I dropped by Osaka to make my first hike there. This was on Mt. Satsuki (五月山) in Ikeda City, Osaka.
This trip marked the 30th of Japan's prefectures that I've now hiked in.
. . . about Mt. Satsuki
This is a local park adjacent to a residential area with lots of trails and things to see. There are playgrounds, viewpoints overlooking the airport and the bay, and even a golf course near the top. It's a great neighborhood place to hike.
This was fun. The point was to bag a "peak" while I was in Osaka. It's probably the last time in my life I will have the chance, so I sought out a small hill I could knock off after climbing Mt. Rokko earlier in the day.
Here are some pictures:
Earlier in the day, I hiked on Mt. Rokko in Kobe. That is supposed to have really gorgeous views of the bay. I ended up getting much better views from this little hill than from that famous mountain. The sky was blue when I was here, and the airport directly between this hill and the bay way really cool.
There is a playground near the top with lots of statues. There is also parking up there in case you aren't into climbing/walking.
Unfortunately, this viewpoint was offlimits. The structure is getting rickety and the entrance is blocked off.
The top
As you can see from the sign, there is a lot to see in this park. There is a zoo, places to play, birdwatching spots, etc.
...and a suspension bridge.
It doesn't actually span anything, but it was fun to walk on nevertheless.
Before I say goodbye . . .
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Mrs. Caveman and I went for a road trip to the Kansai Region. She was invited to attend a friend's wedding. Unfortunately (😉), the invitation was for only one, so I had to take solace by going hiking on my own. Drat. I hiked Mt. Rokko in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture. This trek marked the 29th of Japan's 47 prefectures that I have now hiked in.
. . . about Mt. Rokko
It is 931 meters high and overlooks Kobe, Osaka and Osaka Bay. It's one of Japan's 300 Famous Mountains and offers lots of beautiful views. The mountain is a bit of a symbol of the region and the Hanshin Tigers use the song Rokko Oroshi as one of their cheers. Rokko Oroshi is the term for the winds that whip down the Rokko Mountain Range.
Area: Kansai
People in Kansai are different than people in Tokyo, or areas closely associated with Tokyo. The area in Nagano that I live in is heavily influenced by the Tokyo flavor because we get a lot of vacationers and retirees from Tokyo here.
The difference is really immediately evident when driving or walking on the streets. As a rule, people in Tokyo obey traffic laws; particularly the ones pertaining to not honking their horns except to avert a collision or the proscriptions against jaywalking. Not so in Kansai! The first thing I noticed when driving here was the dude blaring his horn at me from behind when I was hesitating at an intersection. There was no grace given to this lost tourist despite my out-of-town, country-bumpkin license plate! I also noticed that pedestrians don't wait for the walk signal.
There are some different opinions about the differences in character. Some say that people in Kansai are rude and too direct. Some call their directness friendly. Some say they are honest and trustworthy because they don't put on airs and that people in Tokyo are phonies. I kind of like the Kansai character, myself. You pretty much know where you stand with people down there.
The Caveman did it in: Total Time: 3:45 Break time: :22 Distance: 11.0 km
Elevation:Lowest: 410 m Highest: 931 m Total Ascent: 853 m Total Descent: 853 m
Technical considerations/difficulty:
Nothing to speak of
Facilities:
There are a lot of onsens, a bus, public restrooms, etc. It reminded me a bit of Mt. Takao.
Thoughts/observations/recommendations:
If I had more time in the area, I would try to get here on a very clear day and, or at night. It was a nice hike, but I was robbed of any really great views by the overcast skies. I was lucky that it wasn't raining as it's been a rainy September. Unfortunately, the sun didn't come out until I was finishing my hike!
There are several falls around here. I wish I found more of them. Apparently, I blew right by the Taiko Falls. (太鼓滝) That's too bad. I really wanted to see them.
Here are some pictures:
These benches are from Malaysia. They had something to do with the Osaka Expo in 2025.
The
Ropeway
(I didn't take it.)
