Location
35.30°N/138.11°E, Shizuoka-ken, Central Honshu (Minami Alps)
The Trail
Torikura-rindo (1800 m) - 2hrs 30 min - Sanpuku-toge (2615 m) - 40 min - Eboshi-dake (2726 m) - 50 min - Maekogochi-dake (2778 m) - 25 min - Kogochi-dake (2802 m) - 2 hrs 15 min - Takayamaura Goya (2430 m) - 2 hrs - Arakawa Naka-dake (3083 m) - 40 min - Arakawa Higashi-dake (3141 m)
The three summits of Arakawa are located in the southern part of the Minami Alps, the highest mountain range in Japan. A minimum of three days is required to climb these peaks. I have been there twice, first in September 1994 with my Canadian friend David - that time we got caught in a taifun and didn't make it to the main summit (we reached Naka-dake, though). The second time I went with Frank, another German guy, at the end of October 1996. We spent five days trekking (October 24 to 28), this time I was able to reach Higashi-dake (3141 m). The following is a description of that trip.
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| Getting there |
We left Nagoya at 6:00 AM and took the Chuo Expressway to Matsukawa in Nagano-ken. We crossed the Tenryu Rv. and followed the Koshibu-gawa Rv. up to Oshikamura. Here we turned left and took the Torikurarindo all the way to the end (about 20 km). On the way there were great views of Akaishi and Arakawa. The last 3 km were closed for individual traffic, so we parked our car at an elevation of 1670 m and started sorting out our gear. Since we were planning to go for five days our packs were quite heavy. |
| Sanpuku-toge |
Shortly before noon we were ready to go. We followed the dirtroad for about 3 km to the end, this is where the actual trail begins. There is a sign which says it will take three hours to Sanpuku-toge, but even with a heavy pack most people are faster. Toge means "pass" in Japanese, and according to my guidebook it is the highest in Japan (2615 m). It is a beautiful forest hike up the ridge and there are occasional views of Arakawa to the right and the Shiokawa valley to the left. An hour and a half after hitting the trail we passed the only freshwater spring at an elevation of 2350 m. The air temperature was +2°C, there was some frost on the ground. 45 minutes later, at 2:40 PM, we arrived at Sanpuku-toge. |
| Sanpuku Hut |
The weather was fine, the powerful looking summit of Shiomi-dake clearly visible to the north. There are a big hut (Sanpukutoge Goya) and a camping area at the pass. The hut is open all year, but services are provided in July and August only. Water can be found in the Sanpukuzawa valley to the north, 30 minutes round trip from the hut. |
| Sanpukuzawa |
After dumping our gear in the hut we grabbed our water containers and took the Sanpukuzawa trail which gently descends through the pine forest. Soon we reached the small Sanpukuzawa hut and camping area where we filled our containers in the sparkling creek. Two weeks earlier I had camped here with my kid for two nights on our Shiomi hike. The rest of the afternoon we relaxed at the hut, when the sun went down we started cooking. At 5:30 PM, it was almost dark, four young hikers stumbled in.
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| Eboshi-dake |
We had planned to do an easy second day, so we were not in a hurry and left at 7:00 AM. This might seem early, but one should keep in mind that Japanese hikers usually get up at 4:00 AM, so we had three hours for breakfast and packing. The weather was beautiful, the temperature -1°C. A few minutes after leaving the pass we came across a big Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus), kamoshika in Japanese (click here for a Photo). 40 minutes later we reched the summit of Eboshi-dake (2726 m). The view was great, Shiomi, Arakawa and Fuji greeting us in the morning light. Frank would not miss the opportunity to play a few tunes on his shakuhachi, a big bamboo flute. |
| Kogochi-dake |
From Eboshi-dake the trail follows the ridge south towards Kogoji-dake (2802 m). We saw a flock of Rock Ptarmigans (Lagopus mutus), raichô in Japanese (click here for a Photo). They were changing to their winter plummage looking half brown and half white. After 50 minutes we reached Maekogochi-dake (2781 m), from here it was another 30 minutes to Kogochi-dake (2802 m). There is a half broken A-frame hut on Kogochi, not much of a place but still good enough to provide shelter in bad weather. The view of the three Arakawa peaks from here was outstanding. From Kogochi the trail descents steeply for about 200 meters, then it levels out and continues through evergreen forest to the Takayamaura-goya hut at 2450 m. |
| Takayamaura Goya |
Takayamaura-goya is a fairly new log cabin, supposedly big enough for 20 people and their gear, but it would be very crammed indeed. We were lucky enough to have the place to ourselves for three consecutive nights. The hut is beautifully located at the foot of Arakawa, the three peaks of Maedake (3068 m), Naka-dake (3083 m) and Higashi-dake (3141 m) provide a magnificent background. The Tenryu valley can be seen 2000 meters below. The hut has a nice little front porch, the perfect place to sit in the sun and enjoy the scenery. There are two places where you can get water, one a little creek 7 minutes down the valley, the other a spring (click here for a photo) 15 minutes east on the Arakawa trail. |
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| Arakawa Nakadake |
The next morning the weather had changed, the sky was covered with heavy gray clouds, air temperature +4°C. Nevertheless we packed all our gear and set off at 6:30 AM. The weather got progressively worse, by the time we reached the summit ridge two hours later visibility had dropped to 20 meters and the wind was so strong that it was impossible to walk at times. We reached the hut on Naka-dake at 9:00 AM. Here we met another hiker, the only one in five days except the four guys on the first evening. We spent two hours at the hut which was shaking in the storm. There is no water at this place, so we decided to go back down to the Takayamaura-goya hut instead of proceeding towards Akaishi. In the swirling mist I spotted a Nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes), hoshigarasu in Japanese. Shortly after 1:00 PM we were back at the hut and spent the rest of the day huddled in our down jackets sipping hot tea. |
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| A Cold Night |
