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").

This guide helps you decide whether Joyama suits your grade, which months to go, how to get there without a car, where to park, and which sector to start in at each of the four grade bands.

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. theCrag says 20–30 minutes from the summit car park along the marked hiking trail; look for the wooden sign on your right.

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.
• 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.

Parking

• 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, and the Wild Boar Gorge is reached from the same trail.
• Together that is a dozen or so spaces, and on weekend mornings they fill quickly. Do not improvise a spot on the shoulder when they are full; this is a residential lane that also serves the temple approach.

The Kawa-no-Eki Izu Joyama park car park is not a climbers' 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, theCrag, the guidebook) lists this car park for climbers. A day on the South Face usually runs past 17:00, so parking here means packing up early.

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.
• Emergency numbers: ambulance and fire 119, police 110, coast guard 118 (City of Yokohama: Calling emergency services). Joyama sits on the hill behind a residential area, so say which sector you are in (South Face, Wild Boar Gorge, upper area) rather than just "Joyama".
• Insurance: check with your insurer that sport climbing, multi-pitch, search and rescue, medical treatment and repatriation are covered. A generic travel policy name is not enough; in Japan mountain rescue costs are in principle borne by the party rescued, subject to your policy and local rules.
• Local etiquette: theCrag's general note for Japan: "please ensure you follow the recommendations of local climbers and behave responsibly."

Routes by level

Route counts for Joyama disagree sharply by source: theCrag lists 183 (every one with a name and grade), ROCKTOPO has 362 (334 single-pitch, 28 multi-pitch), and CLIMBING-net says "about 300". The gap has two causes: ROCKTOPO counts variants and different topo editions as separate routes, while theCrag's four Inner Wall sectors (39 routes) are almost unfilled even though ROCKTOPO counts them.

Start with the scale, then pick by grade:

Sector	Routes	Ascents	Wall height	Grades	Character and approach	Videos
Minami kabe / South Face	29	59	39 m	5.8–5.11c	Slab and small pockets; all the multi-pitch; 10–15 min from the trailhead	View videos (1)
South East Face	0 (not entered on theCrag)	0	—	—	The blog puts School Zone, フレンチ・カンカン and Heart Route here	—
Futama bando dai hang	6	5	12 m	mostly 5.12a	Short and overhanging; Fate 5.12a ★★	—
Tube Rock	18	28	12 m	5.8–5.12d	Short, fully overhanging, sun all day; 20–30 min from the top car park	—
Inner Wall 1–4	9 / 9 / 14 / 7	0	—	—	39 routes across four sectors with no ascents logged at all	—
Wild Boar Gorge	35	61	15 m	5.10a–5.14c	The main venue; overhanging and roofy, busiest in spring and autumn, hot in summer and cold in winter	—
Wild Boar right wall	6	0	—	from 5.10a	The wall beside the gorge	—
Midway Wall (Egg Rock)	17	0	—	—	No ascents logged	—
Lion Bottom	17	0	—	—	No ascents logged	—
Cooking World	16	0	—	—	Lead-practice sector	View videos (1)

That is 183 routes across 13 sectors, but three of them — the South Face, the Wild Boar Gorge and Tube Rock — account for 82 routes and almost every ascent; the other 101 are near-blank on the site. The tables below concentrate on those three sectors not because Joyama ends there, but because that is where the comments and ascents are.

ROCKTOPO (retrieved via the Wayback Machine snapshot; the live site returns a Cloudflare 403 and cannot be opened directly) lists 362 routes: 334 single-pitch, 28 multi-pitch. Single-pitch routes at 5.10a and above number 124, at 5.11a and above 112, at 5.12a and above 54, at 5.14a and above 3; multi-pitch at 5.10a and above number 17, at 5.11a and above 6, at 5.12a and above 2. Sector route counts (F = single-pitch, M = multi-pitch) are:

• South Face: F36 M16, difficulty E22 M29 H1 (16 multi-pitch; the multi-pitch hub of Joyama)
• Southeast Face: F22 M5, difficulty E13 M14
• Wild Boar Gorge: F34, difficulty E2 M13 H19 (hard routes concentrated; hot in summer, cold in winter)
• Tube Rock: F18, difficulty E3 M10 H5
• Cooking World: F17, difficulty E9 M8
• Wild Cat Gorge: F37, difficulty E9 M24 H4
• Inner Wall 1–4: combined F34 M8, 39 routes across four sectors with almost no ascents logged
• Wave Rock / Endless Wall: F14, difficulty E1 M10 H3
• Lion Bottom / Lion Summit: F15, difficulty E3 M8 H4
• Futama bando dai hang: F6, difficulty M3 H3
• Midway Wall (Egg Rock): F13 M2, difficulty E5 M9 H1

The grade column keeps the original YDS grade and the YDS column repeats it rather than converting back to French. The band headings follow the Mountain Project international grade comparison chart and are approximate. Lengths, bolt counts and ascent counts come from theCrag's route lists (checked 2026-10-23); "—" means the page leaves it blank. For multi-pitch routes the grade column gives the pitches. The last column holds videos (titles and channels checked 2026-10-23); grades and route names in a video's title describe that video only, and where they differ the table's sources win.

