Mt. Morai snowhike. Gorgeous snowy vistas of the Southern Alps, Yatsugatake and Asama.

  

S'up?

I got to put on my snowshoes and hiked Mt. Morai the other day.  I was quite happy about this.  We have had a cold snap, and there were a few snowstorms recently, so the scenery was nice.

. . . about Mt.  Morai 茂来山

This is one of the Shinshu 100 Famous Mountains.  It's 1,717 meters high and is located in Sakuho.  The emperor climbed it back when he was a single prince and there is a monument on top commemorating that.  This mountain isn't that difficult and is popular with novice climbers.  I'm told this mountain is famous for matchmaking and people come here in hopes of finding a bride or groom.  That puzzles me.  I've been there twice and haven't seen anyone there, never mind someone attractive enough to marry.

There are two main trails, the Makizawa and the Kirikubozawa.  They are both quite close to each other and about the same length but the Kirikubozawa has waterholes and one or two more spots with good views.  The Makizawa trail is a little bit harder--it's one of those dotted-line trails on the map--and there really are no views until you get to the top.  

Area:

This is in Sakuhomachi on the eastern side of Nagano.  To the north, Saku-shi, Mt. Asama and Karuizawa are visible.  So is Arfune.  To the south is Mt. Ogura and Mt. Kinpo, or Kinpu as it is called on the Yamanashi side.  Mt. Kita and the Southern Alps are visible and Yatsugatake is prominently laid out to the west of Mt. Morai.

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.

Starting and stopping point: 

Makizawa Trailhead Parking Lot

Peaks bagged: Mt. Morai 茂来山

(First-time) peaks # ---

Getting there/getting around:  

Car.  

A taxi from Yachiho Station would take about 20 minutes.  Alternatively, you could walk to the trailhead from Kaize Station in about an hour and a half.

Helpful Info

Weather Information: Mt. Morai weather forecast by Tenkura (Japanese)

Time and distance

YAMAP's Estimate Time:  3:17    Distance: 4.1 km

The Caveman did it in: Total Time: 3:13  Break time: :31  Distance: 4.4 km

Elevation:  Lowest:  1,111 m Highest: 1,718 m Total Ascent: 601 m Total Descent: 601 m

Technical considerations/difficulty:  

Parts of it are steep, and there are a few narrow ridges with steep slopes but this hike is all beneath the tree line and there aren't any ropes, chains or ladders.  Actually, maybe there could be some hidden under the snow, but I didn't see any.  Near the top, I had to crawl on hands and knees at some points.  I wished I had an ice axe on this hike.  Not for ice climbing per se, just to give myself a better handhold on the slope.

Facilities:  

Nothing.

Thoughts/observations/recommendations:  

This is a nice mountain.  It's not that high but has a bit of prominence being the first big peak south of Saku.  I do think it would be a nice spot to try some wild camping.  Shhh.   Don't tell anyone I said that.  

Don't lose anything.  Use dummy cords for important stuff.  Back when I was private in army basic training, they made me tie my rifle to my body so that I wouldn't lose it.  That string was called a dummy cord.  At the time, it seemed humiliating, but it was wise instruction.  I apply the same principle in my life now.  I try to make sure my gloves are attached to my jacket sleeves because it would really suck to lose a glove in an arctic environment.  I try to dummy cord anything really important.  Car keys and my wallet always get stashed inside my ruck sack.  I try to remember to zip up any pockets so that nothing (think smartphone) can fall out and so that no snow will get into the pocket in case of a fall.  

Think about water.  I'm a cheapskate and have never purchased a camelback or anything like that for water.  I just recycle whatever plastic bottles I have around.  I typically have one big one in my pack and a smaller one in the outside pocket of my backpack.  The other day, the smaller one froze solid.  The one inside had enough insulation that it never froze.  I don't typically bring a stove for dayhikes.  In the case of overnights, I bring a stove and melt snow to get water so I don't worry about freezing.

(Along with all the regular stuff such as maps, headlamps, boots, feet, and brains, . . .) don't forget:

I'm a fan of bringing extra gloves, a hat and socks in case I do lose one or in case I get wet feet somehow.

Let's look at some pictures.

For this hike, I opted for my wakan.  There was a fair amount of snow, but I knew it would be steep and that I would have to navigate some gnarly spots.  Regular snowshoes would have been tough to get around in.

Montbell's Wakan page

I do not know whose claws made that print.  It certainly wasn't Bambi or a bunny.

The top

Want to see a hike on Mt. Morai in the spring?

Thank you for your attention to this matter!

Caveman out

Epilogue

Three days later, I gaze up at Morai from my office.

Sigh.

Kitayokodake in the snow. Magical winter scenes even new hikers can see.

 

Yatsugatake

S'up?

I don't want to be doing this.  I would so much rather be in the mountains today.  I have had just so much fun playing in the snow that I can't get enough of it.  The reaction I have toward snowflakes and rime ice resembles that of an addict's reactions to crack or meth.

