Joyama: Tuff Sport and Multi-pitch Climbing in Ohito, Izu, Best in Winter | Japan Climbing Crags

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Joyama (城山, じょうやま; listed on theCrag as Jo-yama) is a rocky hill on the Kano River in Izunokuni, Shizuoka Prefecture, 342 m high according to Izunokuni City. People have been climbing its river-facing walls since 1960. Today it is a large, mostly bolted sport crag with a good number of multi-pitch lines: ROCKTOPO lists 362 routes across 18 sectors.

The crag is close to Ohito Station on the Izuhakone Railway, so you can walk to the trailhead. Driving is harder because of parking: the trailhead has room for only a few cars, and the riverside park car park below the crag has opening hours and only takes park visitors (see "Getting there").

What kind of crag it is

The climbing sites all call the rock tuff. On how the hill formed, the Izu Peninsula Geopark sign describes Joyama as a "volcanic neck" (火山の根, 火山岩頸): magma that solidified in the conduit of a submarine volcano, exposed after the outer layers eroded away. The sign adds that "the precipitous cliff fronting on the Kanogawa River is a consecrated place for rock-climbing cherished by many climbers."

History

From the CLIMBING-net overview:

• 1960: first ascent of 三日月ハング (Mikazuki Hang), followed by many aid routes.
• 1979–81: many of those routes were freed, led by Naoki Toda (戸田直樹).
• The longest-running and most active developer has been Makoto Kokubun (國分誠) of Team RP. His large-scale development of the Wild Boar Gorge (ワイルドボアゴージ) "wiped out the image" that Joyama simply meant the South Face slabs.
• The North Face is still being developed.
• Under the JFA crag maintenance program, most routes at the base of the South Face, plus Mikazuki Hang and the Direct Route, were rebolted with stainless chemical anchors.

ROCKTOPO's list of main developers names 國分誠, 寺田正造, 岩井純一, 坂本宏和 and 宮崎秀夫.

Route counts and grades (checked 2026-10-12)

The four sites give very different numbers:

• ROCKTOPO: 362 routes, 334 single-pitch face routes and 28 multi-pitch.
  • Single-pitch: 5.2+ 38, 5.10a+ 124, 5.11a+ 112, 5.12a+ 54, 5.13a+ 3, 5.14a+ 3.
  • Multi-pitch: 5.2+ 3, 5.10a+ 17, 5.11a+ 6, 5.12a+ 2.
• CLIMBING-net: "約300本" (about 300), tagged "初心者・中級者OK" (fine for beginners and intermediates).
• theCrag: 183 routes entered; the description says "over 300 bolted sportsclimbing routes graded range of 5.7 to 5.14," citing "Japan 100 Climbing area" by KITAYAMA Makoto (Yama-kei Publishers).
• Mountain Project: the description says "well over 100 sport routes" from 5.7 to 5.13, but only 19 are entered.

Who it suits: in ROCKTOPO's breakdown, 5.10 and 5.11 routes add up to 236, about 70% of the single-pitch routes. There are still 54 routes in the 5.12 range, but only 3 each at 5.13 and 5.14. Multi-pitch routes cluster at 5.10, so intermediate climbers who want multi-pitch practice have the most to choose from.

Sectors

ROCKTOPO splits Joyama into 18 sectors. The larger ones (F = single-pitch, M = multi-pitch; difficulty E/M/H is ROCKTOPO's easy/medium/hard rating):

The rest are クッキングワールド, ライオンボトム・ライオンサミット, ウェーブロック・エンドレスウォール, ミッドウェーウォール (玉子岩), インナーウォール 1–4, 二間バンド大ハング, ひよこ岩・ねずみ岩 and 西壁.

The hard routes are concentrated in the Wild Boar Gorge (19 rated H, more than its E and M routes combined). Beginners are better off starting on the South Face.

When to go

In short:

• Winter is the main season. ROCKTOPO lists only November to March, and theCrag says many routes face south and can be climbed in winter.
• Spring and autumn: CLIMBING-net's window is wider, from late September to early June.
• Summer (mid-June to mid-September): neither ROCKTOPO nor CLIMBING-net includes it, but neither says why, while Izunokuni City says the south walls can be climbed all year. The sources disagree; if you go in summer, judge the sun and heat on the south-facing walls for yourself.
• The same city document includes a comment that the area is a hill "you can enjoy in winter because it does not get snow" (積雪しないため、冬期に楽しめる山).

Getting there

By train

1. Take the Izuhakone Railway Sunzu Line to Ohito Station. The Izunokuni City document gives about 30 minutes from Mishima Station.
2. Ohito Station to the trailhead: CLIMBING-net says a 25-minute walk (5 minutes by taxi), and theCrag also says 25 minutes. The Japanese Geoparks Network entry for the Joyama/Katsuragiyama geosite says about 20 minutes on foot.
3. Trailhead to the walls:
   • South Face: CLIMBING-net says another 10 minutes. ROCKTOPO's South Face approach: follow the trail uphill from the parking for about ten minutes, then turn right at the climbing route sign.
   • Wild Boar Gorge (猪谷): CLIMBING-net says 40 minutes on the hiking trail to the top of the South Face, then 5 minutes down.