Beginner: up to 6a (YDS 5.10a and below)

Of the 29 routes on the South Face (Minami kabe), two are 5.8, seven are 5.9 and five are 5.10a, making it the densest sector at this level (theCrag South Face). Tube Rock has two short overhanging warm-ups as well, and ROCKTOPO's two most popular routes, バトルランナー (5.10a) and ストーンフリー (5.10c), are in these two sectors. The South Face is also the wall the hiking trail passes, so expect walkers below the routes.

Route	Grade	YDS	Length / pitches	Sector	Notes	Videos
Homeboy	5.8	5.8	20 m	South Face	theCrag ★, 7 bolts, 7 ascents; Mountain Project lists it as a classic (★★½) and calls it an introduction to slab climbing. MuRa's report calls it the easiest route on the South Face: there is an old RCC bolt below the first bolt (go around it on the left if the direct is too hard), and the standing wall up top can feel intimidating. It is also often used as pitch 1 of 西南カンテ	View videos (1)
とんとん拍子	5.8	5.8	—	South Face	A stiff 5.8 and also pitch 1 of Battlerunner. Lower off at the anchor under the roof with a 50 m rope; if you carry on to the tree ledge on the left, 50 m is not enough to lower	View videos (1)
アミーゴス	5.9	5.9	—	South Face	The blog calls it stiff, with several cruxes and sustained tension	View videos (1)
グラシアス	5.9+	5.9+	—	South Face	One line left of アミーゴス; the same report says it is stiffer still	—
アナザステップ	5.9	5.9	—	South Face	Softer than the number suggests, possibly easier than the 5.8 とんとん拍子	—
ブルースカイ	5.9	5.9	—	South Face	The roof move is the crux and the holds are invisible from below, so it is hard to onsight	View videos (1)
Istanbul	5.8	5.8	—	Tube Rock	theCrag ★★, 5 bolts, 2 ascents; a short overhanging warm-up	—
椿の森の中で	5.9	5.9	—	Tube Rock	theCrag ★, 4 bolts, 4 ascents; the page notes that poor footwork makes it feel hard for the grade	—
Battlerunner	5.10a	5.10a	100 m / 4 pitches (5.8, 5.10a, 5.7, 5.9)	South Face	theCrag ★★, 12 ascents; MP classic ★★½; the blog logs it as 5.10b. Pitch 2 pulls through the roof and is the hard 5.10a; some bolts and hangers on that pitch are old. Rap the route with a single 60 m rope, but a second rope makes the descent much faster	View videos (2)
Crossroads	5.10a	5.10a	15 m	Wild Boar Gorge	theCrag ★, 7 bolts, 9 ascents; the page says "Zig-Zag your way up following the line of least resistance"	—
ジプシーマリー	5.10a	5.10a	—	South Face	The blog calls it stiff	View videos (3)
Wild X	5.10a	5.10a	—	Wild Boar right wall	theCrag ★★	—

The 5.8–5.9 grades on the South Face are not consistent: とんとん拍子 5.8 is described as stiff while アナザステップ 5.9 is softer. Do not warm up in grade order on a first visit; start with the ones the reports call soft.

For a first visit, Battlerunner is a shorter, easier-to-bail multi-pitch than Excursion, but it does not top out and pitch 2 needs care with the old fixed gear. The 5.8–5.9 single-pitch lines low on the South Face are the simpler way to check your feel for the rock first.

Intermediate: 6a+ to 6c+ (YDS 5.10b–5.11c)

This band is the bulk of Joyama: 103 of the 183 routes theCrag lists fall between 5.10b and 5.11c. The South Face is friction and small pockets and holds all the multi-pitch; the Wild Boar Gorge and Tube Rock are overhanging single-pitch, so the same number means a different climb in each.