This banner hangs on my wall.  A few years ago, Mrs. Caveman and I were at a craft/art show and we spotted it at the same moment.  She is the best.  I knew that she knew how loudly it would speak to me, and I also knew that she'd buy it for me.  (And she knew that I knew all that.)

Like I said, she's the best.  (Once I even told her she's better than a mountain.)

Anyway, that banner is speaking very loudly to me these days.  I am pretty sure anything that gives as much pleasure as mountains give me must be illegal.

. . . about Mt. Kitayokodake

This 2,480 meter mountain is on the northern part of the Yatsugatake Range.  It's elevation and prominence give it some great views along with some severe weather.  Kita means north.  Yoko means something like side-by-side or horizontal.  Dake means peak.  So, this is North Horizontal Peak.  Not so far away, there is a mountain called Minami (south) yokodake.

It's proximity to the Kitayatsugake Ropeway make this mountain accessible to beginner hikers as well as veterans.  Many use this as their introduction to winter hiking.

Area:

Sakuho and Chino in Nagano.

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 Yokodake and its environs.

Starting and stopping point: 

Pilatus Tateshina Snow Resort

Peaks bagged: Kitayokodake's South and North Peaks

(First-time) peaks # ---

Getting there/getting around:  

Parking is free.

There is a bus from Chino Station run by Alpico Kotsu.  In January, 2026, it cost ¥2,000 and took an hour.

Helpful Info

Weather Information: 

Kitayokodake from Tenkura

Time and distance

YAMAP's Estimate Time:  5:48    Distance: 8.9 km

The Caveman did it in: Total Time: 3:34  Break time:  :21 Distance:   9.3 km

Elevation:  Lowest:  1,761 m Highest: 2,480 m Total Ascent: 759 m Total Descent: 759 m

Technical considerations/difficulty:  

This is an easy hike.  Of course, in winter, it is cold and windy.  Dress appropriately and wear crampons or snowshoes.  Actually, unless you're the first person there breaking a fresh cover of snow, snowshoes are probably not the best choice.  Go with some kind of spikes.  

There are no ropes, chains, or ladders.

If you wimp out and take the ropeway, you can probably do the hike in just an hour or two.

Facilities:  

There is a cafe and a restroom at the ropeway station.  Just below the peak of Mt. Kitayokodake is the Kitayokodake Hutte.  There is a public restroom there.  The hutte is opens every day of the year that they get reservations.  The information on the site is only in Japanese.  

Thoughts/observations/recommendations:  

Do what I did.  Go early, before the ropeway starts running at 8*.  *(I wrote 8 because Googlemaps has them opening at 8, but the ropeway's website posts the operating hours as 9:00-4:00 in this season.)  I had the mountain basically to myself until about 10 am.  At that time, I was on my way down and began encountering large groups of people who were coming up after riding up on the ropeway.  (They probably slept late, too.)  When I got to the ropeway, around 10:30ish, there was a huge crowd in front.  After I passed there to the next section of trail on my way down, I was alone again.  That was a relief.

If you are a beginner, I recommend attacking Kitayokodake from this, the western, side.  I've climbed it starting from both Mugikusa and Ogawahara Passes as well as from this side.  Those other hikes were more technical and strenuous.

(Along with all the regular stuff such as maps, headlamps, boots, feet, and brains, . . .) don't forget:

Sunscreen, sunglasses, a jacket with a good shell to block the wind, and chainspikes.  Money for an ice cream cone or souvenirs when you get back to the Pilatus Snow Resort.

Let's look at some pictures.

This is a long video . . .

I enjoyed making it.

This is the barebones animation of the hike.

Let's look at some pictures.  This is my third time here, so I will show some pictures comparing this place in June and January.

Starting out at the Pilatus Snow Resort.

That sign (登山口) means trailhead.

The trail parallels the ropeway most of the way.

When I hefted my backpack on, this bottle fell out and split open.  Half of the water was gone before I could react.

The ropeway station

It's good if it's well below freezing when walking on snow.  It's no fun when the snow gets slushy and wet.

The temp. would drop more and more the higher I got.

This is the Kitayokodake Hutte in January and

in June

Make a reservation if you want to stay there.

That building behind the picnic bench is a pay toilet.

The Nanatsuike ("Seven" "Pond") is just a short walk down the hill from the Hutte so I decided to

walk down there.  Nobody else had been there so it was hard walking without snow shoes.

That's the pond in January

and in June with my nephew

I went there with him on June 24th.  I was so disappointed that we didn't get to see anything, that I went back to the same mountains 2 days later.

That is Mt. Tateshina.

One of the first things I did when I moved to this area was ride my bicycle to the Ogawahara Pass and then climb Tateshina.  

That is another great, great mountain.

This is the north peak of Kitayoko in June

the same spot in January

The south peak

...and in January

It was super-windy up there.  For a minute there, I honestly thought I might get blown off my feet.

This is the crowd of people coming off the ropeway.

Shudder.

Want to see the other hikes here?

June on Kitayokodake

Mugikusa Pass to Kitayoko

Thank you for your attention to this matter!

Caveman out