This city is to the west and north of Lake Suwa in Nagano. Lake Suwa is featured in the animated movie, "Your Name." (君の名は)
I'll dispense with most of the usual information I post because this was a short hike and I doubt anyone will be going out of their way to do it.
Area:
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 Takaosuwa.
Starting and stopping point:Shinonomekaku (東雲閣) Shinonomekaku translates to something like "morning aura/eastern cloud+tower", either that or it is the name of a mortuary/crematorium operation. Your guess is as good as mine.
Peaks bagged: Suwatakao and Otokotakao
(First-time) peaks # 1,038 and 1,039
Getting there/getting around:I don't think there is any public transportation.
Helpful Info
Time and distance
Total Time: 1:39 Break time: :13 Distance: 5.5 km
Elevation:Lowest: 867 m Highest: 1,075 m Total Ascent: 429 m Total Descent: 429 m
Technical considerations/difficulty:
Pretty easy. Nothing too steep. About half of the trail is through the woods, the other half is on the forestry road (林道). The trail isn't marked so you must have your wits about you.
Facilities:
There is some kind of sink beside the Shinonomekaku and a porta-potty behind it. The water at the sink was off, though.
Thoughts/observations/recommendations:
Back to work on this day. Vacation's over. Sigh. I had to go to a training session on the other side of the planet on my first day back.
Hooray! I have a job! And I was able to take advantage of some mentally stimulating and socially exciting training opportunities on my first day back after my more-than-adequately long summer break. I totally could afford my summer vacation on my salary, too. 😜
Since the session took place in a spot a few hours from home, I wanted to take advantage of different mountains and bolted out the door as soon as training was over before I suffocated to death I think I might have knocked a few people over in my haste. As I was saying, I tried to ease the pain of being told to leave work by taking advantage of the few hours of sunlight left.
I climbed two minor hills in Okaya. I got to see Lake Suwa and also two kamoshika.
I started here with an eye to going in a clockwise circle but turned back after just a few minutes because the trail became too overgrown.
Cute
("登山口") = "Trailhead"
Lake Suwa with Yatsugatake in the background.
The top of Suwatakao
The other peak had no marker and no view.
Much of the rest of the hike was like this.
I've never seen black kamoshika before.
That is the end of the hike. I told you it was short.
It was hot today so I dropped into the Bihadanoyu Romanetto Onsen. It was a bargain.
That's all. Check out where I went after this training last year.
S'up, cavedwellers? Let me regale you with tales of the Queen of the Alps, Mt. Tsubakuro.
Don't tell Mrs. Caveman about the Queen of the Alps sobriquet. She might get suspicious. Last week, I climbed Mt. Kurohime--Mt. Black Princess. We wouldn't want Mrs. Caveman to think I'm developing a thing for royal broads.
Besides, Mrs. Caveman is the one and only queen in my life.
. . . about Mt. Tsubakuro (燕岳)
Mt. Tsubakuro ("Swallow" "Peak") is known as the Queen of the Alps. It's on the list of 200 Famous Japanese Mountains and is the (if I'm counting right) 44th highest mountain in the country at 2,763 meters. It's a great introductory mountain to the Alps because of its well-maintained trails and surfeit of well-appointed huts and lodges.
The mountain's peak and surroundings are characterized by beautiful white sand and interestingly shaped granite boulders. One of the boulders looks like a dolphin, another looks a bit like a pair of eyeglasses.
From the top, you can see Mt. Fuji and Hakuba as well as the rest of the Alps.
Area:
Azumino is the city it's located in. It's in the Hida mountains, which are also known as the Northern Alps.
Peaks bagged: Gassensawanoatama (合戦沢の頭) ~ Tsubakuro (燕岳)
(First-time) peaks # ９２９〜９３０
Getting there/getting around:
I drove and parked at the Ariake Shrine. From there, I had to take a bus to the Nakabusa Onsen. (¥1,500 each way.)
N.B. A portion of the road between the Ariake Shrine and the Onsen is out so the bus goes only as far as the Gongen Pass 権現峠 Bus Stop. From there, you have to walk about 1 km up the road to a point where you can get on a complimentary shuttle to the onsen. Returning, you do the same thing in reverse. I was really annoyed that the shuttle and the bus times didn't line up on my return. I was paranoid because I'd been cautioned in the morning that I might not make the last bus and hustled to make it on time. Evidently, I hustled too hard and found I had to wait about an hour for that LAST bus. After taking that LAST shuttle to the bus, I found that the next bus wouldn't run for another 45 minutes.
