Mount Iwate, standing at an elevation of 2,038 meters, has seen its volcanic alert level lowered, allowing hiking on some routes. To
commemorate “Mountain Day” on August 11, 2026, I created a GPS art piece depicting a bear’s face along the trail here. It’s very difficult to create such a design using only existing trails, but this time, when I happened to combine two hiking routes, a bear’s face emerged. I think it turned out to be one of my best works yet.
The hiking route I took was a traverse of the Uwanbou Course and the Umagaeshi Course both featured in detail in the Japan Alpine Club’s “120 elected Historic Mountain Trails of Japan” a challenging hike covering approximately 12 kilometers with an elevation gain of 1,500 meters. In particular, strong winds can blow near the summit when the weather is bad, so you need to be careful of sudden changes in the weather.
In Iwate, BAEREN craft beer brewed at the foot of Mount Iwate is famous. I’m a fan of their beer myself and often visit the brewery to buy some. The BAEREN beer labels feature a bear, and I’d be happy if people could enjoy the bear in this Mount Iwate GPS art as part of that same series of images.
Drawing GPS art on mountain trails is difficult because there are limited routes, but the feeling of accomplishment when you finish is all the more impressive. Precisely because it’s a mountain, I try to create interesting GPS art while staying on the trails and footpaths. Since I began making my GPS art, I’ve been rediscovering the greatness of the Nazca people.
