My wife and I were staying at Iwamuro Onsen and learned that the drive to Yakiho-san was beautiful. The leaves were just changing, and the drive was uncrowded and curvy. We enjoyed every vista, and would encourage all visitor to spend the extra time to visit the summit. We did not use the tower observatory -- it was not clear to us what one would see on the tower versus what we saw from the summit. Still, one should not miss this experience.

Note: you may want to spend at least 5 hours there if you're intending to explore the trails up and down Mt. Yahiko. But if you're taking the train via the Yahiko Line, please note the last train's daily departure time before you begin. Plan it well, start your day early in the morning :) Another thing to note is that the ropeway is not wheelchair-accessible, and steep stairs await the visitor at the summit station. The surrounding area is also not wheelchair accessible. I took the long way to get to Mt Yahiko. I stopped at Yoshida Station on the Echigo Line, and decided to walk the 2+Km to the shrine. I really didn't want to sit for 40 minutes to wait for the train on the Yahiko Line, which has long intervals between departures from the Yoshida Station. But it was an enjoyable walk, and I managed to get the sights of the countryside and the landscape, and the flora and fauna thriving by the side of the road. Reaching the Yahiko shrine at the base of Mt Yahiko, I was surprised to find an exhibition of chrysanthemums coinciding with a local festival, with many varieties and colours of beautifully arranged chrysanthemum bloooms on display. I then made my way to the ropeway station for the ride up, and visited the summit of Mt. Yahiko. Sure, it's kinda costly with separate tickets for the various attractions up the mountain and at the top, and some may find it a tourist trap, but it really is a very, very beautiful view from the top (Pssst: you may not want to try the observation wheel ride at the top). Food up there is also expensive too. If you want to skip the rope way, you can find the trails to take you to the top, which may take up to 2 hours to climb. If you took the ropeway, at the top you'll find trails that take you to various parts of the mountain. In November it can get cold, drizzly, and windy, so bring a jacket to block out the cold and rain. But undoubtedly, this is somewhere where you can get a wonderful view of Sado Island in the distance, with the Sea of Japan surrounding it. It can also be a very lovely picnic spot, as you can see from my pictures.