This lovely mountain is at the northern tip of the Akaishi Mountain Range, AKA the Southern Alps Range. It's not one of the 100 Famous Mountains of Japan, but it one of the 100 Famous Mountains of Shinshu. (Shinshu is one name for the geographical area.) It's also one of Japan's 300 Famous Mountains. It offers great views of Yatsugatake, the various Alps and half of Lake Suwa. Purportedly, 31 of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains' peaks are visible from there. Since there is a gondola nearby, and pets are allowed, it is very popular with families. There are many trails, campgrounds and lodges in the area. The mountain lilies (suzuran) are beautfiul.
It may have earned it's name because it is said to resemble an umbrella over a pile of rice. "Nyu" means "put in" and "kasa" is umbrella. I'm not quite sure how exactly the meaning of the words in the name equates to the image they said it does but, whatever. The kasa part I can understand. The nyu part, I don't get. Rice isn't mentioned at all in the name.
Other names it has been, or may have been called were Suzuran and Amakoi. Suzuran means Mountain Lily. Amakoi means something about attracting rain. Supposedly, they used to have rain-making ceremonies.
Area:
Okaya City. Not far from Lake Suwa.
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.
(I happened to take a picture of a guy holding a sign commemorating his 100th peak. Good for him!)
Getting there/getting around:
I drove. As the crow flies, it is only 20 km (about 12.5 miles) from my house to the parking lot. The driving distance was 64 km and took about 90 minutes. If I took public transportation, it would take 4.5 hours. 😆 It would take less time to get there from Tokyo Station.
The Caveman did it in: Total Time: 6:14 Break time: :15 Distance: 21.6 km
Elevation:Lowest: 889 m Highest: 1,955 m Total Ascent: 1,299 m Total Descent: 1,299 m
*My plan was to piston the hike from the station to the top. I deviated quite a bit on the return so I could see something new.
Technical considerations/difficulty:
Nothing really to speak of.
Facilities:
Lots of stuff.
Let's look at pictures.
On the way up, I encountered this closed and/or abandoned hut. Behind it was this bench overlooking Lake Suwa. What a nice spot.
The aforementioned view.
This is a large, fenced-off section that contains wildflowers. Most of them bloom in early summer.
From the top.
It was crowded up there!
"Nyukasa Wetland"
Gondola Times
It runs April ~ December
The gondola
Yatsugatake
And a closer shot.
The entire range is visible from here, but this is just the southern end.
Heading back to the station
Thoughts/observations/recommendations:
I think I hiked this in the most boring season. The best time for the flowers is in June. They must really be spectacular. I was too early for the fall foliage. Winter must be great, too. Evidently, it's popular to ride the gondola up and go snowshoeing. I might try that someday.
(Along with all the regular stuff such as maps, headlamps, boots, feet, and brains, . . .) don't forget:
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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.
