The North Alps - September 2009

Murodo

There are basically three ways of geting from Tokyo to Toyama, the starting point for this walk in the North Alps, namely road, rail or air, in ascending order of cost. I decided to try the overnight bus this time, and was able to make a booking over the internet from the U.K. I boarded the Willer Express bus at 10-25 p.m. at the Konan Exit of Shinagawa Station and at exactly 10-30 p.m. the bus left Shinagawa and headed to Shinjuku, where it was to pick up additional passengers. We left Shinjuku at 11-30 p.m., made stops at service areas at Matsushiro (2-45 a.m.) and Arisoumi (5-00 a.m.) before arriving at Toyama Station at 6-00 a.m. on the dot.

The Willer Express Royal Hi Decker overnight bus at Toyama Station

Cute sleeper-seats on the overnight bus!

Day 1.

The Tateyama train goes on the Chiho Densha Line of Toyama Chiho Tetsudo Company Ltd from Dentestu Toyama Station. Toyama to Tateyama Station is 34 km and takes one hour.

Train to Tateyama Station

I soon had my Yen 1,170 ticket for the 6-28 a.m. train, and queued along with several other hikers heading for the mountains. The Chiho Densha Line is really quite nice; an old line that meanders down the valley past old wooden stations revealing a bit of old Japan until it terminates at Tateyama Station. From here I transferred to the Tateyama Cable Car and bought a combined cable car/bus ticket for Yen 2,360 to take me to Murodo. The cable car, or funicular, runs on a 1.3 km track and is quite steep, taking you up 487 m to Bijoudaira at approximately 1,000 m elevation.

The Cable Car to Bijoudaira

At Bijoudaira you transfer to a bus for the ride up to Murodo, 2,400 m elevation, along a road that seems to comprise of one hair pin bend after another. Bijoudaira to Murodo is 23 km and takes 50 minutes. There are some scales at Bijoudaira and hikers with bags weighing more than 10 kg are charged a supplemental Yen 300.

On route to Murodo. Takimidai, at 1,280 m elevation

I took the 8-00 a.m. bus and arrived at Murodo at 8-45 a.m.

You enter the Murodo terminal at the ground floor level and have to make your way up to the third floor to exit. It was quite a shock as I exited, as Japan was experiencing very unseasonal weather, and it was very cold and windy as I left the building. Furthermore the route that I was planning to hike, Raichozawa up to Tsurugi Gozen Lodge, was shrouded in mist and looked most unwelcoming. I felt quite jaded after my travels and had a headache from the altitude, so I did not fancy starting off along a very cold ridge shrouded in cloud!

The Tateyama range of mountains was completely enveloped in cloud

Ichinokoshi Lodge is just a blip on the col when viewed from Murodo

Looking back down to Murodo with the bus terminus on the left

To the right I could see the col at Ichinokoshi and the lodge there, at the foot of the 3,003 m peak O-yama, and decided that Ichinokoshi would be a better bet for the first day. I set off and reached the lodge after 11—00 a.m.

Ichinokoshi Lodge, 2,700 m elevation

I checked in, explain to the lodge keeper that I just travelled from London and Tokyo, and he gave me a room straight away so that I could have a sleep during the afternoon. I slept though till 4 p.m., and then went down into the main lodge room to be ready for dinner at 5-00 p.m. There were less than 10 other hikers in the lodge, and I was surprised how quiet it was. After talking to other hikers for a while in the “shokudo” and watching sumo results on the TV I turned in for bed at 8-30 p.m.

Dinner at Ichinokoshi Lodge

Tatami room at Ichinokoshi Lodge

Communal washing facilities

Day 2.

The tanoy sprang in to life at 5-50 a.m. announcing that breakfast would be from 6-00 a.m. I asked for o-yu (Hot Water) in the canteen and made some cup-a-soup for breakfast. As the weather was clear I decided to climb to the top of O-yama before setting off on the main hike to Goshikigahara. It took me about an hour to climb O-yama and I arrived at the shrine at the top around 8-10 a.m. I considered going a bit further to the slightly higher peak Onanjiyama (3,015 m) but the ridge was completely covered in low cloud so there did not seem to be much point. After the obligatory photographs I went inside the Shrine to warm up by the kerosene stove, and then headed back down to Ichinokoshi Lodge. I was back at the lodge by 9-15 a.m.

