Daisen (大山)

First vertex of the hyaku meizan triangle formed by Daisen, Tsurugiyama and Ishizuchi. We stayed in Mercure hotel, 12 minute drive to the trailhead. Being Golden Week, we started very early, around 6.30am to avoid crews. We visited first Jyakujouzan, which is a low elevation mountain and a short detour from the main trail, but offers a great view of Daisen. After that we hike up daisen, which remains me of Bandai-san, in the sense that it has a gradual, almost flat, start and then it gets very steep. This route is called Gyoja, and goes through several shrines before getting to the mountain, it seems less popular than the other one (Natsuyama). At some point they merge and much more people were climbing Natsuyama. The steep section keep going, until you get to a more gradual area mainly cover by a wooden path. There is a hut close to the summit, where you can use toilet and by drinks and snacks. The summit is not specially memorable, but the views from Daisen are stunning no matter where you look. We were supposed to descent by Natsuyama, but lot of people were ascending so we took Gyoja again since is less crowded.