Hi everyone. I’m taking another look at my itinerary for a future trip with my mom (preferably in fall, not 2021 obviously) and I hit a wall, so I’m gonna need some help here.
We would like to get a taste of the Japanese Alps for a night or two, so Takayama would probably be the most obvious answer. However, I’m personally leaning towards Kiso Valley and the Tsumago – Magone hike as its main selling point. Logistically it does seem like a bit of a pain though when we’ll probably be traveling with two suitcases and maybe a backpack or carry-on between Tokyo and Kyoto.
Alternatively we could do the Kurama to Kibune hike near Kyoto and settle on Takayama for the Japanese Alps.
Does anyone have any experience with either of the two hikes, or any suggestions or alternatives for these areas like a hike in Takayama? Please let me know!
11 comments
I would highly recommend Kamikochi. There is no elevation change and it is an absolutely stunning hike. You could stay in Hirayu Onsen and take a bus in the morning (20 min) hike up and down the river, get your mind blown, then head back to town OR stay overnight at Tokusawa-en. I just so happen to be there at this very moment….
Tokusawa-en
+81 263-95-2508
https://goo.gl/maps/4FMSnwn3dT8GCgdcA
I climb the Japanese Alps several times a year. If you’re a beginner, I would recommend Kisokomagatake or Ontakesan because they both have ropeways and are located near Kiso Valley.
From Takayama, the nearest mountains in
the Alps are Kasagadake, Kurobe Goro, and Yakushidake. All of these are 10+ hr climbs for advanced level hikers.
Or you could settle for smaller local mountains to fit other constraints in your itinerary. Trails along rivers and valleys are also safe alternatives–the one from Tsumago to Magome is beautiful in the fall.
First of all, I would try to reduce the amount of luggage to the maximum. Having a lot of luggage will make it much more difficult to move around, especially when you have to bring them in public transportation and that in most train, there is no big storage area for luggage. In fact, there is a new rule that you have to book place for big luggage on the shinkansen between Tokyo and Kagoshima. Yes you can use a luggage forwarding service, but that does not work as well if you plan several short stops. Reducing your luggage size also mean to do your laundry once in a while.
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If you really want a taste of the alps, I guess you should rather go to Kamikochi, an for sure there is hiking options there, inclusing some quite serious options, so it mainly depend how much you want to hike. [Here is an idea how it can be to hike there](https://youtu.be/cjH0qlBlptc). You can access either from Takayama or from Matsumoto.
For the two hikes you named, their selling points are quite different, you have one that might be logically easier as it would be done from Kyoto so you can reduce the number of hotels to the minimum and the big thing is that you have shrine and temple at each end. The other is more a stop between Matsumoto/Takayama/Nagoya or a day trip from Nagoya, with a post town at each end. So what do you want to see most ? Temple/Shrine or post town ?
I think you have valid options, but I would rather see how they fit in your whole itinerary, or do you want to make your itinerary around these stops?
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Seconding Kiso-komagatake. If you want to challenge yourself a bit and experience mountain hut stay, Tsubakurodake is another option. (Day trip is possible if you are quite fit). You can leave your luggage at the ryokan at the start of the trail.
But in general, Japan is very tourist friendly and there will always be luggage storage at stations, tourist information centers, etc. Even if there isn’t an official one, sometimes they will be willing to help you. Another thing I use a lot is to use Kuroneko/Yamato to forward my suitcase to my next destination (can be anything with an address, hotels, airports, golf courses, ski parks). Any hotels or inns can help to arrange this or call up the Yamato guy to come directly.
We did the Kurama to Kibune hike (in April 2019) and it was the highlight of our trip! We were mostly alone on the path, and being in the forest will all the temples felt so magical… It was a bit more crowded in the villages but on the path it was very quiet. Highly recommend! It is not a difficult / challenging hike though (coming from someone who’s used to hiking in the French Alps) and definitely more forest than mountain.
I’m also looking into hiking the Japanese alps in 2022 and I [found this route](https://www.japan-guide.com/blog/peaks/171005.html) in the northern alps near Nagano. It’s a little demanding but it might be worth to look into.
Fourth or fifthing for kiso-komagatake and the Senjojiki cirque. In fact I’m lying in my tent near the bus terminal right now cause my wife and I are going head up the ropeway and the mountain today.
Kamikochi is beautiful either stay in Hirayu Onsen (as mentioned in the other reply) or stay somewhere in Kamikochi for the night and go in the Morning the next day. In Kamikochi, I can recommend Kamikochi Nishi-ito-ya Mountain Lodge (booking directly on their website is advised). Depending on how long you wish to stay, the hike to Yarisawa Lodge is relatively flat and absolutely stunning along the Azusa river. If you are not afraid to climb a bit (relatively easy though) Chogatake Hut is reachable in a day from Kamikochi and offers stunning views on the surrounding mountains (incl. Mount Yari).
Check [https://www.yarigatake.co.jp/english/](https://www.yarigatake.co.jp/english/) (map at the bottom) for an overview of the hiking route together with [kamikochi.org](https://kamikochi.org). Some mountain huts are not mentioned on the Yarigatake website because they belong to someone else. But they are mentioned on the trekking guide on the Kamikochi website (e.g. Chogatake). Huts I stayed in were very well equipped and comfortable. Trails are well maintained and it’s relatively easy to find your way even if signs are in Japanese.
Hakuba could be an option… 90 mins by local train further north than Matsumoto and in the same valley.. I know there were google street map features on google maps along their tracks and peaks around there
Check out the itineraries from this travel/tour guide company:
http://minamialps-gateway.com/the-trekking-tours-in-minami-alps-mountains/
You can pay them for a tour, or just copy one of the itineraries for yourslef. That’s what I did.
There is a 2 day trip to the second highest peak in Japan (mt. Kitadake 3193m)
I recently tried the 2 day climb to Mt. Yakushi and it was a good challenge. If you’re coming from another city like Tokyo, then I recommend staying in Kofu the night before and starting the trek as early as possible.
Check this website for a topo map before you go
https://maps.gsi.go.jp/