Japan has such a fairy hiking route!
After planning for a long time, I completed the Omote Ginza Traverse of the Northern Japan Alps last October.
The vast mountainous area in central Japan is home to many mountain ranges over 3,000 meters, including the Alps.
Japan has a mature outdoor hiking safety and accommodation guarantee, which can be said to be a hiking paradise.
This time, I set off from Matsumoto and spent 3 days (4 days to get out of the mountain) to complete the classic route of the Northern Japan Alps: Omote Ginza Traverse.
💝The three-day itinerary is as follows:
💎DAY1: Matsumoto - Hotaka - Nakabusa Onsen (hiking starting point) - Kassen Hut - Enzanso - Yari-ga-take round trip - Enzanso
💎DAY2: Enzanso - Otenjo - Nishi-dake Hut - Daiten - Sessho - Yarigatake Sanso
💎DAY3: Yarigatake Sanso - Yari-ga-take round trip - Yarigatake Sanso - Sessho - Karasawa-guchi - Yokoo Sanso - Myojinkan
💎DAY4: Myojinkan - Myojin Pond - Kamikochi - Hirayu
I recorded the time required for some nodes with my mobile phone while climbing for reference.
I have average climbing ability, not a beginner, nor a strong hiker.
💎DAY1
7:00, depart from Matsumoto by train
8:20, take a minibus to the mountain at Hotaka Station
9:30, arrive at the starting point of the climb, Nakabusa Onsen, and start climbing
13:00, Kassen Hut
15:25, arrive at Enzanso
16:00, set off for Yari-ga-take
17:15, return to Enzanso
💎DAY2
6:18, set off
10:20, Otenjo Hut
13:00, Nishi-dake Hut
13:20, set off from Nishi-dake Hut
14:40, Mizugoe
16:50, Daiten
17:00, Sessho
16:20, Yarigatake Sanso
💎DAY3
7:00, set off to climb Yari-ga-take
8:14, return to Yarigatake Hut
8:30, set off to descend the mountain
9:10, Sessho fork
11:35, Tengu Hara fork
13:30, Karasawa-guchi Hut
15:20, Yokoo Sanso
16:15, Tokusawa Sanso
17:00, Myojinkan
💎The fourth day can be regarded as a "walk" route, so I won't record the time.
💖Some additional notes
🍀The itinerary on the second day is a regular route in Japan, and the intensity is not small. If you want to walk more comfortably, you can add one more day in the middle, stay at Nishi-dake Hut, and divide the itinerary into two days, which will be much easier, after all, it is a hike at an altitude of about 3,000 meters. (Strong hikers can ignore it)
🍀On the third day, you can actually go directly to Kamikochi, and there is enough time. Of course, the 10-kilometer flat road from Yokoo Sanso to Kamikochi is also very tiring. My plan is to visit Myojin Pond in the morning of the second day, so I stayed at Myojinkan. I also have plenty of time to visit Kamikochi the next day, but unfortunately, it was cloudy when I arrived at Kamikochi, so I took the bus out of the mountain after a short stay.