Hiking Mt. Chokai | One of the Most Sacred Mountains in Japan

[@Ashley-jp4nn]

I love how friendly people are on the trail!

[@Elonquin]

Superb. I have no other words for this video. The stone block path at the start had me excited, then came the cave and finally the rough boulder peak. Just superb. You did such a great job at capturing the vistas. The short interactions with the other hikers were a nice bonus as well.

[@ばあさT]

鳥海山は私も大好きな山です！とても面白いチャンネルなので登録しました。 岩手山や秋田駒ヶ岳は登ったことがないのでいつか登りたい山です！ Mt.Chokgi is the gratest！ I have added my channel list because your adventure is very fun and wonderful. I gonna Mt.Iwate and Mt.Akita Komagatake especially. Please take me!!

[@sierraandcali9589]

I really like hearing banter with the locals.

[@mayaung674]

I LOVE ALL OF YOUR HIKING POSTS AND I LOVE HIKING TOO . THANKS FOR THE AWESOME POSTS.

[@GoNorthJapan]

Thanks for watching!

[@RobbC.]

I can't imagine any part of Japan countryside where you go there and think "Meh, that's so plain and boring. I never want to go back" - It's all just so amazingly beautiful. Thanks for another addition to the bucket list. Keep up the good work!

[@Blade51]

I cant wait until travel is open again. I want to go explore and hike in Japan soooooo badly.

[@papapepe2232]

Jaw dropping and inspiring Quinlan 😲 I think I did mention that I am a senior on the verge of retirement. Would love to hike those kinds of trails. I'm not experienced but eager and confident enough to try something moderate.

[@Pogue4]

Thank You for recommending this video today I've missed this one and its Fantastic...

[@simplycm]

It's so majestic and breathtaking! Thanks for sharing this

[@NielSerenio-p5t]

I dont understand you dont have a million subs yet! I mean the quality of the vids, the voice, the infos you share about the places you visit, its honestly so surprising! Hopefully you continue to produce these kinds of videos. Keep it up!

[@ForUploadin]

Shonai area is a so underrated place in Japan which is one of the most special and heavenly experience places in Japan. The sea, the fields, the mountains, the rivers, the forests, the streets, the neighborhoods and everything are feeling like movie scenes. Thank you for featuring the area! I am not a hiker but I remember I visitted the summer heavenly marshland at Gassan Hachigome.

[@missAUDACITY]

This has got to be my favorite video of a hike that you’ve done so far! These visuals are absolutely astounding! I had it streaming on the TV when my partner and their friend came into the room, and they were equally in awe. It felt like we were on the hike with you! Absolutely beautiful, Quinlan! 😍

[@GoNorthJapan]

Wow thanks! So glad to hear that!

[@semi_con_die3227]

とても綺麗ですね！東北は全然知らなかったので知れて嬉しいです！

[@fxyd]

Blimey the views along this trek are stunning but also scary!

[@GoNorthJapan]

This is definitely one of my favorite mountains that I've hiked in Japan. I want to do it again, like maybe twice, this year!

[@openwoc]

It's so majestic and breathtaking! Thanks for sharing this when some of us are still in lockdown. Definitely takes my mind away from everyday life and makes me want to plan a future trip to Japan again. Cheers!

[@佐藤寿人-f3y]

ひと月前に登ってきました。 幼い頃からいつも見ていた山なので、登れて嬉しかったです。

[@JoleeKee]

Those drone shots are everything.

[@passengerpidgeon4728]

Stunningly wonderful ❤🇯🇵

[@mrarvind1606]

Thank you for this entertaining video. Keep up the good work.

[@puentecorto2688]

Quilan. good video. I saw Mt Chokai from Sakata City, never climbed. enjoyed watching your video. Thank you so much.

[@markopoloasia]

Great to see your back in my YT feed

[@kermit502]

Great video, and I love your drone shots.

[@londonerlearnsjapanese3337]

Amazing views. Love the casual trail talks too. New sub!

[@pjourneys5337]

So beautiful the Mountains in Japan ...

[@Ottska]

I am definitely more you-from-10-years ago. I got waves of nausea just watching you go along that ridge line! I can handle quite steep & physically demanding hikes, but anything too technical or fall-to-my-death-able... no thank you ma'am 😬 Thanks for letting me experience it safely & vicariously.

[@GoNorthJapan]

Hah, I hear you. This one wasn't particularly technical or anything. You'd have to go out of your way to fall off a ledge.. but that said just walking on a wide path next to a ledge can be terrifying...

[@ariyanrezaei2070]

i'm not a hiker but every time i watch Quinlan's videos i want to go hiking

[@Chuck8541]

Beautiful scenery!

