4-day traverse in Mt Tsurugi & Tateyama mountains
Explore the Tateyama mountains and climb Mt Tsurugi on this 4-day hiking traverse in the North Japan Alps, together with Yukihisa, a local JMGA mountain guide.
Not specified
Japan Alps
4 Days
Aug, Sep, Oct
Occasional
Intermediate
Description
The Tateyama mountains are a group of peaks in the north side of the Hida Mountains (or North Japan Alps). They are a very popular destination among hikers seeking adventures and scenic views.
During this 4-day trip, we'll traverse the Tateyama mountains and walk down to the side of the Sea of Japan.
Our trip we'll begin in Murodo, a beautiful spot at the highest point of the famous Tateyama-Kurobe alpine route.
On the third day, we'll walk on a steep and rocky mountain ridge and reach the summit of Mt Tsurugi (2999 m).
Climbing this pointy peak (its name means 'sword' in Japanese) will be one of the highlights of our trip. In fact, Mt Tsurugi is considered the toughest mountain with established trails in the country.
It would be better to have some easy rock climbing experience before this trip. Basically, you need to be able to walk on a ridge for 10 hours, carrying a 10 kg backpack.
However, as there are many hiking routes available, I will choose the most suitable for the group, according to your pace and physical conditions. I can also arrange shorter versions of this itinerary if you want.
Besides, you should consider saving an extra day in case of bad weather. If that's not possible for you, we might shorten the itinerary.
We'll get lunch boxes at the mountain hut, for light meals on our way.
At the end of this trip, you can stay in Toyama City and visit the surroundings. You should also try the great seafood cuisine of Japan Sea in Toyama!
Please contact me if you'd like to come on this 4-day hiking traverse in the North Japan Alps! I will be glad to show you the best places in this beautiful area.
If you'd like to explore the south area of the North Japan Alps, you should join me for this 5-day traverse in Mt Yari and Hotaka mountains.
Price includes
- Guiding fee
Price details
The following items are not included in the price: Guide Expense (Transportation: approximately JPY 30,000 including taxi fee with clients, Accommodation: approximately JPY 11,000 per night including 3 meals for 3 nights)
Accommodation for client (approximately JPY 11,000 per night including 3 meals for 3 nights)
Itinerary
Day 1: Murodo / Murodo mountain hut
We will start our tour from Murodo, and will stay overnight at Murodo mountain hut (2450 m).
Hiking time: 20 min.
Day 2: Tsurugi-sawa mountain hut
From Ichi-no-koshi, we will traverse Tateyama to Tsurugi-sawa. We will stay overnight at Tsurugi-sawa mountain hut (2,500m).
Hiking time: 6-10 hours
Day 3: Mt Tsurugi summit / Hayatsuki mountain hut
From Betsuzan Ridge, we will climb up Mt. Tsurugi (2999 m), and descent through Hayatsuki Ridge. We will stay at Hayatsuki mountain hut at night.
Hiking time: 6-10 hours
Day 4: Banba-jima / Toyama Station
From Banba-jima, we will go to Toyama Station by taxi. Our tour will finish at Toyama Station at around 1:00 p.m.
Hiking time: 3 hours.
Details
Accommodation Mountain huts. |
More info
Kit list:
The following items can be rented if there are the right size (3 items: JPY 7,000 for 4 days) - Helmet - Harness - Winding lanyards for self-belay |
Meeting point At Murodo Bus Terminal at 1:00 p.m. |
About the guide
I am a JMGA mountain guide, born and raised in Azumino at the foot of North Japan Alps. I've always played outdoors in the hills or rivers nearby and at the age of 10, my playground expanded into the North Japan Alps.
When I turned 23, I became passionate about alpine climbing and joined numerous expeditions abroad, including those in South America, Tibet and Nepal. In my late 20s, I returned to Nagano to join the mountain rescue team of the North Japan Alps and also started mountain guiding, and have been doing it now for over 20 years.
My work in the mountains is quite diverse - I work on mountain rescue, help with mountain hut logistics, maintenance of mountain trails etc. as a locally bred mountain guide.
Since 10 years ago, I've started my work in the mountainous and glaciated areas of Antarctica with the Japan Antarctic Research Expedition (JARE), as a field guide /manager for researches in geology, geophysics, and meteorite research. I alternate my work between Antarctica and guiding domestically in Japan.
From 2017, I will join JARE again on an expedition crossing the Antarctica followed by an overwinter stay with the research team at the Syowa station. I will resume my guiding in Japan from April 2019. You can follow the Antarctic project I am involved in here - http://polaris.nipr.ac.jp/~icc/NC/htdocs/?page_id=149. We will be extracting an ancient (more than 800,000 years ago) ice core to recreate the environment then.
I will be able to guide you on whichever mountain you like in Japan but my favourite field of guiding is where I grew up, the North Japan Alps (in particular Mt Yari and the Hodaka ranges). I like to guide on uncrowded mountains and routes carrying tents for sleeping, but I also guide a lot on rocky climb routes.
For visitors to Japan wanting to experience the mountains here, in addition to the classic climbs, I'd recommend you to also enjoy something very 'Japanese' like Sawanobori (only offered in Japan!) and foraging!
What people are saying about Explore-Share
You may also like
Find more hiking trips in Japan
Join our newsletter!
Stay up-to-date on the best adventures.