I really don't like having to rely on public transportation. If I wanted to sit on a crowded public vehicle with a heavy bag on my lap, I'd move back to Tokyo and become a salaryman. And don't get me started on how it's better for the environment. Those shuttles and buses I sat on for hours were idling the entire time. And it wasn't only one or two vehicles that were idling. There were about 5 shuttle vans lined up; all of them running in place.
My rant is over. Sorry about that.
If you are coming by train from Tokyo, you could take the Chuo Line to Matsumoto and change there to the Oito Line for Hotaka. From Hotaka, it's a 55-minute bus ride to the Nakabusa Onsen.
The Caveman's actual Total Time: 4:43 Break time: :25 Distance: 10.1 km
Elevation:Lowest: 1,448 m Highest: 2,763 m Total Ascent: 1,411 m Total Descent: 1,411 m
Technical considerations/difficulty:
This is one of the steepest ascents going--or so I'm told. It didn't feel like it to me, though. I was so relieved to get off the bus and onto the trail that I felt like I was flying up the trail. The trail is well-maintained and easy to make time on because it is somewhat easy to walk on. In an odd way, sometimes it seems really easy to go up. You can put your head down and dig in as it were.
Anyway, there are no ropes, chains or precarious places on the trail. The steepness did seem to dog some of my fellow travelers that day but they're probably just out of shape. I did get a perverse pleasure out of seeing people's pain and fatigue that day. I was so worried about time that nobody passed my on the way up, although I passed many people myself. So when I was coming down, I saw many people who still had a long way to go to get to the top. I think most of those hikers were planning on staying the night at one of the huts, actually.
If you are out of shape or go at the average speed, you should pay attention to time to make sure you are able to get up and back before the last bus. The bus driver made me paranoid about being late when I told him I was going up and back in a day. He said, "Higaeri? Haaaado desune. Jikanha girigiridane. 3:45 madeni kaerareukai?" ("That's going to be hard. I hope you make it back in time by 3:45.") I was so worried about making it back for the last bus that I went even faster than usual. In the end, I was an hour and a half early for the last bus and had to wait.😆
Facilities:
There is the onsen and lodging at the trailhead. There are also two huts--Gassensawa Atama Hut and Enzanso near the top. Both have merch and some food as well as tent sites. The Enzanso also has rooms inside.
It should be noted that this trail was really crowded and that there are no restrooms except at the huts or the onsen. There is really no chance to hide behind a tree off the trail, either, because of all the foot traffic.
Thoughts/observations/recommendations:
Great mountain. If I had the opportunity, I'd bring a tent and make this the first stop on a multi-day trek.
I got to the Ariake Shrine Bus Stop about 8. Then I had to wait about half an hour for a bus. If you are worried about your time, I would suggest getting there earlier. I think I was probably the last person with a one-day plan to start the hike. I left a picture of the bus stop and it's schedule below. Good luck puzzling it out!
(Along with all the regular stuff such as maps, headlamps, boots, feet, and brains, . . .) don't forget:
Cash or Paypay for the bus fare.
Let's look at some pictures.
(I mis-spelled the onsen's name in this picture. It is Nakabusa.)
Ariake Shrine Bus Stop
Ariake Shrine
Price for the bus
Pay when you get on with cash or Paypay
¥600 from Azumino to Ariake Shrine
¥1,500 from Ariake Shrine to the Nakabusa Onsen
At the onsen
Gassensawanoatama Hut
Watermelon is their specialty
¥600/slice
After the Gassensawanoatama Hut, the next stop is the Enso. Then, the peak. The ridge between the Enso and the peak is full of rocks like this. Very cool.
I almost expected an anvil from the Acme Anvil Company to drop out of the sky or to see the Roadrunner dash down the path.
I so wish I could have actually seen those mountains. 😢
What aquatic creature does this remind you of?
Leave a comment.
The top
The flowers up there are pretty cool.
One of the cool things about living in Nagano is that I can touch snow during every month of the year.
I encountered about 20 of these guys on my way down. This is the only one that let me get a picture, though.
Good advice
The bus stop at Gongen Pass
I stopped into this onsen on the way home. It has seen better years.
Old-fashioned prices, though! ¥600 for the onsen. I've been to touristy onsens lately that charge ¥2,000!
Free matches from the onsen. I can't remember the last establishment I've been to that still gives out matches.
Well, cavepeeps, that's it for today. If you want to see more of the Northern Alps,
