This Caveman has not blogged in a while. I've been hiking, just not anywhere worth telling you about. I've been spending a lot of time hiking places that have been on the blog before.
This past weekend, though, I got to a trail I've had my eye on all winter as I waited for the road to open up.
I hiked the portion of the Mt. Kirigamine/Utsukushigahara Central Divide Trail (霧ヶ峰/美ヶ原中央分水嶺トレイル) between Mt. Mitsumine and Mt. Chausu.
. . . about the Mt. Kirigamine/Utsukushigahara Central Divide Trail (霧ヶ峰/美ヶ原中央分水嶺トレイル)
This trail is 38 km long. I guess it's like North America's Continental Divide because any raindrop that falls on the north side of the trail will drain into the Sea of Japan, and any raindrop that falls to the south will drain into the Pacific.
All of the trail is great! It doesn't have that much change in elevation, so much of the trail is snowshoeable in winter. It has two of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains along it and the trail offers views of Yatsugatake, Mt. Fuji, the Southern, Central and Northern Alps, Mt. Asama, and some of the mountains of Tochigi, Gunma and Saitama.
Area:
Between Nagawacho and Matsumoto City in Nagano Prefecture.
Location:
Map: ***If you want a link to the latest Yama to Kogen map, comment and I'll get you a link. This link is to a printable topo map centered of the Tobira Pass.
n.b. The road here is closed from November to April.
Peaks bagged: Mt. Mitsumine (三峰山)* Not sure why it got this name, but it literally means "Three Peak Mountain." ~ Mt. Chausu (茶臼山)* "Chausu" seems to refer to a sort of mill or grinder used for making matcha tea. The mountain's shape resembles one of these. It's a very common mountain name. There are supposedly 200 peaks with this name in Japan.
(First-time) peaks # ---
Getting there/getting around:I parked at the Tobira Pass Parking Lot on the Venus Skyline. This road is not open in winter.
The Caveman did it in: Total Time: 4:53 Break time: :54 Distance: 11.8 km
Elevation:Lowest: 1,601m Highest: 2,006 m Total Ascent: 1,033 m Total Descent: 1,033 m
Technical considerations/difficulty:
Nothing especially difficult or dangerous. The trail is well-marked. There are no ropes, chains, or ladders. The hike from the parking lot up to Chausu is a bit steep, but not too bad.
Facilities:
The parking lot has portapoddies. The restaurant there is out of business. I snuck behind it to catch the view. (It was 👌 nice.) 😊 Be careful if you go back there, though. I managed to fall into a drain pipe back there. I stepped on its cap and it shattered. It must brittle be because it's so old. If you hike in winter, you can probably understand when I say it was the same sensation as when one foot breaks through the top crust of snow and you sink in up to your crotch. There's a picture below.
Thoughts/observations/recommendations:
I'm glad I did this. These are lovely mountains and the hike allows for some really great views. I have been on both mountains I summited before but this enabled me to connect the dots with past hikes. Now I can trace my footsteps in an unbroken line to the far side of the Utsukushigahara Plateau.
(Along with all the regular stuff such as maps, headlamps, boots, feet, and brains, . . .) don't forget:
to watch your step always.
Let's look at some pictures.
The reason I chose this particular route is that I needed to connect the dots of past hikes. Several months ago, I took this picture after I'd passed Mt. Mitsumine from Mt. Futatsu.
I had been to both mountains, but wanted to walk the trail between them or I would never feel complete in life.
The red circle represents the area between the two mountains.
I had to wait all winter before I could make this hike because the road is closed from November to April.
By the way, the mountains to the north of Chausu are the Utsukushigahara ("Beautiful Plateau"). They really are beautiful.
This is what my map looks like now after the hike.
Now I can sleep at night.
This is what the hike looked like.
I started near the midpoint between the two mountains at the Tobira Pass Parking Lot where this defunct restaurant stands. Even though it is closed, I couldn't help but sneak around the back to take advantage of the viewing point it boasted of.
That's how I almost injured myself before the day even began!
Some of the Northern Alps
That is Mitsumine ahead.
Oila, the top!
Same place, in fall.
From Mitsumine, you can see Mt. Kuruma (or Kirigamine). There is a big, round antenna on top.
This is what the antenna looks like up close.
And this is what the mountains I hiked on this particular day look like from that antenna's location.
After a bit of a walk back, I passed through the area where I'd parked and then headed up to Chausu.
The trailhead is right across the street from the parking lot.
The top of Chausu.
Oila!
Straight ahead is Ogato--one of the peaks on Utsukushigahara. You might see the antennae on it.
To the right, you might see a red thing and a white thing. Those are art installations of the Utsukushigahara Open Air Museum. It's really cool.
The Caveman had the chance to hit another of the famous mountains the other day.
It was a blustery day on Mt. Arashimadake in Fukui.
. . . about Mt. Arashimadake (荒島岳)
This mountain is the highest in Fukui Prefecture and was listed by Yuya Fukada as one of Japan's Famous Mountains. It is not that high, at just over 1,500 meters, but its location as the highest point near the Sea of Japan in the area ensures that it captures some exciting weather and lots of snow.
It offers a 360-degree panorama on clear days. The Caveman has to take the interwebs word on that. It wasn't clear enough for me to see much.
The origin of the name is murky, but if you take the meaning of the individual characters, it's kind of interesting. "Ara" could be something like "violent" or "laid waste." "Shima" means "island." "Dake" means "peak."