[@hitachicordoba]

Wow the summit was stunning if a bit crowded

[@jojorosey]

Maybe Mt. Chokai IS our destiny. ;) Thanks for sharing the beautiful hike! This one was very unique, and I loved the views along the top path.

[@aonchitsj]

Than you for sharing us a glimpse of this beautiful place.

[@karenburman6787]

One of the most beautiful hikes so far! Nice video

[@Fallingsakura265]

Wow I think I wanna dwell on that mountain too 😮

[@geoffrey3668]

Great video and beautiful landscape! Love it!

[@LunarRose7]

I have found your channel thanks to Sharla, I love the video's so far with just this one, you get my subscription.

[@minusforty4323]

Another awesome video! Thank again Quinlan!

[@AlyLalaLand]

Ooh this might just be my favourite - what an amazing place!

[@GoNorthJapan]

Yeah, Mt. Chokai is really fantastic. I love it too.

[@MissRoseyCheeky]

Wowsers. Awesome!

[@PallmallFtw]

I just love your videos, they always makes me happy, thank you very much.

[@KatAlexa93]

Absolutely stunning! 🤩

[@whereisdari]

Nice, thanks for sharing mate

[@AidenApeBrain]

Crazy how beautiful it is. I told you I was going to stay in Yamagata and asked if you had a hike/climb you'd recommend and you said Mt.Chokai and now I can truly understand why. Another great video mate!

[@kiwiyamabushi]

You'll love it! Also try Mt. Gassan if you can :) and of course Mt. Haguro.

[@Laura_Darkspear]

The snow, green grass, and fog was breathtaking! What a beautiful trail. Interesting rocks at the summit too... boy, better be careful not to trip up there! Beautiful though!

[@cvodb]

Wow, the colours!

[@_bess]

Stunning!

[@ouagadougou62]

Wow, you had much better weather than when we did it. We just had glimpses of clear sky for lass than a minute at the time. The drone footage was great as usual. The new summit isn't the official summit. The other summit is about 100 meter away as the bird fly, a 20-30 minute walk and the view is incredible.

[@XSemperIdem5]

That was quite a unique final climb to the summit. I'm curious about the geology of that summit with all those boulders there. I think I'm about to get caught up in a little research, which I love. Sometimes I fall down research rabbit holes.

[@catbarnard2833]

I love your energy

[@KyushuTrail]

What a wonderful hike! Loved every minute!

[@puentecorto2688]

We will remember the Movie " the Undertaker: I saw it from Sakata in awe. Thanks for your video.

[@TheKhalzone]

It's so beautiful I got to see it from Sakata in February and even at that distance it was stunning. It's definitely going to be the first mountain in Japan I hike.

[@chrissappington8280]

Absolutely one of your best videos so far! Beautiful location, fantastic weather, and I'm glad you kept in the conversations with the other hikers!

[@Photochicky85]

Wow that's beautiful!

[@j.r.mccalla8662]

Thanks Quinlan!

[@justaomf]

Beautiful indeed!

[@samlook]

A nice relaxing video, love the interactions with the other hikers!

[@uttari57]

I wanna go there!!!

[@thatdesiree]

I really love these walks. So mellow, so beautiful!

[@catherineduquette6576]

The drone shots were amazing. Hiking with the weight of the drone in your backpack is something! Wow.

[@grenm9]

This is so breathtaking I know you've hiked ridges before but this seems better then any other so far

[@stephenhughley6761]

Breath taking. Awesome presentation!!!

[@EricNeuls]

Another awesome Video man! That place looks so serene and honestly other worldly, like its straight out of an anime or something! Also that view of the ocean from the side of the mountain.... im speechless!

[@bloodbuffy]

I love how insanely soothing your voice is! :')

[@liamnguyen2206]

I'm not quite sure how I stumbled on your channel, but I was cooking dinner and left my autoplay on... Just from the style of video (based on sound) alone, I paused what I was doing to see what it was! I was cycling through your content and it's absolutely fantastic. I hope the difficult events of this year don't mar your progress too much, and that you continue with the same amazing work you do. You definitely made my day a lot brighter!

[@GoNorthJapan]

Wow great! Thanks for watching!

[@TheRealMythril]

Absolutely astoundingly beautiful. These are places I could never see without the assistance of people like yourself. Thank you for letting me see these amazing little treasures. I was wondering was there a specific reason for the gentleman holding up the carved wooden plaque at 12:32 ? 💖👩🏻‍🦼🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🙏🏻🌈

[@GoNorthJapan]

That wooden plaque has "Mt. Chokai" written on it in Japanese. So people were taking turns sitting on the rock and posing with it to show they had reached the summit. Many Japanese mountain summits have similar plaques that people take photos with.

[@Glarson03]

The shots of that path to mountain are stunning!! Great video Quinlan!

