Location
35.40°N/138.15°O, Yamanashi-ken, Central Honshu (Minami Alps)
The Trail
| Day 1 | Torikura-rindo (1800 m) - 2 h 30 min - Sanpuku-toge (2615 m) - 15 min - Sanpuku-zawa (2450 m) |
| Day 2 | Sanpuku-zawa - 45 min - Hontani-yama (2658 m) - 1 h 15 min - Shiomi-goya (2766 m) - 1 h - Shiomi-dake (3052 m) - 1 h 30 min - Kitaarakawa-dake (2697 m) - 2 h 45 min - Kuma-no-daira (2600 m) |
| Day 3 | Kuma-no-daira - 1 h 20 min - Mibu-dake (2999 m) - 45 min - Aino-dake (3189 m) - 1 h 15 min - Kitadake-sanso (2900 m) |
| Day 4 | Kitadake-sanso - 1 h - Kita-dake (3192 m) - 2 h 30 min - Futamata (2300 m) - 2 h - Hirogawara (1600 m) |
Kita-dake, at 3192 m the second highest peak in Japan, is located in the central part of the Minami (Southern) Alps and is part of the Minami Alps National Park. The three summits of Kita-dake (3192 m), Aino-dake (3189 m) and Notori-dake (3052 m) form the Shiranasanzan (shirane-three-mountain) massif, therefore some maps refer to Kita-dake as Shirane-san. From October 21 to 24 my 11-year old son Fabi and I did the hike described here. We started at Torikura-rindo (Nagano-ken), went up to Sanpuku-toge and turned north towards Shiomi-dake. We climbed three 3000-meter peaks, the trail is considerably more difficult than the way south towards Arakawa, but the scenery is definitely worth the effort. One advantage of visiting these peaks in late October are the very few people you come across: in four days we met fewer than ten fellow hikers.
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| Getting There |
We left Nagoya at 8:00 AM and took the Chuo Expressway to Matsukawa in Nagano-ken. After crossing the Tenryu River we followed the Koshibu-gawa upstream to Oshika-mura where we turned left onto the Torikurarindo. We followed the narrow road for 20 km to the end. At an elevation of approximately 1400 m the autumn colors began to show. The summits of Arakawa and Akaishi were hidden in the clouds but it was dry, the air fresh and cool. The last three kilometers of the road were closed for individual motor traffic, so my wife dropped us off at 1670 m. We started sorting our gear; since we were planning to go for four to five days our packs were quite heavy. |
| Sanpuku-toge |
A few minutes before noon we were ready to hit the trail. We followed the paved road for about three kilometers to the actual trailhead. A sign says it would take three hours to Sanpuku-toge, but even with a heavy pack most people are faster. Toge means "pass" in Japanese, according to the guidebook it is the highest in Japan (2615 m). It is a pretty trail up through the forest, on clear days you catch glimpses of Arakawa (right) and the Shiokawa valley (left). An hour and a half after hitting the actual trail we came to the only freshwater spring at an elevation of 2350 m. 45 minutes later, at 3:10 PM, we reached Sanpuku-toge. |
| Sanpuku Hut |
From the pass the powerful summit of Shiomi-dake clearly visible. Since my last visit four years ago the hut had been completely rebuilt, the campground was still there. Services are provided in July and August only, but one room stays open all year to accommodate hikers. A freshwater spring is located in the Sanpukuzawa valley to the north, about 30 minutes round-trip. |
| Sanpukuzawa |
After a twenty-minute break we took the trail down to the Sanpukuzawa valley. The trail meanders gently descending through pine forest. Soon we reached the small Sanpukuzawa hut, here are a few spots for camping as well. We pitched our tent right by the crystal clear stream. The tempreature dropped and we put on our down jackets. It got dark around 5:30 PM, the rest of the evening was spent in the tent where we had soup and endless cups of tea. |
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| Take Off |
At 5:00 AM I started fixing our breakfast (black tea, muesli with condensed milk). The outside temperature was -3°C, but in our tent it was nice and cozy. The weather looked promising, around 5:30 it got light. Slowly the sun lit up the western flank of the valley, at 7:00 AM we were ready to leave. We wanted to climb the rocky peak of Shiomi-dake (3052 m) and proceed north to Kuma-no-daira, from Shiomi on new terrain for both of us. |
| Shiomi-goya |
From the camp the trail leads through low pine forest up the western flank of the valley towards Hontani-yama. After 15 minutes we were so hot that we took off our sweaters and gloves even though the temperature was still under 0°C. After twenty minutes we hit the trail which goes from Sanpuku-toge directly to Shiomi. At 7:45 we reached the bald summit of Hontaniyama (2658 m), great view of Shiomi-dake. From here the trail gently descends into deep pine forest. The lowest point is at about 2500 m, then the trail starts its ascent towards Shiomi-dake. The last 100 meters to the Shiomi-goya hut are quite steep, the forest gives way to creeping pine. At 9.15 we arrived at the Shiomi-goya hut (2766 m), two small wooden structures and a camp site straddling the col. There is a spring 200 m down the north side of the col (40 min round-trip). The view of Aino-dake to the north is outstanding. |
| Shiomi-dake |
After a 15-minute break we hoisted our packs and started the ascent of our first 3000-meter peak of this hike: Shiomi-dake (3052 m). The trail starts through creeping pine, soon it gets steep. There are long stretches where you have to climb using your hands. Especially with a heavy pack it pays to watch your step since a loss of balance might have fatal consequences. At two or three spots there are warnings of loose rocks. After an hour we reached the twin summit, kind of tired but happy that we had the peak to ourselves. Good visibility, Arakawa and Akaishi to the south, Fuji-san to the east, Aino-dake to the north and finally the Chuo Alps in the west. |