View of the climb to O-yama Peak from Ichinokoshi Lodge

View down to Murodo with the bus terminus on the left, from half way up O-yama

Loooking back down on Ichinokoshi Lodge, with Ryoudake in the background

O-yama 3,003 m

Shrine at O-yama 3,003m

Tengu

I left Ichinokoshi by 9-45 a.m. and headed towards Goshikigahara. The trail climbs away from Ichinokoshi to Ryuodake 2,872m, before dropping down again. The next peak is Onidake, at 2,750m followed by Shishidake at 2,720 m.

Shishidake 2,720 m

The trail ahead

You get a first glimpse of the Kurobe Lake prior to the peak at Shishidake, and after Shishidake the route drops down to Zara Toge at 2,348,m.

First glimpse of Kurobe Lake

It is steep in places and a steel ladder has been installed to help hikers over the more difficult bits.

Help via a steel ladder on difficult bit

Approaching Goshikigahara

As the Goshikigahara Plateau is reached the trail switches to log walkways installed to protect the land which has eroded. I arrived at Goshikigahara Lodge at 3-15 p.m.

Goshikigahara Sanso

So with 2 hours climbing O-yama and 5.5 hours hiking to Goshikigahara Lodge, I had been on the go for 7.5 hours. I checked in to the lodge and as it was not busy I had a tatami room all to myself. The lodge was quite nice and quite well organised, but I think that it has in recent times been moved from another location on the Goshikigahara plateau and has not yet been finished off properly. The taps in the washing area were all covered off with polythene bags, and the water was kept in large plastic buckets with ladles for spooning it out. The dinner was quite good that evening, and the miso soup (of which I had 3 bowls) was to die for. A bowl of miso, an Asahi Super Dry beer and sumo wrestling on the TV....... what more could you ask for?

It rained heavily all night and was still raining when I woke up in the morning.

Day 3.

The rain was lashing down and I was half tempted to stay in the lodge for the day. However the lodge keepers seemed to have a well established routine and I got the impression that they liked to get hikers out and away a.s.a.p. Everybody else had gone and I was the only one left, so I decided to don my wet gear and to head for Sugonorikoshi Lodge, which should have been 5 to 6 hours hiking. The trail leaves Goshikigahara Sanso on walking logs as it climbs through low pine bushes towards Tonbisan at 2,616m.

Tonbi-san

Alpine flowers

After that it is a long ridge climb to the top of Etsuchuzawadake at 2,591m. From here, if the weather is clear, it is possible to see both lodges…… the one you have just left, Goshikigahara Sanso, and the destination lodge of Sugonorikoshi Goya. But don’t be deceived, it is a long way to Sugonorikoshi Goya with many ups and downs and false peaks! After descending from Etsuchuzawadake, a smaller peak of Sugo-no-Kashira is reached at 2,431 m and the lodge looks tantalisingly close from here. The rain and the wind had by now worsened and I was going quite slow with the heavy pack that I was carrying. I stopped to change my top as I was beginning to get cold, and then pressed on to the lodge. The last stretch was exasperating with the false peaks and ups and downs, and when I eventually got to Sugonorikoshi Campsite I could not find the lodge! You are actually walking in bush and bamboo around 8 foot high at this point and it is difficult to see where the lodge is. I was feeling rather tired and this was the last thing that I needed! I finally made the lodge after 8 hours walking, and was wet and tired! There was even water sloshing around in my boots, and the breast pockets of my Goretex jacket had an inch of water in each side. The left hand side had turned in to “Polo Mint Soup” as a packet of Polo Mints had completely dissolved. My digital camera was in the right hand side, and that was dripping water! I stripped off all my wet clothes in the drying room, and headed for the futon for an hour’s rest before dinner!

Sugonorikoshi Lodge

Sleeping quarters at Sugonorikoshi Lodge

Sugonorikoshi Goya was quite rustic to say the least. It has a generator to provide electricity for a few hours a day, but in the generator was switched off in the evening and oil lamps were used. The sleeping area was in the roof space, and as the roof was leaking in many places there were plastic containers strategically placed to catch the drips. The place was run by a lodge keeper and an assistant, and they were there on their own for the whole summer. All food, materials and kerosene had to be flown in by helicopter as the lodge was so remote. The lodge keeper told me that it was difficult to offer good quality food as they did not have a refrigerator, but he said that he would try to do a stew for me in the evening (what actually came was the normal meal with two small pieces of fried spam added!). But the lodge was warm and dry, a refuge from the wind and driving rain outside, so I was more than happy!

