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Mt. Kitahodaka 2-day climb on remaining snow, Nagano

The beautiful Hotaka Range. Photo: Shuji Abe (Flickr)

Junichiro, a JMGA-certified alpine guide, takes on this 2-climb to the top of Mt.Okuhodaka (3190m), at the end of spring, over the the last snow remains.

Not specified

Japan Alps

2 Days

May, Jun

Occasional

Beginner


Description

I invite you to join me on a 2-day climbing tour and reach the summit of Mount Kitahodaka (3106m), a peak in the Hotaka Dake range, in the Northern Alps of Japan

The Japan Alps are truly beautiful and they offer an easy access to the mountains. This is a beginner level tour and takes place during May and early June, in spring, when there is still some snow in the mountain. The route is a very popular hiking trip in summer.

We will meet at the Kamikochi Bus Terminal, in the Nagano Prefecture. Kamikochi is a tourist town in the Azusa River valley. From there, we will walk to Yokoo and stay overnight at the Karasawa Mountain Hut.

From the refuge, we will go forward to Kitahosawa the next day, and climb up to Mt. Kitahodaka. After enjoying a great view from the summit, we will go back to Kitahosawa and come back to Kamikouchi through Karasawa. Our tour will end at around 4:00 pm at the Kamikochi Bus Terminal.

Please note in order to join this climb you need previous climbing experience on 3000-meter high peaks in summer, and on 2000m in winter.

So if you want to join me and climb Mt. Kitahodaka, send me a request.  Book your trip and I will take you on a great tour in the Japan Alps! If you are looking for other hiking options, you could check out my profile page.

Price includes

- Guiding fee

- Transport during the trip

- Rope

- Harness

- Helmet

- Crampons

- Ice axe

- Trekking poles

Price details

The price does not include: Accommodation fee

- Transportation fee

- Guide's expenses

-The cost of Gas, Transportation, Parking and Accommodation fee, etc, will be split within tour participants.

*Please split within tour participants.


Details

More info

The following items can be rented for prior request: - Harness, Helmet, Crampons and Axe : JPN 1,000 / item for 1 trip - Karabiner, Sling, Descender : JPN 500 / item for 1 trip *Please inquire for the other items.

Meeting point

Meet at 8:00 am at Kamikouchi Bus Terminal

About the guide

I had a crush on Mt. Hodaka when I first came to Karasawa Cirque by helicopter to work for Karasawagoya Mountain Hut.
I was struck by its amazing landscape from above.
Since then I have been working in the mountain range in a lot of different ways.
First, as a hut worker for 4 years, then as a member of the prefectural mountain rescue team for 6 years.
And last year I started my career as a professional mountain guide.

I'm deeply in love with not only the nature but also the people attracted to the mountains.

Why don't you join me to enjoy the unique beauty of the Japanese mountains which are not easily accessible to all!

I am a JMGA alpine guide, but I also hold the Nagano prefectural special interpreter licence for English, as well as am a qualified First Aid Basic Provider certified by the Japanese Society of Mountain Medicine.

Languages

Japanese | English

Certificates

JMGA


What people are saying about Junichiro Aoyama

Thomas Tjaerandsen

5.00

April, 2023

Junichiro is a wonderful guide. We had two fantastic days in the mountains. My girlfriend and I had never tried climbing before, so it was a bit daunting, but Junichiro made us feel safe all the time. So if you are in the Tokyo area and need some adventure time in the nature I would highly recommend this trip. Only takes two hours from Tokyo by train. The area didn’t seem very touristy, so it felt like we had the whole mountain for ourselves. Junichiro also helped us book ferry tickets for later on hour trip. 10/10 💪

Eleanor McKay

5.00

March, 2023

I had a fantastic 2 days with Junichiro in early March 2023. We weren’t able to use the mountain hut but instead we climbed at a nearby beautiful naturally occurring ice fall. On the second day we did some fun winter mountaineering to summit Amidadake. Junichiro was a fantastic guide and I had a wonderful time. Highly recommended.

Ching Kuo

5.00

February, 2022

Aoyama san is a great guide! He is very proficient and I feel very safe ice climbing with him. In a 2 day trip we went to different ice falls and learned a lot of technics related to ice climbing. Highly recommended his course if you would like to learn ice climbing/mountaineering.

Tatiya Srilavan

5.00

February, 2020

It's one of the best experiences! Jun is a great guide and was very patient and helpful with me all along. He taught me patiently step by step and encouraged me to go beyond my limit. Also he provided everything perfectly. I had best time learning from him and enjoyed both the lesson and the mountain.

Anonymous

5.00

January, 2020

Jun gave us a wonderful trip! He is very experienced and speaks perfect English. All the instructions are easy to understand. Although both of us are beginners, we still can enjoy the joy of ice climbing in Japan. I would definitely recommend Jun as a ice climbing and hiking tour guide :)!

Olivia Sisson

5.00

June, 2019

My hike with Junichiro was a highlight of my entire trip to Japan and one of my favorite back country experiences I have ever had. As a solo female traveler I was unsure of how I could safely explore the back country in Japan, this trip was perfect for me. Jun is an excellent guide and shared so much knowledge about the Japanese alps, flora, fauna and Japanese culture in general with me. He spent four years working in the Hodaka range so knows these mountains very well and has many great stories and fond memories from many years spent exploring this range. It was great to experience this region of the world with someone who cherishes it so much! This was the most technical and challenging climb I have completed but I felt safe and confident the entire time. I learned new skills with Jun's guidance and had an awesome time. I hope I can return to Japan very soon and go on another adventure with Junichiro!

Alina Jacobs

5.00

November, 2018

I had a wonderful trip to Mt Hoshianadake. Junichiro Aoyama is a very responsible, passionate and kind mountain guide who guides you with a lot of knowledge and joy! Junichiro is Japanese but speaks English fluently, this makes the communication very easy also for people that come from abroad! I enjoyed every moment of the trip and I am grateful for this beautiful experience in the stunning nature of Japan! I can fully recommand Junichiro Aoyama as guide for anyone and especially for foreigners!


 

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