About Mt. Tatsuda

Hello, fellow travelers!
I’m Ayu-mama, a writer for “Sarukuma.”

A famous mountaineer once said,
“Why do people climb mountains?”
“Because it is there!”

This is the story of a small child with the stamina and athletic skills of an elementary schooler,
and a mom whose fitness level is even lower than that, taking on a mountain together.

Today I’m introducing Mt. Tatsuda (立田山),
located in the northern part of Kumamoto City.
It stands at a modest 151 meters tall.

When I told a friend I was going to climb Mt. Tatsuda, they laughed and said,
“Don’t be silly. There are no mountains in Kumamoto City!”
When I named Mt. Tatsuda specifically, they replied, “That’s not a mountain — that’s a hill!”
For context, this friend used to be on a serious mountaineering club.

To experienced climbers, Mt. Tatsuda might just feel like a hike up a hill,
but for elementary schools across Kumamoto City, it’s a classic field-trip destination — a mountain so gentle that ‘even kids can climb it.’

It’s the perfect mountain for a child’s hiking debut,
and ideal for absolute beginner hikers.

Why We Love It

As complete hiking beginners,
my son and I joined a guided ‘Mt. Tatsuda Nature Walk Tour’ led by a forest instructor.

The tour combines a leisurely walk around the foothills with a guided climb to the summit, all while learning about the forest along the way.

Would this mom-and-son duo actually make it to the top?

Off we go with the rest of the tour group!

Mt. Tatsuda has many different hiking trails to choose from.

There’s no single ‘correct’ path — pick whichever one looks most appealing.

This time, we took the route through the ‘Forest of Autumn.’

Mt. Tatsuda has a Four Seasons Forest, where trees suited to each season have been carefully planted.

Mt. Tatsuda is a beautifully maintained mountain shaped by human hands, with trees thoughtfully planted along the trails.

The Autumn Forest is full of trees with brilliant fall foliage, and we hit it right at peak season — the colors were absolutely stunning.

My son listened intently to the forest instructor and proudly took the lead at the front of the group!

Meanwhile, mom was huffing and puffing just to keep up from behind.

The mountain is also home to many wild birds, making it a great spot for birdwatching.

Suddenly, the trees opened up and the path widened.

The summit was just ahead!

Near the summit, you’ll find this magnificent pine tree with a rare feature: needles that grow in clusters of three!
(Most pine trees have needles in pairs of two.) Definitely worth checking out.

At long last — we made it to the summit!

The trees are too dense to offer a sweeping view, but there are benches to relax on…

…and a small open clearing.

The hike isn’t over until you’re back down! Time to descend.

This time, we took a different route down from the one we climbed up.

Along the way, we stopped for a break at a spot called ‘Shiromi Observation Deck’ (Castle View Lookout).

From here, you can spot the iconic Kumamoto Castle in the distance,
which is exactly how the lookout got its name. (Can you see Kumamoto Castle in the photo?)

On the day of our visit, the ‘Mt. Tatsuda Reservoir’ was open to the public for a special event, so we made our way down to it.

At the reservoir, we enjoyed the scenery while munching on the rice balls (onigiri) we’d packed for lunch.

Onigiri after a hike tastes absolutely amazing!
And just like that, we made it back down safely.
By the way — this whole hike covered over 7 kilometers in total!

That is a LOT of walking.
This mama was completely wiped out…
My son was, of course, the youngest in the entire group.
Everyone showered him with praise: “You did such a great job!”

And my son? He showed no signs of fatigue at all,
and actually ran outside to play again as soon as we got home.
Kids’ energy is truly terrifying…

That wraps up our beginner hiking adventure!

Thanks so much for sticking with us to the end.

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