Route	Grade	YDS	Length / pitches	Sector	Notes	Videos
Excursion	5.10c	5.10c	110 m / 6 pitches (5.10a, 5.10a, 5.10c, 5.10a, 5.10a, 5.9)	South Face	theCrag ★★★, 8 ascents; MP classic ★★★½. The longest classic multi-pitch on the South Face, fully bolted	View videos (4)
ロング・グットバイ	5.10b	5.10b	—	South Face	The blog calls it relatively easy for the grade	View videos (3)
フレンチ・カンカン	5.10b	5.10b	—	Southeast Face (blog) / theCrag lists it on the South Face	The blog groups it with School Zone and Heart Route on the Southeast Face	—
School Zone	5.10c	5.10c	20 m	South Face	theCrag ★, 7–8 bolts, 5 ascents	—
タナバタのタナボタ	5.10c	5.10c	—	South Face	The blog calls it relatively easy for the grade	View videos (3)
仰げば尊し	5.10d	5.10d	—	South Face	Roof band on the right side of the South Face; the blog says the routes along it are all hard	View videos (1)
Heart Route／ハートルート	5.11a	5.11a	—	Southeast Face (blog) / theCrag lists it on the South Face	The blog calls it a popular line	View videos (3)
Long distance	5.10d	5.10d	32 m	Wild Boar Gorge	theCrag ★★, 15 bolts, 6 ascents	—
Calcutta	5.10c	5.10c	17 m	Wild Boar Gorge	★★, 8 bolts, 4 ascents	—
Journey of Hope	5.10c	5.10c	10 m	Wild Boar Gorge	★, 4 bolts, 1 ascent	—
Dokajan	5.11b	5.11b	25 m / 2 pitches (5.11b, 5.10a)	Wild Boar Gorge	theCrag ★, 12 bolts; a short two-pitch route to the top	—
Drive Me Nuts	5.11b	5.11b	17 m	Wild Boar Gorge	★★, 10 bolts; it crosses Crossroads	—
Gigolo	5.11c	5.11c	13 m	Wild Boar Gorge	★★, 7 bolts, 7 ascents	View videos (2)
Jambalaya	5.11c	5.11c	14 m	Wild Boar Gorge	theCrag ★★★, 7 bolts, 12 ascents, the most-logged route in the sector	View videos (2)
Stone Free／ストーンフリー	5.10c	5.10c	—	Tube Rock	★★, 5 ascents; ROCKTOPO's second most popular route, short and overhanging	View videos (1)
Rain Man	5.10b	5.10b	—	Tube Rock	★, 4 bolts, 2 ascents	—
Miurā／ミウラー	5.11a	5.11a	—	Tube Rock	★, 4 bolts, 5 ascents; ROCKTOPO's third most popular route	View videos (2)
Kon'nichiwa makoron	5.11b	5.11b	—	Tube Rock	★★, 5 bolts	—
Chandīrasa	5.11a	5.11a	—	Tube Rock	★, 4 bolts, 1 ascent	View videos (1)
Gracie／グレイシー	5.11c	5.11c	—	Tube Rock	★, 2 bolts, 2 ascents	—

Excursion is the only long multi-pitch in this band: 6 pitches and 110 m, fully bolted, hardest pitch 5.10c, but from pitch 3 up you are managing ropes and belays yourself. To practise multi-pitch rhythm it is a better first full-day objective than Battlerunner.

Tube Rock has 11 routes in this band but only 28 ascents across the whole sector; comparable grades on the South Face and in the gorge have more than twice that. The sector is not hard to reach, just farther in and sunny in summer, and in practice much quieter than the numbers suggest.

Advanced: 7a to 7c+ (YDS 5.11d–5.13a)

theCrag lists 44 routes in this band: 18 in the Wild Boar Gorge, 5 on Tube Rock, plus Fate on Futama bando dai hang and a few scattered elsewhere; the South Face stops at 5.11c. The gorge is overhanging and roofy, hot in summer, and the wind blows down the slope in winter; theCrag also warns of loose rock on the slope, so watch your feet on the approach and descent.