Area:
Fukui Prefecture is hard to get to. The extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen to Tsuruga Station in 2024 made it easier to get to. Now, you can get from Tokyo Station to Fukui in a blindingly fast, 3.5 hours. (Another hour on a local train can get you to the trailhead.)
Fukui is a bit of an unknown gem because of its remoteness. Ono City, which Mt. Arashima overlooks, is very quaint. There is samurai history and a commanding castle on a hill.
Location:
Map: ***If you want a link to the latest Yama to Kogen map, comment and I'll get you a link. This link is to a printable topo map of Mt. Arashima 荒島岳.
The nearest station to the trailhead is the Kadohara Station on the Kuzuryu Line. I don't know how useful this train line is if you want to climb Arashima. The first arrival from Fukui is 10:42. I met a guy who came by train and was not very far along around 1:00 pm. I doubt he could make it to the top and back in time.
The Caveman did it in: Total Time: 6:27 Break time: :66 Distance: 10.5 km
Elevation:Lowest: 346 m Highest: 1,524 m Total Ascent: 1,329 m Total Descent: 1,329 m
Technical considerations/difficulty:
This is a relatively spicy hike.
In distance and change in elevation, it's comparable to climbing Mt. Fuji via the Fujinomiya Trail.
It's fairly steep. Quite a bit of this is exposed, and the trail traverses across the top of a narrow ridge.
One area called Mochigakabe gets a lot of press for being dangerous. It's quite steep and has a lot of ropes and chains. For the life of me, I can't identify exactly where it is because any ropes or chains were covered by snow when I was there, as were any signs identifying that part of the trail. I believe that stretch is between the Shakunage Daira ("Rhododendron Flats") and Mt. Maearashima.
In the snow, I think the more dangerous area is not the Mochigakabe but the last stretch from Maearashima and Nakaarashima to the peak of Arashimadake. You have to climb up a long, steep, exposed knife-like ridge for the last kilometer or so. There were large, long cracks in the snow pack there. One slip and you'd be done in. I'm told that avalanches occur on the south side. I tried to stay away from the south side! It was very windy and visibility dropped considerably. I could imagine just walking off the side of the ridge in a whiteout.
I was wearing chain spikes. They seemed adequate. Some people, (the salesgirl at Mont Bel in particular) told me I needed 12-point crampons--and really expensive boots. I am not really sure why.
I had an ice axe. That came in handy on the way up.
I had trekking poles. Ordinarily, I disdain them, but I found them useful on the way down because there are lots of bare spots with no trees or boulders to grab onto.
Facilities:
Mrs. Caveman spent the night in the car at the Arashimanosato michinoeki.* There are (really nice!) public toilets and some vending machines open 24 hours.
*michinoeki literally means road station. Michinoeki are spots that cater to tourists in offering a place to rest and sample and buy the local specialties. The restaurants and shops at michinoeki typically close early but the parking lots are open 24 hours and they are popular places for hikers to sleep in their cars. There is even a slang term for sleeping in the car--shachuhaku (車中泊).
There is a Mont Bel, many restaurants and souvenir shops at the michinoeki.
Free parking spaces galore.
Paid RV spots if you want electricity. I did notice many RVs parked in the regular lot. I guess they didn't need the electricity.
There is also a free parking lot right by the Kadogahara Trailhead. There is also a public toilet there but it is only open in season.
Thoughts/observations/recommendations:
Yet another mountain I climbed that I was robbed of a view on. It happens often enough. Days like today make the picture-perfect days all the more sweet. I'm sorry to say that my pictures on this hike aren't as beautiful as some of the others I've taken.
That said, I'd rather be on a mountain than in an office any day. What this day lacked in views, it made up for in the excitement of the violent weather and low visibility. The sweetness of this hike was more in the other senses than in sight.
It wasn't the ideal day for this mountain--but it was the day that I had available, and I'm glad I did it. I probably will not get back to Fukui in this lifetime, and I was conscious of that fact on the hike, and I relished every step I took because of that.
(Along with all the regular stuff such as maps, headlamps, boots, feet, and brains, . . .) don't forget:
If you go in winter, don't forget an ice axe, crampons and walking poles. And check the weather well before going.
Let's look at some pictures:
My route was an out-and-back from this parking lot at Kadohara.
This video is just at the top
This one is a bit longer
The parking lot.
I was alone when I arrived at 7 am. One other person parked here and hiked that day.
Right out ot the parking lot, the road starts straight up.
...and looking back
Up above that road, you reach the actual trailhead
It was in the 50s (above 10 degrees C) down below, but there was snow not far above.
This spot here is called the Hakusan Bench. It's the first lookout and Mt. Hakusan is in view.
The view from the Hakusan Bench
The area from just before Maearashima all the way to the top of Arashima is above the treeline and
is a bit . . . exciting.
Yikes!
Visibility was this bad only for the last 10 minutes or so of the approach to the peak and the retreat from it.
It was a long ten minutes, though.
Tada!
The last peak of the day, Koarashima (Little Arashima)
I wound up the day at a local sento.
The owner insisted on taking a picture of me.
A sento, for you who don't know, is a public bath.
In distinction to Japan's famous onsens, the sento is a neighborhood bathhouse which just uses heated tap water, whereas onsen are natural hot springs with mineral-rich waters.
Sentos hail back to the days when private residences didn't have baths.
Not for the faint of heart. The bath is 45 Celsius (113 F).