[@r_o_d_n_e_y]

Awesome video!

[@cypriennezed5640]

Thank you for addressing your fear of heights-- it's what's been keeping me away from hiking, and it means a lot to hear that it isn't stopping you!

[@DelorienAz]

One of the most scenic hikes I've ever seen. Great job capturing it!

[@Just1Nora]

What an awe inspiring hike! When the mountain dropped off on the side when you were talking about fear of heights and right after I have to admit my heart was racing a little...I remember who your filming reminds me of! It reminds me of Les Stroud of Man VS Nature (not to be confused with Man VS Wild). Thank you so much for taking us along to this amazing mountain! I would have liked a little better look at the lake if possible though.

[@3Tumbler]

Thank you for the great video. I was able to visit the area once, for work, in the spring, and we had no time for hiking. This is great to see and I will have to plan to go back and hike there in the future. Such great views.

[@Aziz-qb5db]

I really like your interactions with the other hikers. I'd love it, if you could include more of that ;)

[@GoNorthJapan]

I'm trying! Most people are camera shy, especially if I mention KZbin, but for those that don't mind, I'll definitely try!

[@NickandRachel]

Amazing views! Thanks for sharing

[@chocjamie]

Thank you for taking us with you. I could never hike this so I love the style of your videos that makes me feel like I'm seeing it with you! That's really special.

[@nickm1187]

Thanks for another great video Quinlan. Puts me in a perfect mood for my hiking holiday next week.

[@higashioosaka]

Amazing!!!

[@udhisharul8650]

Loved this video mate ♥️ The RPG feel I got when I watched it was amazing 😌♥️ It kinda reminded of God of War 🔥🤭 Truly amazing

[@kameyoriko8644]

I hope to someday try this trail, but I don't know if I will be able to with my EDS. Thanks for the video at least.

[@williewalks]

Been looking forward to your take on Chokai-san. What a glorious mountain. One that keeps throwing up the views and surprises. It's in my top three Japanese mountains. Hope you get to the Asahi Mountains one day, wink wink nudge nudge.

[@GoNorthJapan]

Hahaha, yeah I want to get there! Hopefully sometime soonish! And agreed, Mt. Chokai is definitely in my top 3 as well.

[@natashagreen7412]

I love watching your videos! They're so helpful for me. Can't wait to hike this tomorrow :)

[@GoNorthJapan]

Have fun!!

[@wenwang-core791]

beautiful trail!

[@kiwiyamabushi]

Great to see your perspective on Mt. Chokai! Mt. Chokai used to be one of the Dewa Sanzan even :) Let’s take another path up sometime, I know of another route we can take!

[@GoNorthJapan]

Definitely! This month or next!

[@kiwiyamabushi]

@@GoNorthJapan Yes indeed! This month would be better schedule-wise, but next month is also fine :)

[@kammymarie13]

Gorgeous!! I love the tidbits of history and information you include about the mountains you climb. Also really love the interactions you have with other hikers! Was that man harvesting those flowers or just admiring their beauty?

[@GoNorthJapan]

Thanks! He was just taking photos of them. You're not allowed to pick flowers or plants from most hiking areas since they're generally in national or "quasi-national" parks.

[@kammymarie13]

@@GoNorthJapan That makes sense! Thanks for your response 😁

[@UnoMargotTV]

Awesome❤️❤️❤️

[@brewstergallery]

That was just great! For some unknown reason I´m not receiving notifications from you tube.

[@GoNorthJapan]

Oh- the notification bell is clicked and everything? Well, I've been pretty good about releasing videos weekly for the last several months, so if all else fails, check once a week! Thank you for watching!

[@moze_R]

Another incredible hike, so full of hidden gems. The care taken with the paths and the little stone shrine - so special. About what time was it when you were at the summit?

[@GoNorthJapan]

It must have been sometime between 10:30 and 11:30 in the morning.

[@etherdog]

Beautiful, Quiinlan! I wonder if the "cave" like rock structure near the summit has higher spiritual significance, as you commented "rebirth" when you emerged? It was also very nice to see the conversations with people along the way. The people you spoke to seemed eager to share with you.

[@GoNorthJapan]

I will try and find out about the cave-like structure near the summit. I know some other mountains where those areas are said to symbolize going through the birth canal and being reborn into a more spiritual world, but I don't know if that is a local belief there or not. But because there is a little shrine in it, it definitely has some spiritual significance.

