ACCESS

FIELD MANNERS

ABOUT FIELD MANNERS

Please respect these customs when climbing or walking here
to ensure the natural beauty of Kirishima remains for future generations to enjoy.

8 MANNERS TO ENJOY
NATIONAL PARKS

  • MANNERS
    01
    Do not leave marked trails
    Vegetation is damaged when hikers walk outside marked trails.
    Take photos from on the trail.
  • MANNERS
    02
    Take your trash with you
    Please take your own trash with you.
    If you drop something, pick it up.
  • MANNERS
    03
    Use the toilet at trailheads,
    or take a portable toilet
    There are no toilets in the Kirishima mountains, so please go at the trailhead.
    Carrying a sanitation kit with you is convenient and offers peace of mind.
  • MANNERS
    04
    Be careful with
    open flames
    Forest fires break out due to flames from hikers' portable gas stoves and cigarettes.
    Refrain in particular from lighting up near combustible materials or in areas exposed to strong wind.
    Open fires are prohibited.
  • MANNERS
    05
    Do not take
    plants or animals
    Flora and fauna are important parts of the Kirishima ecosystem.
    Please treat wildlife with care. Do not pick or step on wildflowers.
    Removal or damage of plants and animals is strictly prohibited under the Natural Parks Act.
  • MANNERS
    06
    Do not feed the deer
    Kirishima faces a deer overpopulation problem, causing overgrazing of plants and destruction of neighboring fields.
    Do not give food to wild animals.
    Simply watch quietly from a distance.
  • MANNERS
    07
    Do not bring in
    any alien species
    Carrying exotic species into the park has a negative impact on the wildlife here.
    For example, black bass or mongoose would eat the native wildlife.
    The Invasive Alien Species Act prohibits the raising, release and transfer of invasive alien species.
  • MANNERS
    08
    Use of stocks
    and crampons
    Use of stocks and crampons erodes the soil surface, making trails uneven.
    Ensure all stocks have caps, and do not use crampons except in icy conditions.

Illegal digging and dumping

Please contact us immediately.
Your report will protect Kirishima! You can contact your nearest police station, forest management office, Ebino Ranger Station or Ebino Eco Museum Center.

Protect
the Kirishima magnolia!

The Oyama renge, or Magnolia sieboldii, is native to Kirishima. In recent years, increasing numbers of hikers are walking off the trail into fields of the Oyama renge magnolia, which weakens the plants as their roots are trampled. That is why there are rules to keep people out of their protected areas, and we ask for your cooperation.

They are cultivated at the Ebino Eco Museum Center where you can see them flowering, typically in June.

Magnolia cultivated on the grounds of the Ebino Eco Museum Center
The magnolia trees are planted in an area located at the back of the grounds to your right after descending the stairs from the front entrance of the Center. Visitors can admire the blossoms in June in a typical year.

ABOUT SAFE CLIMBING

Predeparture preparation

When hiking, you are in principle responsible for your own trip. Check your route and the weather in advance and prepare the equipment you need.

Check before you leave
  • Weather
  • Hiking route
One for each hiker
  • Map
  • Emergency contact list
  • Hat
  • Compass
  • Headlamp
  • Gloves
  • Drinks
  • Wireless or mobile phone
  • Whistle
  • Rations
  • Hiking gear
  • Sanitation kit
  • First aid kit
  • Cold weather garments
  • Something to identify your own name and contact details

Make a plan with flexibility

The cardinal rule is to start out in the morning so that you can return while it is still light. Make a plan that has leeway to be flexible.

Adapt to the conditions

If it is raining, windy, foggy or you are not feeling your best, choose an easier route, cancel or wait for the next opportunity. The mountains are not going anywhere.

Report your hiking plans (tozan-todoke)

If due to injury or getting lost, you are unable to return, a tozan-todoke could save your life. Please submit your plan before you leave to your nearest police station.

What to include in your tozan-todoke
  • Name
  • Telephone number
  • Escape route
  • Age
  • Emergency contact
  • Food
  • Gender
  • Name of target mountain and route
  • Personal items, etc.
  • Address
  • Time of departure from trailhead and expected return time

Tozan-todoke (Kagoshima Police)

Tozan-todoke (Miyazaki Police)

The mountains are a dangerous place

The mountains have a lot of dangers such as cliffs and dropoffs.
Take care not to lose your trail, which can lead to injury and disorientation.
Other dangers also hidden around trails include falling rocks and trees, hornets and vipers.

  • What to do
    if you get lost
    Firstly, be calm. Either go back the way you came, or if you cannot find the way back, remain in place, stay warm, conserve your energy and await rescue. Rashly descending is the most dangerous thing you can do.
  • What to do
    if you encounter a hornet
    Move by quietly to avoid being stung. If you hear a ticking sound and a number of hornets appear, you are close to a nest. Quickly go back the way you came. If you are stung, wash away the venom with water, go back down the mountain as fast as you can and report to hospital. If you are seriously injured, call for help!
  • What to do
    if you encounter a viper
    Vipers are highly venomous, but if you do not step on one or touch one, they are unlikely to approach you. If you find a viper, do not go near it. Quickly move away. If you are bitten, wash the wound, stop the bleeding and go back down the mountain as fast as you can and report to hospital. If you are seriously injured, call for help!
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