When I returned to Japan after my round-the-world trip, I started mountain climbing in search of the inspiring and spectacular scenery I had seen on my trip due to the lack of daily life! And it has been about two and a half years since I started mountain climbing. Now! Here I would like to introduce the best 3 mountains I have climbed so far that have impressed me! No, let me introduce them to you!
- No. 3 “The best view! The best traverse! Houou Sanzan surrounded by the mountains of the Southern Alps!”
- No. 2 The best autumn foliage in Japan! Spectacular views of the dry river bed Karu and the mysterious Morgenrot!
- No.1 Sunset from Mt! The orange sea of clouds and sky is a spectacular and moving view!
No. 3 “The best view! The best traverse! Houou Sanzan surrounded by the mountains of the Southern Alps!”
![](https://kumakuma1018.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/MVIMG_20200809_122631.jpg)
Actually, it was my first time to climb the Houou Sanzan (鳳凰三山)! It was too tough to start climbing at 3:30 a.m. without sleep and descend at 6:00 p.m., but the view from the top was fantastic, and I was able to achieve my long-cherished goal of traversing the Southern Alps!
The Houou Sanzan (Three Phoenix Mountains) is one of Japan’s 100 most famous mountains, located between Arrups City, Nirasaki City, and Hokuto City. The three mountains, Jizadake (2764m above sea level), Kannon-dake (2840m above sea level), and Yakushidake (2780m above sea level) are collectively called the “Three Phoenix Mountains.
The three mountains of Houou Sanzan are all attractive! The many weathered white granite rocks along the traverse route match the green of the Japanese white pine trees, creating beautiful scenery that can only be seen in the Houou Sanzan Mountains! And the traverse of the mountain range from Jizodake to Yakushi-Dake is very pleasant!
![](https://kumakuma1018.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/MVIMG_20200809_111402.jpg)
![](https://kumakuma1018.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/MVIMG_20200809_120902.jpg)
Mountaineering level
★★★★☆
For intermediate and above! Beginners should definitely not do this! (At least one mountain...)
The three-mountain traverse is hard! Especially the 45 degree slope before the top of Jizo-dake (Mt. Jizo) was quite tough (laugh).
Schedule
Climbing time: 14 hours and 30 minutes
3:30 Start climbing Aoki Kosen
10:30 Climb to the summit of Mt.
12:30 Climb Mt.
13:15 Ascend Mt.
18:00 Descend Aoki Kosen
Caution
If you are considering a traverse of the three mountains, you must start climbing early in the morning or it will be dark on the way back and that will be very difficult (laugh).
No. 2 The best autumn foliage in Japan! Spectacular views of the dry river bed Karu and the mysterious Morgenrot!
![](https://kumakuma1018.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/PXL_20221001_235948877.jpg)
When it comes to climbing in the autumn foliage, the “Dry river bed curl” is the best place to go! It is called the best place to view autumn leaves in Japan!
The autumn foliage is beautiful from the road, but the autumn foliage at Kadasawa Karu is something else! Surrounded by curls created by nature, the power and beauty of the autumn leaves spreading out before your eyes will impress anyone! The colors of the leaves change depending on how the sun shines on them, which is also a part of the beauty of the area. Every year, during the peak season of the autumn foliage, the tent sites at the dry river bed are filled with hundreds to 1,000 tents, and the leaves begin to change color from mid-September to late September to early October.
![](https://kumakuma1018.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/original_bacded8c-cb50-446e-b1e9-a76607110305_PXL_20221001_102649505.NIGHT_-1-771x1024.jpg)
![](https://kumakuma1018.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/PXL_20221001_094200217.NIGHT_-1.jpg)
![](https://kumakuma1018.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/1664797968922.jpg)
At night, if the weather is fine, the sky is so starry that you can see the Milky Way, and the colorful tents lined up in a row make for a fantastic view, one of the autumn specialties of the dry river beds.