Schedule and fares
The first peak.
Ibayama
トイレ=toilet
What is a trijet?
The top
I really should be better at deciphering bad translations of English.
For the life of me, I couldn't figure out what a "dampinng stick" could possibly be. I thought, perhaps it was a European word for some exotic stick. Then I read the Japanese carefully.
It basically reads "Cane Throw Away Box."
It's not a box for dampinng sticks. It is a box for 'dumping' walking sticks.
(The mind boggles. Why do you need a special place to throw away sticks in the forest???)
This is the entrance to Mushijigoku 虫地獄.
"Insect Hell"
Surprisingly, there were no bugs that I noticed.
Behind my parking lot was another little park with an overlook.
This mountain is so cool that it's on four separate lists of 100 Mountains. It's on the original 100 Famous Mountains of Japan as well as the 100 Famous Flower Mountains, 100 Shinshu Mountains, and the list of Japan's 100 Highest Peaks.
It is a mountain that lends itself to praise for several reasons. Its rocky peak dominates the ski resort town of Hakuba below. Hakuba is famous as a resort town as well as for being the site of the ski jumping event at the 1998 Winter Olympics.
It is home to a miles-long snowfield that never melts. Cool!
The meaning and pronunciations of the name deserve some attention. Without going into too much detail, the Chinese characters of the name, "白" and "馬", mean "white" and "horse." The third character, "岳" just means "peak."
The name of the mountain is derived from the relation of the local farmers to the seasons. As the spring thaw goes on every year, at a certain point the rocks revealed from under the melted snow begin to resemble a white work horse. When the farmers see this, they know it's time to plant. The characters for white work horse are pronounced Shiro kaki uma. Take out the "work" ("kaki") part of the word, and you're left with "shirouma,"--"white" + "horse."
That solves the meaning. The puzzle to me has always been that the Chinese characters for the local area, Hakuba and Shirouma, are the same but when people talk about the area, they pronounce it as "Hakuba" and when they talk about the mountain, they pronounce it "Shirouma." In Japanese, it's usual for each character to have multiple pronunciations. There is the original Chinese pronunciation and then others that the Japanese later put onto the characters. The Japanese already had a spoken language before they adopted the Chinese characters so this makes sense that they would already have their own way to say something.
But, why do they use Shirouma for the mountain and Hakuba for the town? Well, to make a long story even more interminably long, the more traditional name Shirouma seemed to stick for the mountain. The Hakuba pronunciation is simpler and gained worldwide recognition for the resort; especially after the Olympics.
Truth be told, if you say either Hakuba or Shirouma to a Japanese, it makes no difference. The image either utterance will conjure up for the listener is of a white horse.
Class is dismissed. Let's get back to having fun.
Area: The Northern part of the Northern Alps
The Northern Alps are in central Honshu and stretch from Gifu through Toyama and Nagano and even a little bit into Niigata. Several of Japan's highest peaks are here and 15 of the mountains listed on Yuya Fukada's list of 100 Famous Mountains are here. Famous for their beauty in this area are Tateyama, Kamikochi and many other places.
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 this area.
To access the Sarukura Bus Stop, you need to take a bus or taxi from Hakuba Station or from the Bus Terminal at Happo One. I took the Alpico bus from Happo One. I tried reserving online but their app wouldn't let me sign up. (I really hate Alpico. They are always difficult to deal with.) Later, at the bus stop, I found a sign with a QR code that allowed me to make a reservation without using the app.
The bus was ¥2,000 (2026). The first bus leaves Hakuba Station at 5:55 and then stops at the Happo One Bus Terminal at 6:00.
Note that the last bus returning is at 1:00 p.m.! They cater mostly to people who spend the night on the mountain. If you do it as a one-day hike as I did, you probably won't make it back in time for the bus unless you are a mad speed demon and will need to take a taxi.
I drove to Hakuba and slept in my car. There are several free parking lots in the vicinity that allow for this.