Route	Grade	YDS	Length / pitches	Sector	Notes	Videos
Overdrive	5.11d	5.11d	17 m	Wild Boar Gorge	theCrag ★★★, 8 bolts, 10 ascents; the page calls it a "Classic Jo-Yama climb"	View videos (6)
Dovy	5.11d	5.11d	7 m	Wild Boar Gorge	theCrag ★★, 3 bolts	—
Twelve Monkey	5.12b	5.12b	14 m	Wild Boar Gorge	theCrag ★★, 6 bolts	—
Child's Play	5.12b	5.12b	8 m	Wild Boar Gorge	theCrag ★★, 7 bolts	—
Oregon Soul	5.12b/c	5.12b/c	17 m	Wild Boar Gorge	8 bolts	—
Wind Whispers	5.12b	5.12b	17 m	Wild Boar Gorge	9 bolts	—
Dasukin Tama	5.12c	5.12c	14 m	Wild Boar Gorge	theCrag ★★, 7 bolts	—
Monkey Cry	5.12c	5.12c	14 m	Wild Boar Gorge	7 bolts	—
Top of the World	5.12d	5.12d	12 m	Wild Boar Gorge	theCrag, 7 bolts	—
Super Cheese Day	5.12d	5.12d	6 m	Wild Boar Gorge	5 bolts; a short wall	—
Fate	5.12a	5.12a	—	Futama bando dai hang	★★; listed by theCrag as one of Joyama's nearby icons	—
Seitoshi no bunkiten	5.12b	5.12b	12 m	Tube Rock	★★, 6 bolts, 4 ascents	—
Koharubiyori	5.12a	5.12a	—	Tube Rock	★★, 4 bolts, 1 ascent	—
Doronpa	5.12a	5.12a	—	Tube Rock	★★★, 6 bolts	—
Hakuhekinobika	5.12d	5.12d	—	Tube Rock	★★★, 6 bolts; the sector's hardest	—

ROCKTOPO's popular list also includes ケレンジ at 5.13a (checked 2026-10-12); this update could not match it to a sector or length, so it is not in the table.

Expert: 8a and up (YDS 5.13b and up)

theCrag lists only five routes at this level for the whole crag, all in the back of the Wild Boar Gorge: one 5.13d, two 5.14a, one 5.14b and one 5.14c. Apart from Logical Progression, which has two ascents logged, none of the four has a recorded ascent on the site.

Route	Grade	YDS	Length / pitches	Sector	Notes	Videos
Liquid Finger	5.13d	5.13d	—	Wild Boar Gorge	theCrag, 7 bolts	View videos (1)
Liquid Room	5.14a	5.14a	—	Wild Boar Gorge	theCrag, 6 bolts	—
Poka Progresión	5.14a	5.14a	—	Wild Boar Gorge	theCrag, 7 bolts	—
Logical Progression	5.14b/c	5.14b/c	—	Wild Boar Gorge	theCrag, 8 bolts, 2 ascents	View videos (1)

Information at this level is thin outside Japan, and both names and grades rest on theCrag alone; if the guidebook gives a newer grade, go with the book.

Multi-pitch routes

ROCKTOPO's full route list has 28 multi-pitch routes: 16 on the South Face, 5 on the Southeast Face, 2 on the Midway Wall (玉子岩), 2 on Inner Wall 2 and 3 on Inner Wall 3. The four grade tables above only include Battlerunner, Excursion and Dokajan; all 28 are listed here in two tables: the 11 with a pitch count or pitch grades, and the 17 with only a top grade.

Grades in these two tables are the route's hardest pitch (ROCKTOPO), not per-pitch grades. Pitch counts and pitch grades come from theCrag, Wayback snapshots of ROCKTOPO, guide websites and club trip reports; where they disagree, both are given. Reports on Seinan Kante, 黎明ルート, 中央壁左ルート and 三日月ハング all mention the lower ramp (斜上バンド), and starts and rappel anchors overlap, so check the line on a guidebook topo before you go up.

