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...
Hiked on June 27, 2025 . Village Hakushu ヴィレッジ白州 – Suisho-Nagi 水晶ナギ – Hokugino-daira ホクギノ平 Duration: 2 days Distance: 22.9 km Elevation change: 1357 metres Highest point: 2037 metres Start:...