"Shokudo" at Sugonorikohsi Lodge

The evening meal

There was only one other guest besides myself, and that was a lady named Maeko who I had met earlier in the day on the trail. She was actually carrying a tent and cooking gear in her rucksack, but as the rain was so bad she had decided to stay in the lodge that night. She was brilliant when I arrived at the lodge, getting all my wet gear on to coat hangers for drying, and generally helping me.

The drying area

Day 4.

I was in two minds what to do because of the weather, and the fact that the next segment of the walk was a long one over Yakushidake at 2,926 m. Sugonorikoshi Goya was at 2,270m, so there would be a lot of climbing including subsidiary peaks on the way. On the one hand I wanted to get going, but on the other I was tempted to rest my leg as my right knee was painful. In the end I decided to give it a go, and Maeko and myself decided to walk together for safety, on the understanding that if I could not keep up she would leave me and press ahead. We started off at 6-45 a.m., but the weather did not improve and as we started to get higher it became worse. The first challenge was Mayama , at 2,585 m, but I was already falling behind as Maeko set a tough pace. It was not that she was going particularly quickly, but she just plodded on and never stopped! I bade her farewell and told her to press on without me. I was starting to get cold and did not fancy being on top of Yakushidake in rain, so I decided to return to Sugonorikoshi Goya and spend the rest of the day there. My clothes were already wet so I turned and went back down. I spent most of the morning sitting around the kerosene heater drying my clothes.

Bleak outlook at Sugonorikoshi Lodge with rain and low cloud

That evening there were two other “okyakusan” (guests) at the lodge, so three of us sat around in the shokudo for the evening meal. There was a red sky in the evening so I was hoping for a better day the next day. There was nothing to do at the lodge in the evening…… not even a TV to watch for an hour or so….. hence I went to bed at 6-45 p.m. with the intention of getting an early start.

Day 5.

I woke at 4-45 a.m. and was downstairs before the lodge keeper had got up. The sun was just rising over the mountains and you could tell that it was going to be a good day. The lodge keeper got up and went outside, and came back in shouting “Shimo Oritate”…… I thought that he had seen a wild animal or something but no, he was commenting that there was frost on the tables outside…… the first frost of the season.

Sunrise at Sugonorikoshi Lodge

Frost on the outside tables early morning

I discussed my options with him. If I carried on and did Yakushidake I would eventually get to Tarobe Goya, and then there was an escape route off the mountain to Oritate and Aremine. There was a bus from Aremine back to Toyama, the only problem being that it only ran on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 10-30 a.m. Apart from this bus, the only alternative was a 2-hour taxi ride back to Toyama. This would be expensive, and would be more difficult as it would have to be pre-arranged by phone from Tarobe Goya. So, to carry on via Yakushidake was effectively making escape off the mountain more difficult. I was concerned with the climbing involved, and the fact that the weight of my rucksack was putting strain on my knee.

The alternative was to go back to Goshikigahara. This route was taking me back closer to Toyama, and had the advantage that there was a short high-level option as well as a longer low-level option off the mountain if I had more problems with my knee. I decided to go back to Goshikigahara for safety’s sake.

Leaving Sugonorikoshi for Goshikigahara

Looking back to Sugonorikoshi Lodge, just a small red blip on the ridge

The trail goes up a narrow ravine hemmed in by foliage

Mt Kasa in the distance

As it was a warm day and I would be walking through low scrub, I fixed my bear-bell to my walking stick so that I did not turn a corner to find a bear sitting in the sun! I set off at 6-45 a.m., and reached the peak at Etsuchuzawadake, 2,591m, at 11-40 a.m., i.e. nearly 5 hours of walking.

Etsuchuzawadake 2,591 m

Etsuchuzawadake 2,591 m

The trail from Etsuchuzawadake to Goshikigahara

It was a very sunny and hot day, and I had only taken one litre of water with me to reduce weight. I had consumed this by the time I reached Etsuchuzawadake. At the peak I met a Slovakian walker headed towards Sugonorikoshi. He had been caught in the wind and rain the night before and had not made it to the lodge, and had had to bivvy on the mountain using a small tent. Because of the high winds he said that he did not think that his tent was going to survive the night.