Route	Grade	YDS	Length / pitches	Sector	Notes	Videos
Seinan Kante／西南カンテ・ルート	5.9	5.9	6 pitches (Yusuke Sato; the route book cited by Tokyo Midori AC)	South Face	The most popular South Face route on ROCKTOPO, RCC grade VI; Sato gives 5.7 and calls it the South Face's introductory route. You reach the start by climbing Homeboy or ハーフムーン and traversing; Tokyo Midori AC and Nihon University AC both rappelled after three pitches	View videos (3)
中央壁左ルート (Left Route)	5.9 (ROCKTOPO); 5.10a (Sato, gorotash)	5.9 / 5.10a	4 pitches (Sato)	South Face	gorotash, 2023: pitch 1 is ラーニング・トゥ・クロール 5.9, pitch 3 is short with two 5.10a moves; rappel with 50 m doubles from the 三日月ハング anchor, which comes up about 2 m short straight down, so bear right. The bolts are still old	—
Battlerunner／バトルランナー	5.10a	5.10a	100 m / 4 pitches (5.8, 5.10a, 5.7, 5.9)	South Face	See the beginner table; ROCKTOPO lists 10 bolts. Pitch 2 crosses the "sickle roof" (鎌形ハング)	View videos (2)
Excursion／エキスカーシヨン	5.10c	5.10c	110 m / 6 pitches	South Face	See the intermediate table; theCrag gives pitch 1 as 5.10a, ROCKTOPO as 5.9. ROCKTOPO warns the bolts are far apart; take about ten quickdraws	View videos (4)
三日月ハング (Crescent Roof)	5.10d (ROCKTOPO); original line on the left 5.8	5.10d	5 pitches (Dakekanba Club, 2007)	South Face	CLIMBING-net says it was first climbed as early as 1960; JFA has replaced the bolts with stainless glue-ins (CLIMBING-net). Dakekanba Club: straight through the middle of the roof is 5.10d; the original line on the left is lined with old pitons and graded 5.8, though the writer said it felt nothing like 5.8; three 50 m rappels to the base. climber-shio: pitch 1 (10c, 10d on another topo) is the real crux, and the final roof pitch is the easiest	—
中央壁ダイレクト (Central Wall Direct)	5.10d	5.10d	—	South Face	ROCKTOPO only gives the top grade. CLIMBING-net says JFA rebolted the "Direct Route"; Bunanokai, 2022 took falls on pitches 2 and 3 of the "Direct Route". These are probably the same line (an inference; no source gives the alias)	—
黎明ルート (Dawn Route)	5.10a	5.10a	3+ pitches	South Face	Nihon University AC, 2018 linked in from Seinan Kante pitch 1 (5.7): pitch 2 5.9, pitch 3 5.10a is the crux, and the regular line skirts the small roof under the anchor; they rappelled the route to the ramp	—
鎌形ハング・ルート (Sickle Roof Route)	5.10a	5.10a	—	South Face	ROCKTOPO lists 戸田直樹 as first ascensionist; theCrag has it as a single pitch, "Silver Root／銀形ハング・ルート" 5.10a. Tokyo Midori AC, 2012 climbed pitch 1 (5.10a) on its own	—
スタートレック	5.8	5.8	about 140 m / 6 pitches (5.7, 5.6, 5.7, 5.8, 5.7, 5.8)	Southeast Face (ROCKTOPO) / East Face (MuRa, Sato)	Published in ROCK&SNOW no. 109, December 2025 (ALPINE CLUB TOKYO). Pitch lengths and grades are MuRa's own estimates; Sato lists 5 pitches. Walk about 10 minutes east along the base of the South Face, past a fixed rope; MuRa rappelled the route but recommends the southeast ridge instead (three 50 m double-rope rappels) or walking off via the summit trail, so you do not knock rocks onto parties below	View videos (3)
マッドマックス (Mad Max)	5.10b	5.10b	5 pitches (Sato)	Southeast Face	Sato calls it a good new route on the East Face with fine views; it starts beside スタートレック, where a sign on the fixed rope reads "MAD MAX: 30 m up and right" (MuRa)	View videos (1)
ブレードランナー (Blade Runner)	5.10c	5.10c	5 pitches	Southeast Face	Put up by Sato and partners (guide page), which he says is a bit more sustained than Mad Max; best November–April, about 30 minutes up from the trailhead	View videos (1)

The 17 routes below have only a name, top grade and bolt count on ROCKTOPO, with 0–2 logged ascents and no pitch count or description found.

