1-day hike in Otari Onsen and Mt. Amakazari
Climb Mount Amakazari, one of the hundred most celebrated peaks in Japan, and relax on Otari Onsen on this 1-day guided hiking trip with Munehiro, NPOMG mountain guide.
Hida Mountains
1 Day
Jun - Oct
Low
Description
Mount Amakazari (1963 m) is a peak in the North Japan Alps. Come with me for a beautiful hiking trip and a take relaxing bath in Otari Onsen by the end of the journey!
'Amakazari' means 'the rain ornament'. It receives this name because of an altar that was set on its summit for making a rain ritual. Besides, it's one of the hundred most celebrated mountains in Japan.
This 1-day hiking trip will start from Otari Onsen.
We will start walking on the marshy area of Amakazari Highlands Camp Site, where we can enjoy the beautifully blossomed skunk cabbage.
After walking through primeval beech tree forests, we will reach the valley of Arasuge-sawa. We can find snow here even in the late season!
In addition to this, we'll see the rock wall of Futon-bishi, just below the summit.
Then, we'll walk through a woody corridor and some steep slopes, until we reach Sasadaira, the wide open plain. This is the bamboo grass area.
We'll go further over a steep scree area and finally reach the summit of Mt. Amakazari. From the top, we can admire a 360 degree panoramic view of the North Japan Alps and the Sea of Japan. You can also find a stone image of Buddha as an altar.
It's worth mentioning that it might be very cold in the top of Mt Amakazari: around 0-20°C.
Finally, we'll take the same route and go back to the starting point. We'll get there at around 4.30 pm. Relaxing in the outside onsen at Otari Onsen afterwards will definitely be a great idea.
I believe that you will love this hike on a smooth trail in very good conditions. We'll be walking for 9 km (7 hours).
In case you'd like to do some other activities after this tour, you can stay at Yamada Ryokan or Tsuchino-ie (Oami Mountain Village Community Center) with an extra accommodation fee.
Please, let me know if you'd like to join this hiking trip in Mt. Amakazari. It will be a wonderful experience in the beautiful Japanese mountains.
You can also check other trips I offer in this area, like this 3-day hiking trip in Hakuba 3 mountains.
Price includes
- Guiding fee
Price details
- The following items are not included in the price:
- Guide expense (approximately JPY 3,500), to be split among the participants.
- Onsen fee: JPY 500 per person
Details
More info
Deposit amount - 50% of Tour price (guide fee and guide expense) Deposit payment due date - 1 week after tour reservation Full payment needs to be made at least 1 month in advance *After the tour starts, there's no refund due to bad weather.
Meeting point
About the guide
Munehiro
5.0
(1)
Mountain Guide
I am a NPOMG (Nagano Prefecture’s Official Mountain Guide) guide specialising in guiding treks and hikes on mountains in the North Japan Alps like Mt Shirouma. I live in the village of Otari, next to Hakuba, and from here I can access the mountains in the North Japan Alps very easily!
I started to climb when I was a university student. Immersing myself in the nature has always been my favorite way of spending time in the mountains, and particularly enjoyed multi-day long ridge traverses. I’ve been working as a hiking guide since 2014 but before that, I’ve worked with an International organization, Outward Bound based in Japan, which focuses on developing youths through outdoor experiences. I’ve also spent 2 years volunteering in Tanzania, teaching physical education at a local school there.
In my early high school years, I had a pivotal moment in my life during my first wild outdoor experience when my uncle took me on a 4 day sailing trip. That experience changed how I measure value in life - became more confident - and I became interested in contributing to other people’s development. Through both mountain guiding and developmental education, I want people to have life changing moments and experiences, just as I had!
In my free time in the summer, I like to go for a 5-6 day sawanobori trips up beautiful rivers like Kurobe (one of the top 100 beautiful canyons in Japan). We’d spend the time enjoying Sawanobori, do some fishing in the river and have dinner by the fire without anyone else around you. I also travel to popular places like Kumanokodo and Yakushima in search for beautiful Sawanobori canyons.
I feel that the best experiences in the mountains comes if you stay overnight on the mountain, whether it be at a hut or in a tent.
Please join me to see and feel the beauty of the Japanese mountains and the countryside, and have life changing experiences!
Languages
| Japanese | English
Certificates
NPOMG
What people are saying about Munehiro
Sandrine
Due to bad weather conditions, we could not hike the Shirouma-dake. Munehiro provided 2 beautiful aternatives instead (Mt. Karamatsu and Jiigatake), and that was very good. Thanks!
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