By car

• Drive time: theCrag says "40 min drive from Mishima Inter-change"; the Japanese Geoparks Network says about 40 minutes from Numazu IC on the Tomei Expressway.
• Roadside spaces at the Joyama trailhead, about 3 cars (ROCKTOPO parking page): "There is room to park on the shoulder at the trailhead. Only a few cars fit, so be careful." This is the access for the South Face.
• Katsuragiyama trailhead car park, about 10 cars (ROCKTOPO parking page): "Park at the Katsuragiyama trailhead for the upper sectors of Joyama. Space is limited and hikers use it too." The upper-sector approach heads from here toward the summit of Joyama.
• Driving to the Wild Boar Gorge: CLIMBING-net says to cross the 上島橋 bridge, go straight at the T-junction after the bend in front of the houses (turn left for the South Face), and follow the forest road 2–3 km to a pass, where you can park at the pass or a little beyond. Walk 7–8 minutes to a second pass, turn left, reach the top of the South Face in 10 minutes, then descend 5 minutes.

The Kawa-no-Eki Izu Joyama car park

Below the crag on the riverbank is the Kanogawa Kamishima Park, also called "川の駅 伊豆城山" (Kawa-no-Eki Izu Joyama). walkerplus lists "123台 駐車無料" (123 free spaces), about 3 minutes from Ohito-Chuo IC on the Izu Chuo Road. It is a park car park, though, and the official site sets these rules:

• Parking hours are 9:00–17:00, and "the gate is locked at 17:00, so take your car out before then."
• "Please do not park here unless you are visiting the park," and unauthorized parking is reported to the police.
• The car park may close, or you may be asked to move your car, when the river is expected to rise.
• A notice dated 2025-08-22 also asks visitors not to park on the road shoulder.

None of the climbing sources checked for this guide (ROCKTOPO, CLIMBING-net, theCrag) lists this car park for climbers.

Rules to know before you go

• Joyama is not on the JFA access-issue list. As of 2026-10-12, the Shizuoka entries on the JFA list of areas with access issues do not include Joyama, and the ROCKTOPO page has no notice at the top.
• Registration and fees: none of the CLIMBING-net, ROCKTOPO, JFA or theCrag pages checked mentions registration or a fee.
• The hiking trail and the climbing routes are separate. The Izu Peninsula Geopark hiking map marks the climbing routes "Rock Climbing Routes (Not Hiking course)." Joyama is also a hiking destination and a geosite, so expect hikers below the walls.
• No public toilet: CLIMBING-net's 公衆トイレ field says "無" (none).
• Overnight stays and toilets: CLIMBING-net says that because there is a cemetery near the trailhead, those with a car are better off beside the ground on the opposite bank of the Kano River; staying at the pass is possible for the Wild Boar Gorge, but "be very careful about relieving yourself." That entry is undated, so check the current rules before staying overnight.
• Spend locally: CLIMBING-net asks climbers to keep in mind that this crag sits in a tourist area and to use local restaurants.
• Local etiquette: theCrag's general note for Japan: "please ensure you follow the recommendations of local climbers and behave responsibly."

Notable routes

ROCKTOPO's popular routes (Joyama page, 2026-10-12):

• バトルランナー (Battle Runner; hardest pitch 5.10a)
• ストーンフリー (5.10c)
• ミウラー (5.11a)
• 生と死の分岐点 (5.12a/b)
• ケレンジ (5.13a)

All three of Mountain Project's Classic Climbs are on the South Face (S Face 南壁): Homeboy (5.8), Battle Runner (5.10a, 4 pitches) and Excursion (5.10c, 6 pitches). Battle Runner is ROCKTOPO's バトルランナー, so both sites list it as a popular route.

Where to look things up

• ROCKTOPO Joyama (in Japanese): route lists for all 18 sectors, grade distribution, popular routes and user logs; parking pages 332 and 270, approach pages 5 and 6. Offline download requires login.
• CLIMBING-net Joyama (in Japanese): Yama-kei's crag data with history and approaches to each sector. Its "掲載書籍" field lists the 伊豆・甲信 guidebook, which has the full topo.
• theCrag Jo-yama: English overview and sector list with heights.
• Mountain Project Joyama: English overview; few routes entered, mainly useful for the South Face multi-pitch classics.
• JFA list of areas with access issues (in Japanese): check for new restrictions before you go.
• Kawa-no-Eki Izu Joyama (in Japanese): park car park hours and closure notices during high water.

References

• ROCKTOPO: Joyama (in Japanese)
• ROCKTOPO: Joyama trailhead parking (in Japanese)
• ROCKTOPO: Katsuragiyama trailhead car park (in Japanese)
• ROCKTOPO: Joyama South Face approach (in Japanese)
• ROCKTOPO: Joyama upper-sector approach (in Japanese)
• CLIMBING-net: Joyama (in Japanese)
• theCrag: Jo-yama
• Mountain Project: Joyama
• Mountain Project: Classic Climbs for Joyama
• Japan Free Climbing Association (JFA): list of areas with access issues (in Japanese)
• Izu Peninsula Geopark: "Volcanic neck" Mt. Joyama sign (PDF, Japanese and English)
• Izu Peninsula Geopark: Mt. Joyama hiking course and nearby geosites (PDF, Japanese and English)
• Japanese Geoparks Network: Izu Peninsula UNESCO Global Geopark (in Japanese)
• Izunokuni City: natural landscape area — Katsuragiyama, Joyama, Kano River (PDF, in Japanese)
• Kanogawa Kamishima Park "Kawa-no-Eki Izu Joyama": Play (parking rules) (in Japanese)
• Kawa-no-Eki Izu Joyama: requests to visitors, 2025-08-22 (in Japanese)
• walkerplus: Kawa-no-Eki Izu Joyama map and access (in Japanese)