Hiked on Oct 10, 2025 . Mt. Kasayama 笠山 – Kengamine 剣ケ峰 – Shiroishi-toge 白石峠 Duration: 4.5 hours Distance: 9.2 km Elevation change: 523 metres Highest point: 876 metres Start: Shiraishi-shako bus stop...
Reading Japan’s Mountain Weather Before You Hike After twelve years of hiking and writing this blog, I’ve probably spent more hours than is healthy poring over weather forecasts, scrolling through apps, and second-guessing predictions. I’ve been...
Hiked on Sep 21, 2025 . Kamikochi 上高地 – Dakesawa 岳沢小屋 – Karasawa Cirque 涸沢カール Duration: 3 days Distance: 26.7 km Elevation change: 1685 metres Highest point: 3190 metres Start: Kamikochi Bus Stop ...
Why Early Starts Became My New Normal After years of hiking in Japan, several of my “ways” have changed: I now tend to hike solo, rely on public transport instead of driving as I once did back in Australia, and carry a dedicated GPS. But above all...
Hiked on Aug 23, 2025 . Kitazawa-toge 北沢峠 – Choei-goya 長衛小屋 – Ko-senjogatake 小仙丈ヶ岳 Duration: 7 hours Distance: 11 km Elevation change: 1003 metres Highest point: 3033 metres Start: Kitazawa-toge ...
Debunking More Myths About Hiking in Japan You’d think most of the common misconceptions about hiking in Japan would’ve been put to rest by now, but a few still stubbornly hang around. Whether you’re new to the trails or have been hiking here for...
How Japan’s Mountains Turned Me Into a Solo Hiker Before I moved to Japan, I never really considered hiking alone. Back in Australia, bushwalking was always a group activity. From my earliest days in the Cubs and Scouts, through to school camps...
Hiked on Jul 24, 2025 . Shinhotaka Ropeway 新穂高ロープウェイ – Yarigatake 槍ヶ岳 – Kamikochi 上高地 Duration: 3 days Distance: 35.2 km Elevation change: 2090 metres Highest point: 3180 metres Start: Shinhotaka...
Not the Quiet Afternoon I Had Planned Exhausted from a gruelling morning traversing the three peaks of Mt. Houou, I arrived at Hayakawaone Hut on the second day of a three-day hike, ready for a quiet, solitary lunch. What I got instead was an...
Hiked on Jul 8, 2025 . Yashajin-toge 夜叉神峠 – Jizo-dake 地蔵岳 – Hirogawara 広河原 Duration: 3 days Distance: 26.8 km Elevation change: 1460 metres Highest point: 2840 metres Start: Yashajin-toge trailhead bus...
Are Japan’s Mountain Huts Becoming a Luxury? As the 2025 summer hiking season kicks into gear, one thing remains clear: staying in a mountain hut isn’t cheap—especially in the Northern Alps. At huts like Hakuba-yari Onsen-koya and Kiretto-goya, a...
Where Japan’s Mountain Names Come From and What They Mean Place names in Japan can range from tricky to downright impossible—even if you know your kanji. Ask most native speakers how to pronounce 水松山, a quiet, forested peak in Tokyo’s Okutama...