Route	Grade	YDS	Length / pitches	Sector	Notes	Videos
中央壁右ルート	5.10a	5.10a	—	South Face	ROCKTOPO only	—
Bルート	5.10a	5.10a	—	South Face	ROCKTOPO only	—
静岡北嶺ルート	5.10a	5.10a	—	South Face	ROCKTOPO only	—
Aルート	5.10c	5.10c	—	South Face	ROCKTOPO only; climber-shio thinks they strayed onto the neighbouring A` route while on 三日月ハング	—
Cルート	5.10c	5.10c	—	South Face	ROCKTOPO only	—
友峰ルート	5.10c	5.10c	—	South Face	ROCKTOPO only	—
いなずまルート	5.10d	5.10d	—	South Face	ROCKTOPO; theCrag lists it as a single pitch, "Route of Issamu" 5.10d	—
トワイライトゾーン	5.11a/b	5.11a/b	—	South Face	ROCKTOPO only; the South Face's only 5.11 multi-pitch	—
JNCCルート	5.10b	5.10b	—	Midway Wall	ROCKTOPO: put up by 小林由佳, 11 bolts	—
ボン・ボヤージュ	5.10d	5.10d	—	Midway Wall	ROCKTOPO: put up by 宮崎秀夫, 9 bolts	—
STEAM BOY	5.11b	5.11b	—	Southeast Face	ROCKTOPO only	View videos (1)
Le Grand Bleu	5.11c	5.11c	—	Southeast Face	ROCKTOPO only	—
ゴー・トゥ・へヴン	5.11c	5.11c	—	Inner Wall 2	ROCKTOPO: put up by 國分誠, 6 bolts	—
クレイジージョー	5.11b/c	5.11b/c	—	Inner Wall 3	ROCKTOPO: put up by 國分誠, 9 bolts	—
ロックアップ	5.11c	5.11c	—	Inner Wall 3	ROCKTOPO: put up by 國分誠, 7 bolts	—
ホライズン	5.12a	5.12a	—	Inner Wall 2	ROCKTOPO: put up by 國分誠, 10 bolts	—
スキャンティー	5.12a	5.12a	—	Inner Wall 3	ROCKTOPO: put up by 國分誠, 7 bolts	—

How to choose: for a first multi-pitch at Joyama, Seinan Kante and スタートレック have the lowest grades, but the first needs a lead-in pitch to reach and the second is new, with sand still on the rock. Battlerunner and Excursion are fully bolted and the easiest lines to follow. 三日月ハング is the historic line; its grade depends on which variation you take, so bring a topo.

What people who have climbed here say

Written notes on individual Joyama routes are scarce. The usable first-hand reports are MuRa's two posts (South Face, 2025-05-09; new East Face line, 2025-12-08) plus short comments on theCrag and Mountain Project. There is almost nothing in Chinese.

South Face conditions (MuRa, 2025-05-09)

• Bolts are well placed and mostly replaced with chemical anchors, and the anchors are solid; some lower-offs still lack a fixed carabiner so you have to thread your own rope through the rappel ring, and some multi-pitch anchors have no rappel ring at all. The author suggests carrying a bail sling just in case.
• The base stays shaded by trees, but in summer the wall becomes "like a heated frying pan"; he puts the season at autumn until the start of the rainy season.
• When the car park is full, locals park in the zebra-striped area beyond the cemetery. That is a local habit from a personal blog, not an official space, and not something to copy.
• He gives 15 minutes from the trailhead to the South Face (CLIMBING-net says 10), following the signposted fork toward the climbing routes.

The new East Face multi-pitch (MuRa, 2025-12-08)

In December 2025 a party climbed スタートレック on the East Face: 6 pitches, hardest 5.8. The author stresses that the grades and lengths are his own estimate and that the topo would be published in ロクスノ.

• Pitches 1–3 are 5.6–5.7 slabs; pitch 4 (5.8, an inverted slab trending left into a vertical face) and pitch 6 (5.8, small roof into slab) are the cruxes.
• Pitch 5 has the lowest number (5.7) but is covered in sand; the author writes it felt like climbing in a desert and was harder than the grade.
• Gear: 10 quickdraws plus 2 alpine draws, one 50 m single rope. Descend the Southeast Ridge in 3 rappels with two 50 m ropes, or walk up past Cooking World to the summit trail.
• The belay is narrow, so rack up at the South Face or Raspberry Face first; the approach includes a short traverse with a fixed rope.

No public topo exists yet, so the route is not in the tables above.

More first-hand reports

• gorotash: こだわりの城山クライミング (2025-11-24): November on the South Face, a variation of 西南カンテ climbing the 黎明ルート then trending right into a slab line. The author notes the original line's pitches 2+ are "full of loose rock", while this variation is easier and cleaner, and more climbers have been doing it recently. Also mentions climbers trying かさぶた on 二間バンド大ハング.
• きい山歩: 【城山】2026年初登り！ポコチン大魔王RP (2026-01-06): January 4, 2026 — OVERDRIVE 5.11d flashed (the last of Joyama's "Eleven", author estimates Soft 5.11d), then ポコチン大魔王 5.12d redpointed in 4 attempts. Author's feel: Soft 5.12d, clearly easier than ケレンジ 5.13a but with more endurance. Notes the Wild Boar Gorge was crowded (6-party rotation) on a New Year holiday, while 1/3 had only about 10 people at the whole crag.

Database comments

• theCrag's Overdrive page calls it a "Classic Jo-Yama climb"; it is the benchmark line of the Wild Boar Gorge.
• Mountain Project comments on Battlerunner focus on the old bolts and hangers on pitch 2.
• Comments on Excursion focus on "6 pitches, fully bolted", and treat it as the standard first long multi-pitch on the South Face.