Looking ahead to Tonbi yama

Tonbi yama Peak at 2,616 m

I was now anxious to find water, and walking over a sandy part of the trail I noticed that it was wet from the rain. To the side of the trail was a small pool of water with a sandy bottom, and I managed to scoop up a litre and pass it through a micro-filter bag into my water bottle. I added 3 iodine tablets and, hey presto, thirty minutes later I had a litre of water I could drink. Just as well I did this as by the time I reached Goshikigahara Lodge at 3-25 p.m. I had consumed it all.

Mist rolling is as I approached Goshikigahara Lodge

Shokudo, Goshikigahara Lodge. The view is across the valley to Mt. Hari-no-Ki

Mt. Hari-no-Ki

I was quite tired again, as I had been walking for 8 hours 40 minutes in all, and had another early night.

Day 6.

Having studied the map in some detail, the low-level route via Kurobe Lake looked the most interesting, and there were two lodges available to me on this route. At least I would be breaking new ground, rather than going back along the trail via Shishidake to Ichinokoshi. Again as I would be walking through trees and bushes on my way to Kurobe Lake I attached my bear bell for safety.

Leaving Goshikigahara Lodge

I set off at 7-15 a.m. and headed for Goshikigahara campsite, where I turned right along a ridge down to the Lake.

Goshikigahara Campsite

I noticed something move, and realised that it was a group of raicho feeding on the low bushes. Their colouration is such a good match for their surroundings that they are hard to see.

Raicho

The first part of the trail went down a steep ridge down a boulder strewn ravine, but it eventually flattened out until a series of zig-zag paths led down to the lake itself.

First glimpse of the Lake

I reached Hirano Goya, at 11-15 a.m. after four and a quarter hours walking. There is a boat service across the lake here for hikers wanting to continue on the trail the other side of the lake, which goes up to Mt Hari-no-Ki.

Hirano Goya

View of the Lake from Hirano Goya

Boat times for crossing the lake

I chatted to a lady at the lodge and asked her if I could have some hot water for my cup-o-soup. It looked a really nice lodge so I asked her if it was possible to stay the night. I did not really understand her reply, but it told me that it was not possible to stay. It could have been that they were closed, or it might have been reservation only. She said that it was another 4 hours to the Kurobe Dam and the path was good. On this basis it would be about three and a half hours to the next lodge, which was O.K. I started to take my bear bell off my pole, saying to the lady that I probably did not need it any more. She was adamant……. there are lots of bears in this area, she said, so you had best keep it on!

Trail leaving Hirano Goya along the Lake

Kurobe Lake

So I set off again, bell jangling on my walking pole, just hoping that there were no deaf and dumb bears in the area who might not hear me coming! It was a pleasant walk along the lake with the path more or less following the contours, but where ravines entered the lake it was necessary to go inland and to climb up higher. There were numerous wooden ladders and bridges to help you pass the difficult bits.

I eventually came to a knoll and saw for the first time the lodge ahead the other side of the ravine, but I did not get too excited as I knew that I had at least another hour’s walking ahead of me.

Lodge Kurohan viewed for the first time across the ravine

The last bridge to cross on route to the lodge

I actually had to walk away from the lodge to cross the ravine first, and then walk back towards the lodge. By the time I reached Lodge Kurohan it was 4-45 p.m. …… I had been walking for 9.5 hours and was pretty tired.

Lodge Kurohan

Camp site at Lodge Kurohan

I got an uncomfortable feeling as I approached the door of the lodge as there was no sign of activity and no lights on! The lodge keeper came to the door and told me they were closed! He said that I just needed to walk another 40 minutes and I could get a bus to Omachi! I said that I have been walking for nearly 10 hours and was really really tired, there was no way that I could walk another step. He said they had no food available, but I countered that by saying that I had food and all I needed was somewhere to sleep! While I was waiting for him to decide whether to let me stay I put some money in the vending machine to buy a drink, but because there was no electricity it did not work! The lodge keeper had to go to an outbuilding to switch on the generator. He hummed and aahhed for a while but eventually I was able to persuade him to let me in. By this time a Japanese walker had arrived as well, so he gave rooms to both of us! He even agreed to cook us an evening meal! I was most encouraged as I checked in as he gave me a small white towel……… a definite sign that the hotel had an ofuro! (Japanese bath) What a joy it was to get out of my walking clothes and to soak in the bath! There was even a washing machine in the bathroom, but I thought that it was pushing my luck a bit to ask him if I could do some washing!
The meal that he prepared for us was excellent. We had trout, tonkatsu, chicken, soup, rice and various mountain vegetables. It was really good, and was washed down with a can of Asahi Super Dry beer!

