere on the Jogasaki coast without permission from JFA and the national park, and the same for rebolting or retro-bolting. Don't develop new routes.
• Leave no fixed ropes, gear or tat. All fixed ropes have been removed and none are allowed.
• In some sectors, getting out means climbing a 5.7 exit route.
• No dogs. No camping (CLIMBING-net also says camping is banned along the whole coast, 「海岸一帯はキャンプ禁止」). No cutting trees or lighting fires. Pack out all rubbish.
• Use a toilet before you lower in; there are none below. The Jogasaki Boulder Guide also says there are no toilets near the boulders, so use the ones at the parking lots or a convenience store.
• Weekends bring crowds of tourists; keep a low profile and keep the noise down.

Mountain Project's Family Crack Area page adds that tourists cross the suspension bridge above, and "any violations of local ethics or disruptive behavior could easily result in a ban on climbing." Hiking trails run above the crag and rockfall is frequent, so wear a helmet.

Seaside hazards

• Corroded bolts. CLIMBING-net says never trust everything to a single bolt (「ボルト1本にすべてを託すようなことは絶対にしないこと」). Outside Seaside, bolts and fixed pitons are almost untrustworthy (「ほとんど信用できない」), and even Seaside has some original bolts. theCrag notes the gear is "very exposed to the salt of the sea."
• Rappelling in and climbing out. Seaside is reached by rappel (ROCKTOPO has a Seaside rappel point), and theCrag warns some sectors need a rappel down to the beach. CLIMBING-net says falls happen almost every year on the climb back out of Seaside (「特にシーサイドの登り返しでは、毎年のように墜落が起きている」).
• Waves and falling into the sea. The Jogasaki Boulder Guide asks climbers to take great care not to fall into the sea (「海への転落に十分な注意をお願いします」). CLIMBING-net selected sectors where the base is on the rocky shore rather than over the water, which means some sectors do start above the sea. None of the sources checked explains how to read the tides, so check tide and sea-state forecasts for the Ito area before you go.
• Approach footing. The Isaribi approach is a steep descent that is especially slippery after rain; Hashidate has a section where you descend with a rope (Isaribi, Hashidate).

Notable sectors and routes

Roped climbing

• Seaside. CLIMBING-net says it was already the most popular sector in the crack era, and became more so after 1987 added many face routes. On ROCKTOPO, Seaside Sunset Area has 33 face routes and 7 cracks; Sunrise Area has 11 face routes and 18 cracks.
• Family Crack. ROCKTOPO lists 3 face routes and 16 cracks, mostly easy (14 rated E). Mountain Project places it under the Hashidate suspension bridge and says "it has most of the more moderate climbs in Jogasaki," so it gets crowded in season.
• Funamushi Rock. ROCKTOPO: mostly cracks with many easy grades, a good area for crack beginners (「クラック初心者には良いエリア」).
• Nichirenzaki south face. ROCKTOPO: good routes from 5.10 to 5.11a, just right for intermediates (「中級者に丁度いい」).

ROCKTOPO's popular routes: パープルシャドウ (Purple Shadow, 5.8), ピーターパン (Peter Pan, 5.10b), 風に吹かれて (5.11a), エアーダンス (Air Dance, 5.12a), シンデレラボーイ (Cinderella Boy, 5.13a/b). Mountain Project's classics are Peter Pan (5.10b, sport, Sunset Area) and Early Times (5.10b/c, trad, Sunrise Area).

Bouldering

The Jogasaki Boulder Guide splits the bouldering into seven sectors: Funamushi Rock (26 problems), Isaribi (36), Jackson (16; "20 seconds' walk from the road," the easiest approach), Nichirenzaki (23), Tanakaiso (24), Kosaitsuna (21) and Hashidate (24). The top three by popularity are モンスターマン (Monster Man, 1-dan, Funamushi Rock), 大島日和 (5-kyu, Funamushi Rock) and サティアグラハ (Satyagraha, 4-dan, Nichirenzaki). The guide singles out Nichirenzaki and Hashidate as having plenty of low-grade problems for beginners.

Where to look things up

References

• ROCKTOPO: Jogasaki (in Japanese, checked 2026-10-12)
• ROCKTOPO: Kadowaki parking (in Japanese)
• ROCKTOPO: Parking near Izu-Kogen station (in Japanese)
• ROCKTOPO: Igaigane parking (in Japanese)
• ROCKTOPO: Ukiyamabashi parking (in Japanese)
• ROCKTOPO: Yawatano port parking (in Japanese)
• ROCKTOPO: Parking near Renchakuji (in Japanese)
• ROCKTOPO: Parking in front of Isaribi Rock (in Japanese)
• ROCKTOPO: Funamushi Rock parking (in Japanese)
• ROCKTOPO: Izu Umi-no-Mori Smile Campground (in Japanese)
• ROCKTOPO: Akazawa port parking (in Japanese)
• ROCKTOPO: Seaside rappel point (in Japanese)
• CLIMBING-net: Jogasaki (in Japanese, Yama-kei Publishers)
• Jogasaki Boulder Guide (in Japanese)
• Jogasaki Boulder Guide: Funamushi Rock (in Japanese)
• Jogasaki Boulder Guide: Isaribi (in Japanese)
• Jogasaki Boulder Guide: Hashidate (in Japanese)
• Jogasaki Boulder Guide: Kosaitsuna (in Japanese)
• Jogasaki Boulder Guide: Nichirenzaki (in Japanese)
• Jogasaki Boulder Guide: Tanakaiso (in Japanese)
• JFA: Access-issue areas across Japan (in Japanese)
• theCrag: Jogasaki
• Mountain Project: Jogasaki
• Mountain Project: Family Crack Area
• Ito Tourism Association: Jogasaki coast (in Japanese)