Wild Boar Gorge and right wall (field notes)

• nozakimakoto, Jan 2015 (First climbing at Joyama): the South Face in January is a slab, about 60° steep, almost all 貼牆 (カンチ, layback-style) holds — "5.8 felt impossible"; he onsighted とんとん拍子 5.8 and アナザステップ 5.9, and tried ステアウェイ 5.10b on the Southeast Face (△). Even with sun, a windy winter day on the South Face gets cold.
• Kojitusanso staff, April 2014 (Joyama · Wild Boar Gorge): on a weekday they had the place to themselves, but weekends in this season can mean waiting in line. 『ポコチン大魔王・5.12d』is described as "probably the most popular route in this area" — good holds, varied angles and grades from 5.10 to 5.14. Also: the hanger on the 4th bolt of Liquid Finger is missing.
• theCrag's Jambalaya page: 6 ratings averaging 78/100, with comment keywords "perfect", "nice", "crux".

Where to look things up

• ROCKTOPO Joyama (in Japanese; live site returns Cloudflare 403, so this links to the Wayback Machine snapshot from 2026-05-18): 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. The whole site was down for maintenance when checked on 2026-10-23, so the CLIMBING-net details here come from the 2026-10-12 reading.
• theCrag Jo-yama: 183 routes and the grade distribution; the sector pages (South Face, Wild Boar Gorge, Wild Boar right wall) also have lengths, bolt counts, pitch grades and ascent logs.
• Mountain Project Joyama: English overview; few routes entered, mainly useful for the South Face multi-pitch classics.
• Guidebook: route grades and route counts in this article come mainly from online databases; the guidebook is the authority.
  • フリークライミング 日本100岩場 3 伊豆・甲信 増補改訂新版 (Kitayama Makoto, ed., Yama-kei Publishers, 20 April 2012, 208 pages, in Japanese): a selected guide to Izu and Koshin, with Joyama as one of the areas and topos split by sector such as 南壁 and 東南壁. There has been no new print edition since 2012; the 5.13 and 5.14 routes at the back of the Wild Boar Gorge are newer than the book, so cross-check the online databases before you go.
• 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)

• theCrag: Minami kabe (South Face)

• theCrag: Wild Boar Gorge

• theCrag: Wild Boar right wall

• Mountain Project: Homeboy

• Mountain Project: Battle Runner

• Mountain Project: Excursion

• Yama-kei Publishers: フリークライミング 日本100岩場 3 伊豆・甲信 増補改訂新版 (in Japanese)

• City of Yokohama: Calling emergency services

• MuRa's mountain blog: Joyama South Face climbing, 2025-05-09 (in Japanese)

• MuRa's mountain blog: Joyama new route スタートレック [multi-pitch climbing], 2025-12-08 (in Japanese)

• gorotash: こだわりの城山クライミング (2025-11-24) (in Japanese)

• きい山歩: 【城山】2026年初登り！ポコチン大魔王RP (2026-01-06) (in Japanese)

• YouTube: Warm-up day on South Face 5.8–5.9, Joyama (ALPINE CLUB TOKYO)

• YouTube: Joyama South Face — overview and impressions (ALPINE CLUB TOKYO)

• YouTube: Lead practice in Cooking World, Joyama (ALPINE CLUB TOKYO)

• YouTube: Joyama OVERDRIVE 5.11d (playlist)

• YouTube: Joyama (playlist)

• YouTube: 20250104 Joyama South Face

• YouTube: 20250201 Joyama South Face

• YouTube: 20250309 Joyama South Face with pre-climb practice

• ROCKTOPO: Joyama route list (in Japanese)

• ROCKTOPO: Excursion (Wayback, 2023-05-28)

• ROCKTOPO: Seinan Kante (Wayback, 2026-05-20)

• Yusuke Sato (mountain guide): multi-pitch routes (in Japanese)

• Yusuke Sato: Joyama East Face, Blade Runner (in Japanese)

• ALPINE CLUB TOKYO: Star Trek part 2 (2026-01-05, in Japanese)

• gorotash: At Joyama (2023-03-13, in Japanese)

• Dakekanba Club: Joyama South Face, 三日月ハング (2007-05-27, in Japanese)

• climber-shio: Joyama South Face (in Japanese)

• Nihon University Alpine Club: Joyama (2018-11-25, in Japanese)

• Tokyo Midori Alpine Club: Joyama (2012-01-17, in Japanese)