Was I glad to have somewhere to sleep that night!

Day 7.

Before I left Lodge Kurohan I made a special effort to thank the lodge keeper, stressing again how tired I had been the night before and how grateful I was for him letting me stay. I left at 6-45 a.m. and had a definite spring in my step after the good night’s sleep. The weather was warm and sunny which added to my good spirits. By 7-15 a.m. I was in the entrance hall of the Cable Car at the Kurobe Dam.

Approaching the Kurobe Dam

The Kurobe Dam

There was no one around, and the entrance hall was really warm with hot air heaters pumping warm air out. I suppose that if you are a hydroelectric power plant you don’t have to worry about the cost of electricity! I stayed there for a while, enjoying the warmth, and had a couple of coffees from a vending machine in the entrance hall.

Just before 9-00 a.m. I wandered down to the edge of the lake and bought a ticket for the Kurobe Lake Boat Trip.

The Pleasure Boat on Kurobe Lake

Speeding away from the dam

This went as far down the lake as the Hirano Goya…… taking about 15 minutes to do what had taken me 5 hours the day before. By 9-30 a.m. I was back in the entrance hall of the Cable Car ready to move on. Rather than take the cable car back to Murodo, I went the other way and took the Kanden Trolley Bus of Kansai Electric Power Company to Ogisawa. The trolley bus runs through a tunnel under Mt. Akazawadake for 16 km and takes 16 minutes. From Ogisawa, a bus runs to Omachi (Yen 1,330) covering the 18 km in 40 minutes. The bus arrives at the Sinano Omachi Station, and I took the 11-33 a.m. train to Matsumoto.

An electric trolley bus goes through a long tunnel from Kurobe Dam to Ogisawa

Bus from Ogisawa to Omachi

Train from Shinano Omachi to Matsumoto

I arrived at Matsumoto Station at 12-35 a.m. It was a warm day (26 deg C) and my first port of call was MacDonald’s in front of the station! Oh how nice to have a hamburger when you have been existing on mountain food! The local Tourist Office fixed me up with a room at the Toko City Hotel for two nights, and I used their coin operated laundry to wash all my clothes. How nice it was to have a nice hotel room with an en-suite bathroom, and to have all my clothes clean again!

I was quite shocked when I turned on the evening news on Sunday 20th, as there were reports coming in of a bear attack at a Takayama Bus Terminal. The newspapers carried articles for the next two days:-

The Japan Times
Monday 21st September 2009

The Japan Times
Tuesday 22nd September 2009

Japan Headlines Examiner
19th September 2009

An Asian black bear entered a mountain bus terminal in central Japan and then started attacking visitors and employees. Nine people were injured, four seriously, before the bear was cornered and finally shot by local hunters at the request of police.The incident started at a little after 2pm yesterday, September 18th (JST), at the Hita-Nyukawa Noriraku Mountain Bus Terminal in Gifu prefecture, about 170 miles northwest of Tokyo, according to reports.The 4 or 5 year old male black bear, which is said to have been a little over 4-feet long and 2.5-feet tall, entered the terminal parking lot from a mountain path and proceeded to start chasing one visitor. Another visitor tried to beat back the bear with a stick, but the bear retaliated, seriously injuring the man. Several employees then tried to help the injured man, but were also wounded by the bear, according to reports. Other people tried to chase off the bear by honking car horns, but ended up only causing it to retreat into the terminal's building. Several more people were harmed in the process. A panic began, but finally one employee was able to corner the bear into a souvenir shop by spraying a fire extinguisher and then trapping it in the shop by closing the shop's shutters. The police eventually arrived with several local hunters and put the bear down. The injured were evacuated to local hospitals via ambulance and medical helicopter. In total, 7 men and 2 women were reported to have been hurt. The most severe received major wounds to face, as well as broken bones and other injuries. The attack has come during a heavy fall travel period that has been dubbed “Silver Week.” A researcher from the Japan Bear Network told Japanese reporters that “this time is the number one most dangerous period” within the year for encounters between humans and bears. Bears start feverishly looking for food to prepare for their winter hibernation. “While bears are obsessing over food, cases of contact with humans significantly increase,” the researcher warned. He also said, “You absolutely shouldn’t try to scare off a bear with a stick or loud noises.”