[@foreigndaruma9825]

I've watched a few of your videos, all stunning and giving me the urge to go back to Japan when the opportunity comes. There's just a thing or two that could be worth considering, for instance, the use of silence and pacing in the videos. As far as I can make out, it usually goes: hike up with a lot of commentary, drone shots(beautifully executed), then hike down with slightly less commentary. Since many outdoor enthusiasts like the silence, perhaps it might be worth trying to interject that between the comments, either in a very stable POV walk along the track or in a static shot of the wonderful streams and rivers you come across. Perhaps even cut the music, like you do in the introduction of videos sometimes. I guess, in a way, go more zen and focus in on the small moments, to really put us in your shoes/hiking boots. Wish you all the best and hope your channel keeps growing!

[@GoNorthJapan]

Great suggestions, I'll do my best!

[@heather1416]

A lot of chirping on this trail! What kinds of birds do you normally see?

[@GoNorthJapan]

Japanese bush warblers are the most common and vocal. They're called uguisu in Japanese. I've also seen some spotted nutcrackers. And of course lots of kites and similar birds of prey.

[@GSPirosaki]

Quinlan, did you add the Japanese titles? Your spoken Japanese is excellent.

[@GoNorthJapan]

Thanks! A friend of mine is actually doing the Japanese subtitle-writing for me. I can write in Japanese, but writing subtitles well is a different ballgame as you have to summarize concisely and there are sort of rules for it- so I'm lucky to have a friend that does that sort of work and is happy to help when they have time!

[@bertman4]

Gorgeous! Pretty amazed at the amount of snow left. Has it been a cold summer in the north? Definitely would like to visit Tohoku area on my next visit.

[@GoNorthJapan]

It hasn't really been a cold summer. I think there's usually this much or more snow on Mt. Chokai around this time of year.

[@jifuk]

Great video again. When was this hike filmed?

[@GoNorthJapan]

I filmed this on July 20th, 2020!

[@maciejpiotrdugosz5847]

God its so beautifull! In where i come from when u go to the summit of a mountain u mostl see other mountains or forest, hre u have some fantastic open space and even ocean! Mind blowing. Those red buildings in 08:09 are a shelter or some other purpose?

[@GoNorthJapan]

Yeah- there are some lodges where you can spend the night and also a shrine. It was all closed that day because of COVID so I didn't really look at them except in passing.

[@puentecorto2688]

Wow, You climbed already 5 of 100 Japanese famous mountains.Congratulation. Are you extending your visits to Fukushima Prefecture in the future?

[@GoNorthJapan]

Yeah, I'm getting there! I think of the 100 Japanese famous mountains I've so far done: Mt. Fuji Mt. Iwate Mt. Chokai Mt. Gassan Mt. Hachimantai Mt. Hayachine Mt. Kumotori So that's 7/100! Hahaha. Maybe someday when I have more time and money I'll try to be one of those people that does all of them. Well at least I want to get all of them in Tohoku. There's just 15 in Tohoku, and I'm 5/15 of those. That's maybe a more reasonable goal for me. But yeah- I will definitely explore the mountains in Fukushima soon.

[@puentecorto2688]

Isn't it 8?Including Mt Hakkoda, looking forward to see your next adventure.

[@GoNorthJapan]

@@puentecorto2688 I don't count Hakkoda because I didn't climb up from the base... I used the ropeway to get to the top area.

[@puentecorto2688]

I see. You are so humble. "Viva Go North Japan" from New York.

[@TopAnimeLoverEver]

Hey Quinlan do you need a car to get to these breathtaking trails and mountains, or is it accessible to get to these places by train and then some walking (or perhaps taxi)? Just wondering if I should get my international driver license and rent a car for these kinds of adventures

[@GoNorthJapan]

Definitely recommend an international driver's license. Some places are accessible, but most aren't!

[@MangooseGG]

I get nervous when you’re so close to such a steep drop off and still talking into the camera. The views though, wow.

[@simranhaer7410]

What season did you ? I’m planning on going during autumn - will it be too cold ???

[@GoNorthJapan]

I did it in the summer, but autumn is also great! It'll probably be cold near the top!

[@onesan1028]

wow

[@its.bread0702]

Have you ever considered uploading raw footage of these ?

[@GoNorthJapan]

I take waaaay too much footage... I'd still have to stitch it all together and do some degree of editing even with just raw footage so I hadn't really considered it. I guess I could try it for one hike as an experiment, but I can't imagine anyone would watch more than a minute or two of it.

[@its.bread0702]

@@GoNorthJapan gotcha, thanks for the reply

[@ThERuineDDest]

Hi Quilan, me and my friends are coming at the end of October of this year for a 2 week Tohoku trip, I couldn't find any information online on the closing date of this hike, do you think it will be close by then? If it is are there anymore challenging hikes you would recommend at that time of year, thank you! You are my number one resource on researching Tohoku!

[@GoNorthJapan]

The end of October should be possible, though it is technically after the normal hiking season. It's different each year but probably little to no snow at that point! That's a great time for Akita Komagatake or Mt. Iwate as well!