• Bunanokai: Joyama South Face multi-pitch (2022-12-17–18, in Japanese)

• YouTube: 城山西南カンテ

• YouTube：城山「スタートレック」/マルチピッチクライミング（Okaji Movie）

• YouTube：伊豆・城山のマルチピッチクライミングルート『スター☆トレック 』（5p/5.8）をご紹介！（TAKEMOVIE（タケムービー））

• YouTube：【リードクライミング】 伊豆　城山　チューブロック　ミウラー 11a 完登動画（tatsuo555-560）

• YouTube：ストーンフリー@城山チューブロック (5.10c)（Couzy Nakamura）

• YouTube：城山 チューブロック【チャンディーラサ】5.11a（2nd_723）

• YouTube：【ジャンバラヤ 5.11c】城山 166㎝ クライミング climbing joyama Japan（Galapagos-Climber）

• YouTube：城山 リキッドフィンガー 5.13d, Liquid Finger 8b, Jyoyama（のぼコン太田裕樹）

• YouTube：2018年3月12日城山　「ロジカルプログレッション」5.14b/c（shu2rock）

• YouTube：城山「スチームボーイ」/マルチピッチクライミング（Okaji Movie）

• YouTube：20260213 城山東壁 ブレードランナー 6p,5 10c（下見）＋マッドマックス5-6P（再登）（mikko KURATA）

Changelog

• 2026-10-24: Sampled actual video frames across the full timelines; this was not continuous full-video viewing or original-audio verification. Replaced the Stone Free clip with Couzy Nakamura’s view covering the lower and upper sections; clarified the author-attributed pre-clipping note for Miurā, ascender-assisted rope climbing in Steam Boy, and the upper section moving out of frame in Logical Progression. Existing route grades, pitch counts and descent information remain unchanged.

• 2026-10-24: Added ten videos from nine channels to the matching route tables, including Star Trek, Tube Rock routes, Liquid Finger, Logical Progression, Steam Boy and Blade Runner / Mad Max. Titles, channels, runtimes, embed eligibility and author descriptions were checked; the footage has not been reviewed in full. Pitch counts, grades and descent instructions in the tables were not changed.

• 2026-10-23: replaced "Notable routes" with "Routes by level", adding beginner, intermediate, advanced and expert tables and a YDS column from theCrag's per-sector route lists; split "Parking" out of "Getting there" and moved the transport comparison table to the top; added the guidebook, emergency numbers and insurance notes. Route data checked 2026-10-23.

• 2026-10-23 (second version): added the 13-sector route count and ascent comparison table, explaining the gap between theCrag's 183 routes, ROCKTOPO's 362 and CLIMBING-net's "about 300"; expanded the grade tables from 24 to 51 routes, now covering Tube Rock, Futama bando dai hang and the Wild Boar Gorge alongside the South Face.

• 2026-10-23 (third version): added field notes from nozakimakoto (Jan 2015) and Kojitusanso staff (April 2014), plus theCrag's quality rating for Jambalaya, under "What people who have climbed here say".

• 2026-10-23 (fourth version): added ROCKTOPO data via the Wayback Machine snapshot (362 routes: 334 single-pitch, 28 multi-pitch), with per-sector F/M counts and E/M/H difficulty distribution, plus a note that the live site returns a Cloudflare 403. Route data checked 2026-10-23.

• 2026-10-23 (fifth version): added more first-hand reports (gorotash on the 西南カンテ variation, 2025-11-24; きい山歩 on OVERDRIVE 5.11d flash and ポコチン大魔王 5.12d redpoint, 2026-01-06) plus three 2025 Joyama South Face YouTube videos (20250104, 20250201, 20250309).

• 2026-10-23 (sixth version): moved route videos into a Videos column on the first three route tables (15 routes, 21 clips, including single videos taken out of the two playlists); clips not tied to one route sit in a collapsible block under "Videos".

• 2026-10-23 (seventh version): added a "Multi-pitch routes" section listing all 28 multi-pitch routes from ROCKTOPO's route list; 11 with pitch counts or pitch grades (theCrag, ROCKTOPO snapshots, Yusuke Sato, MuRa, gorotash, Dakekanba Club, Nihon University AC and others) and 17 with a top grade only. Seinan Kante and スタートレック videos now sit in the multi-pitch table.

• 2026-10-24 (eighth version): removed the standalone "Videos" section so every video sits in a route table; the South Face overview and Cooking World clips now hang off their rows in the sector table, and differences from the tables are noted on each clip.