Despite wearing our swaters and downjackets in our sleepingbags we spent a rather cold night in the hut, even though the temperature was not lower than -5°C. It was definitely colder than in a small tent. So I was already awake when my alarm rang at 4:00 AM. We had the usual camper's breakfast: hot muesli with condensed milk and tea, after that I packed the essentials for a day hike only. |
| Early Morning |
At 5:30 AM we were ready to go. It was still dark, there wasn't a single cloud in the sky, thousands of stars sparkling brightly. While following the Arakawa trail to the spring it got light quickly and soon we could make out the surrounding peaks in the grey predawn light. Frank decided to take it easy, so we split at the spring, he taking a leisurely stroll to Nakadake and me pushing for Higashi-dake. |
| Chuo Alps |
Soon I emerged from the forest. The trail became steep, zigzagging up through a large field of loose, grey rocks. Looking back I could see the pink shimmering peaks of Utsuki-dake, Minami Komaga-dake and Kosumo-yama of the Chuo Alps in the west. I put on some warmer gear and continued up. |
| Naka-dake |
At 7:30 AM I reached the summit of Naka-dake (3083 m). What a difference from the previous day! All the main peaks were there, Akaishi-dake (3120 m) to the south, Shiomi-dake and the powerful-looking pyramid of Higashi-dake to the north, the Chuo Alps to the west and to the east the unmistakable cone of Fuji-san above a sea of clouds. I spent 20 minutes on Naka-dake and also visited the small hut which had provided shelter the day before. |
| Higashi-dake |
At 7:50 AM I continued my way towards Higashi-dake. At first the trail descended for about 150 meters before starting the climb of Higashi-dake. I felt great and enjoyed walking up this mountain very much, fresh air, fantastic views, solitude, something not easily found in the Japanese cities. It only took me 40 minutes to the summit. The temperature was -8°C, but the sun was strong and hardly any wind blowing. I sat down, took some pictures, had a snack and relaxed. |
| Back to Takayamaura goya |
After about 30 minutes I started getting cold, so I grabbed my pack and went back to Naka-dake. At the hut I took another long break. Just when I was about to leave Frank arrived and we spent another half hour enjoying the magnificent mountain scenery. Then I hit the trail again and went back down. I took another break at the spring, filling my water bottle and marvelling at the strange ice shapes. At 12:40 PM I was back at the hut. |
| A Relaxed Afternoon |
The afternoon was spent on the sunny porch in front of the hut. It was so warm that I could sit there in a T-Shirt only. Between cups of tea I scanned the slopes of Arakawa with my binoculars. Circling above the rocky cliffs of Mae-dake was an Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos, Inu-washi). Frank was back around 3:00 PM, soon after he got his shakuhachi out and played a few traditional tunes, its husky sound blended perfectly with the wild mountain scenery. |
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| Snow! |
At 4:00 AM I got up as usual. When I looked out of the hut I realized that the sky was covered with thick clouds, and it was much warmer than before. At 5:00 AM it started snowing, at 6:00 AM we left the hut. What a change to the previous morning! Heavy snowfall, black clouds, the trail rapidly disappearing under a white blanket. We would have to go over pretty exposed terrain, Sanpuku-toge about four hours walk away - if we didn't get lost in the snow! |
| Where is the Trail? |
After about an hour of walking we could see the grey silhouette of Kogoji-dake against a leaden sky. Soon we came out of the forest and tried to find our way up between bushes of creeping pine. All the red markers were covered with snow, we lost our way two or three times but realized our mistake quickly. At 8:20 AM we reached the summit of Kogochi. |
| A Welcome Shelter |
The wind had increased considerably, driving the snow horizontally across the summit plateau. Now we were very happy about that half broken shelter we were laughing at when we passed this spot in fine weather three days before, and we took a 20-minute rest there. A few cookies, some sports drink and we were ready to move on. |
| Going Down |
It was another two hours to Sanpuku-toge, where we arrived at 10:40 AM. My feet were wet, but the new Marmot® jacket lived up to its advertising claims: it passed the extreme weather test. We had the last few cookies for lunch, I changed my socks, then we started the two-hour descent to the car. At around 2300 m the snow gave way to rain, the rest of the hike was uneventful. |
| Akaishi-so Hot Spring |
By the time we got to the car the rain had stopped and there was even a little sunshine. On the way back to the civilized world we stopped by the little resort hotel of Akaishi-so. There we took a leisurely soak in the steaming hot outdoor pool which felt absolutely fantastic after five days on the trail. |
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| The Huts |
The huts in the Minami Alps are usually open all year, but food is only available during the main trekking season in July and August. If you plan to stay at the huts rather than carry your tent it might still be a good idea to call ahead and make sure the places are really open. The numbers are:
- Sanpuku-toge Goya: 0265-39-2303
- Takayamaura Goya: 0547-46-4717
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| Food |
One thing to consider when going for several days is the weight factor. Even without the food your pack will weigh at least 15 kg, more if you take along camera equipment, etc. The food you carry should thus be lightweight and still supply you with all the necessary calories. I usually carry muesli, a large bag with nuts and raisins, crackers and cookies, small tuna cans, oil, macaroni (4 min.), some veggies, tomato paste, condensed milk, tea, spice and salt. | |
| Equipment |
Apart from the usual hiking gear I recommend bringing a five-liter water container. The reason: the huts and camp sites are often far away from the next water source, sometimes 45 minutes round-trip.
Unless you go in the peak of summer be prepared for subzero temperatures at night (sweater, down jacket, long underwear, gloves and hat). |
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