The Caveman did it in: Total Time: 8:06 Break time::35 Distance: 14.3 km
Elevation:Lowest: 1,238 m Highest: 2,932 m Total Ascent: 1,785 m Total Descent: 1,785 m
Technical considerations/difficulty:
There are ropes and ladders. In several spots, you need to use both hands and feet to get up. For the snowfield, it's imperative that you have some kind of spikes on.
This is a long, steep hike. It is over a mile you have to ascend. There were the usual grandparents and grandchildren on the trail to show that it can be done by anyone, though.😅 That said, most people do stay overnight. A daytrip is a bit much for the casual hiker.
Facilities:
There are a few lodges/tent sites. The Sarukura Bus Stop is right at the Sarukura Hut. You can rent spikes there.
There is a tent site called Hakubajiri about an hour up the trail from the bus stop. It is un-manned. If you plan to stay there, check in at the Sarukuraso/猿倉荘.
There are two lodges near the peak. The first you'll pass is the Hakubadake Chojoshukusha 白馬岳頂上宿舎. I didn't look inside, but evidently there are rooms and food available. Of course, both lodges have public restrooms. The lodge nearest the top has a restaurant and a store.
Thoughts/observations/recommendations:
Another great mountain. What can I say? Do it. If I had the time, I would like to take my tent and bang out several of the surrounding peaks as well on a multi-day trek.
(Along with all the regular stuff such as maps, headlamps, boots, feet, and brains, . . .) don't forget:
Spikes and a helmet. I used trekking poles for a change. I wanted them when descending over the snow. I don't think the helmet was 100% necessary, but I wanted it in case of falling rocks--or falling Caveman. If you slipped and slid down the snow field, that would hurt. It's not fluffy snow. It's bumpy and hard.
Picture Time
Looking up at Shirouma from the parking lot. 😁
The trailhead at Sarukura has these notes about the Hakubajiri Tent site.
Check-in is at Sarukura
The tent site is about an hour hike
It is unmanned.
There is a toilet
There is drinking water, but boil it before drinking it
Pleasant trail at first
The best views were early in the morning. Unfortunately, the clear, blue skies didn't last.
The amount and variety of alpine flowers is staggering. I know I am posting more flowers that people are probably interested in but this is still only about 10% of the flower pictures I took. It seems like every step I took, every corner I walked around, revealed a new flower begging me to take its picture. It made progress slower than it could have been.
This emergency hut is really only for emergencies. I don't think more than one person could fit comfortably in there.
Hakubadake Chojoshukusha from the front . . .
. . . and a little later from above.
I dropped by Mt. Maruyama before heading up to Shirouma. Unfortunately, the clouds obscured the view. And there isn't even a marker on Mt. Maru.
Hakuba Sanso
This sign made me laugh.
I dropped into the shop at the Hakuba Sanso and bought some swag--a tenugui.
Isn't it nice?
When I came out, there was a serious-looking gentleman in a mountain rescue uniform who was giving a warning to several people on the patio. I came out just before he finished talking and the only word I caught was "bear!", so I asked someone sitting at a picnic table what was going on.
"Oh, he just asked that we make sure to silence our bear bells because they drive the staff crazy."🤪
I approve of that message!
It was mostly cloudy, but when I got any clarity, I snapped away.
This is from the top
A picture doesn't express how vertigo-inducing this view was.
This onsen is just in front of the Happo Bus Terminal--which is a five-minute walk from where I parked.
¥1,000 (2026)
Bonus:
The site of the Olympic Ski Jump is in the neighborhood so I dropped by.
You actually can ride the ski lift up into the structure the jumpers start from, and dine at a restaurant there.
OK. That's if for today. I don't have any excursions planned for 11 days. I don't know how I'll survive until then.
When I was up there, I spied Mt. Takatsuma. Check out my report on Takatsuma here.
Before I say goodbye . . .
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Click the Buy Me a Coffee button if you're feeling generous. I'd like to climb the rest of the 100...but the remaining 32 are costly. Climbing them would mean at least two significant road trips and about 20 multi-day hikes.
