2-day hike on Mt. Kitahodaka East Ridge, Nagano
Spend 2 days hiking in the sacred mountainside with Junichiro, JMGA-certified, leading the way to Mount Kitahodaka’s east ridge. Experience the Japanese alpine panoramas on this trip in the Nagano Prefecture.
Group
Japan Alps
2 Days
May - Oct
High
Intermediate
Highlights
- Discover the beautiful landscapes of the Kamicochi Valley.
- Enjoy an unforgettable 2-day hike in the Hida Mountains.
- Join a local guide on an exciting Japanese outdoor adventure.
Description
Hike along one of Japan’s most famous mountains, and breathe in the fresh alpine air surrounded by stunning 3,000-meter high peaks.
Mt. Kitahidaka is located in the Kamicochi valley in the Chūbu-Sangaku National Park of the Japan Alps. The beautiful rock faces of this stunning peak soar straight towards the sky, making it a stunning location to hike.
We will begin our tour from the Kamikochi Bus Terminal before heading to Yokoo. On the first day of our adventure, I will give you a short rock climbing and abseiling instruction, if you need it and then we will set off. In the evening, we will stay overnight in Karasawa, in the sacred Japanese highlands. Then, on the second day, we will leave Karasawa and hike towards Kitahosawa and the Kitahodaka Mountain Hut. From there, we will descend back to Kamikouchi and end our hike at approximately 4 pm. It will be a long hiking day of around ten hours, and in total, the elevation gain is 1500 meters.
Although this trek is open to everyone, it is important that you have a good fitness level. Furthermore, we will traverse through some rocky terrain as well on our trip, so you should be prepared for some fun rock climbing too! Of course, I will be there every step of the way to help and guide you. Also, keep in mind that if you feel the itinerary is too challenging, we can design a slower-paced 3-day itinerary, just ask me in advance so that we can plan accordingly.
So, are you ready for an exciting adventure in the Japan Alps? Then contact me now and let’s start planning an unforgettable trip together!
Price includes
- Guiding fee
- Transport during the trip
- Rope
- Harness
- Helmet
- Belay and rappel devices
- Quickdraws
- Trekking poles
Price details
- Accommodation, transportation, guide expenses, etc. will be charged separately.
FAQs
What are some recommended accommodations near our adventure location?
About the guide
Junichiro
5.0
(9)
Mountain Leader
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
Tatiya
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.
Olivia
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!
Thomas
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
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
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.
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