| Kita Arakawa-dake |
At 11.15 we proceeded north. This stretch requires full concentration, nothing for people with acrophobia. The trail follows the narrow ridge to the junction with the trail to Komori-dake in the east (20 min). Wind and clouds increased, but it stayed dry. The trail continues through Takekamba (a kind of birch) to the plain below the not too impressive summit of Kitarakawa-dake (2697 m) where we arrived at 12:45 PM. There is a small camp ground, a spring is located down the hill. |
| Kuma-no-daira |
After a short break we moved on. The trail goes back to the ridge, but the terrain is easy and doesn't offer any major obstacles. The last few kilometers the trail meanders through deep pine forest to the large hut of Kuma-no-daira, which is located on a steep hillside at an elevation of 2600 m. On the way we came across two deer who didn't show too much interest in us. The caretakers had already left the hut and there were no other hikers present. A gushing spring is found right in front of the hut. In the meantime the sky had become completely overcast and it was so warm that we didn't need our down jackets - kind of a bad sign. We established ourselves in the open room on the second floor, putting our ground pads and sleeping bags on the wooden platform. In the summer hikers are jammed like sardines in a can into the sleeping quarters, for the equivalent of 35 dollars each. We had the entire room rent free for ourselves. |
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| Aino-dake |
As I had expected the weather didn't look too good the following morning: the mountains obscured by heavy, grey clouds, air temperature +4°C. At 6:30 AM it started to rain. We put on our heavy weather gear, protected the packs with rain covers and took off at 7:10. The trail zigzags up the slope to an elevation of 2800 m. The terrain turns rocky, there is very little protection from the elements. Rain and wind increased, visibility 20 - 50 m. Fortunately there was no snow and the red markers were easy to recognize. The trail became quite narrow, we climbed up between large black boulders. We had to watch our step carefully since on both sides of the ridge the drop was steep. At 8:30 AM we reached the unimpressive summit of Mibu-dake (2999 m), where the prefectures Nagano, Shizuoka and Yamanashi meet. A 15-minute break was in order. Some rocks provided shelter from the wind, we chewed some nuts and raisins. Then we moved on, 45 minutes later we arrived at the summit of Aino-dake (3189 m). Zero visibility, hail, wind and rain. A quick photo, then descending the north face. |
| Kitadake-sanso |
If visibility is poor, like in our case, it is essential to consult your map in order not to get lost. The trail to Kita-dake is the less obvious, the other one leads in a loop to Notori-dake. The descent doesn't offer any technical challenges, there are some stone chortens along the way to facilitate orientation on the comparatively level terrain. The weather was getting worse, Fabi complained about his cold hands. Just before 11:00 AM we spotted the roofs of the Kitadake-sanso hut which was a lot bigger than expected: several buildings and camping spots at 2900 m. The caretakers were still present. For the equivalent of 35 dollars each we got a room without mattresses. One liter of water was included, if you wanted more you had to pay or go down 300 (vertical) meters to the spring. There was a kerosene heater in the hall where we could dry our clothes. Around 3:00 PM the only other guests of the day arrived. We spent the rest of the afternoon talking in front of the heater. |
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| Kita-dake |
We slept very well in our comparatively luxurious quarters. The next morning the sky was sparkling with stars, from our window we saw a spectacular sunrise with Fuji-san in the back. We decided to climb Kita-dake with our new friends and go down to Hirogawara together. At 7:30 we were ready to leave. Not a single cloud in the sky, no wind, comfortably warm air. It takes about an hour to climb Kita-dake from the hut, there are no major difficulties. At 8:30 we reached the broad summit of Kita-dake, at 3192 m the second highest peak in Japan. The view of the surrounding peaks was breathtaking, the air absolutely clear - what a contrast to the foul weather the previous day! We enjoyed the panorama for two hours, at 10:30 we started our descent to Hirogawara. |
| Hirogawara |
Hirogawara, the final point of our hike, lies 1600 m below the summit. There are two routes down the valley, we chose the one down the Okamba-zawa. At first the trail is very steep, there are ladders in several places. The trail levels somewhat, at 2800 m you reach the headwaters of Okamba-zawa. The trail continues through scree slopes, straight ahead the prominent summit of Jizo-dake (2764 m). The vegetation got more abundant the lower we came, soon we enterd the colorful deciduous forest. At 2000 m the river is crossed several times, sometimes the trail runs right through the tributaries of Okamba-zawa. At 2:30 PM we reached the suspension bridge of Hirogawara where our friends had parked their car. They offered us a ride back to town which we gratefully accepted. |
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| The Huts |
The huts in the Minami Alps are usually open all year, but food is often 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
- Kitadake-sanso: 0552-88-2111
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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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