In the early morning, the Hotaka mountain range can be seen as Morgenrot! Morgenrot is a phenomenon in which the morning sun illuminates the mountains from the eastern sky, turning their surfaces red. The sight of the red and yellow mountainsides and the autumn leaves are breathtaking. It is a spectacular view that you will never get tired of no matter how many times you see it!
Mountaineering level
★★★☆☆☆☆
There are no steep climbs, but a flat mountain path for about 3.5 hours and a gradual ascent for less than 3 hours, so beginners will be fine.
1Day 6 hours 40 minutes *including breaks
07:30 Start climbing Kamikochi Bus Terminal
09:10 Tokusawa Campsite
10:10 Yokoo Campsite
14:20 Dry river bed hutte (where we will stay in tents)
.
2Day 5 hours 30 minutes *including breaks
03:30 Wake up
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Oku-Hotaka Mt.
03:50 Dry river bed hutte
〜Sunrise
06:00 Mt.
07:30 Dry river bed hutte
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-07:30
〜Breakfast & clean up
09:00 Start descent Dry river bed hutte
14:30 Descend Kamikochi Bus Terminal
Caution
Arrive before 12:00 or you will run out of space to pitch your tent.
No.1 Sunset from Mt! The orange sea of clouds and sky is a spectacular and moving view!
![](https://kumakuma1018.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/PXL_20210914_090911288-1.jpg)
The sunset I saw on my way back to Hakuba Ooike from Mt. Hakuba was the most impressive mountain view I have ever seen! The sunsets we usually see are beautiful, of course, but the beauty of a sunset from the top of a mountain is much different! The view of the sky, sea of clouds, and mountains tinted orange by the light of the sunset is truly breathtaking! Hakuba is the highest peak in the Goratateyama mountain range, at 2,932 meters above sea level, and is considered one of the “Hakuba Sanzan” (three mountains of Hakuba), including Mt. It is characterized by large snow-capped valleys and abundant alpine flora, and has been selected as one of the “One Hundred Famous Mountains of Japan” and “One Hundred Famous Mountains of Flowers. From the summit of Mt! The peaks of the Tsurugi and Tateyama mountain ranges, the peaks of the Northern Alps, the Southern Alps, the Yatsugatake Mountains, and Mt!
![](https://kumakuma1018.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/PXL_20210914_090747745.jpg)
The starry sky and the Milky Way at night” and “Hakuba Great Pond and the sea of clouds in the morning” are also too spectacular to be truly impressive!
![](https://kumakuma1018.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/PXL_20210914_175715983.NIGHT2_-1.jpg)
![](https://kumakuma1018.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/PXL_20210914_204940602-1.jpg)
Mountaineering level
I think intermediate level climbers and above can easily handle it.
I think that intermediate level climbers and above can enjoy this tour, but considering that my mother also climbed this mountain, I think that beginners who have climbed the mountain several times can also enjoy this tour!
Schedule
Hiking time: 8 hours (2 days)
1day
10:00 Tsugaike Mt.
10:00 Tsugaike Sanso Ropeway to here
12:00 Norikuradake (Hakuba mountain range)
12:40 Arrive at Hakuba Ooike Villa 2,379m
〜Lunch ~ Campsite
Leave all your luggage here and let's go!
13:50 Depart from Hakuba Ooike Sanso
15:00 Ascend Mt.
16:00 Ascend Mt. Hakuba 2,932m
19:00 Descend Hakuba Ooike Sanso
2day
8:00 Hakuba Ooike Mt.
8:00 Depart from Hakuba Ooike Sanso
10:00 Descend from Tsugaike Sanso
Take the ropeway down to the lodge.
Caution
Warning Points
We went at 8:00am and the parking lot was empty! (Maybe because it was a weekday)
![](https://kumakuma1018.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/PXL_20221001_203757573.jpg)
Why don’t you try mountain climbing for a spectacular view?
Why don’t you try mountain climbing?