Aug.
2002, Xene #29
GETTING INTO AUTUMN
By Allyson Ashfield
Summer-lovers out there know that the coming of autumn
heralds the arrival of winter. Before you resign yourselves
to curling up under the kotatsu and watching videos
or propping up a bar until the rays of the sun blast
forth, why not get into the change of seasons by going
hiking?
Hiking isn't just for Olympic athletes, nor does it
mean scaling a mountain with a 90-degree face. It's
about being outdoors, enjoying the scenery, leaving
towns and cities behind and reflecting on the day
while sitting in an onsen. After all, most of Japan
is mountainous, so why ignore it? Autumn brings spectacular
scenery and breathtaking views. So come on, get out
there and enjoy it.
Having decided to put on your sturdy waterproof boots
and hit the trails, what else are you going to take?
It's a good idea to have a tough rucksack with a waist
strap to distribute the weight, a waterproof jacket
and trousers, water, food (onigiri is good), warm
foul-weather clothing including gloves and a hat (not
cotton, which loses its warmth once wet). Having a
mobile phone for emergencies and a whistle to attract
attention is a good idea. Around Kita-juni-jo Subway
Station you'll find several good places to get gear:
ICI Sports (pronounced "Ishii Sports"),
Shugakuso and Patagonia.
Now
that you've got your gear together, where are you
going to go? Are you going to do a day hike, or an
overnight hike? Near where you live, or farther afield?
The good thing about Japan is the fantastic public
transport system, which lets you get to most places
with a little time and patience. You can even get
English information about buses at the East Exit of
JR Sapporo Station.
Japan also has a great system of mountain huts, due
to the numbers of hikers and the popularity of yama
ski (backcountry skiing). These make it possible for
you to overnight without lugging lots of gear. The
huts are basic shelters and not luxurious hotels,
so you do need to bring a sleeping bag and mat, food,
a cooking stove, gas and drinking water.
Now for a friendly word of warning. Always make sure
to boil water from rivers in Hokkaido; otherwise,
you could find yourself playing host to the deadly
parasitic tapeworm larvae of Echinococcus. Incubation
can take years, and once detected it's too late: The
larvae destroys the liver of the host. Don't let this
put you off hiking. For shorter hikes, carrying your
water is not a problem, and if you're using a hut
you can leave any water you won't need. With all that
in mind, let's check out some mountains.
In the Sapporo area there are plenty of hikes within
a bus ride of the city. A good hike with various options
is Soranuma-dake ("sky pond mountain").
Take the bus from Makomanai Subway Station to Soranuma
Tozan Guchi, the last stop. It's in what looks like
part of a quarry. Follow the signs through the "quarry"
to the trailhead (tozan guchi).
From the tozan guchi the trail meanders upwards, passing
through forests and by small mountain ponds (numa).
There are two mountain huts near Aonuma, the first
pond. One was shuttered up when I was last there (perhaps
it's the hut of a university or mountain club), but
the newer and bigger one is open and accessible to
all for a nominal fee for upkeep. From the huts proceed
upward, passing Bankei Pond, which is to the right
of the trail, and moving on to the summit (1,249 m).
As you reach the ridge, be careful to go left at the
fork, unless you want to traverse to Sapporo-dake
and come out near Jozankei, six hours away. The summit
offers views of the Pacific Ocean, the Sea of Japan,
the Ishikari Plain, and the higher peaks southwest
of Sapporo.
The
hike to the huts takes about two hours, making this
an ideal overnight hike. You could start later in
the day and stop at the hut for the night, proceeding
on to the summit (a further two hours away) the next
day, soaking up the autumnal scenery and views of
Mt. Yotei, Hokkaido's very own Fuji, at the summit,
and descending later in the day. Alternatively you
could leave early in the morning, drop off your overnight
gear at the hut on the way to the summit, spend the
night in the hut on the way down, and have a leisurely
hike back to the bus stop the next day. Check the
bus schedule carefully, as this is not a major route
and weekends tend to have a different schedule. You
could also get a bus to Soranuma Futamata and walk
about thirty minutes to the trailhead.
Another good one-day hike out of Sapporo is Kamui-dake.
From the bus terminal at JR Sapporo Station or from
Makomanai Subway Station, take Jotetsu Bus to Jozankei
and get off at Hyakumatsu-bashi. The trail starts
on the side of the bridge opposite the bus stop. In
the small wooden hut is a climber's registration book.
It's a good idea to fill in your details -- name,
address, number of people you're hiking with and start
time -- so that if anything happens people know where
you are. That said, I'm not sure who those people
would be or when they might check, but it's better
than nothing.
The trail traverses forests and passes through an
open area called Ganbodai before reaching a rocky
tabletop, the summit (983 m). It offers great views
of the surrounding mountains and is a perfect place
to sit, eat lunch and have a beer. The trail leads
on to the adjoining Eboshi-dake, but it was virtually
impassable the last time I was there and didn't look
like a whole heap of fun. Better to head down and
catch the bus back to Sapporo, or if you've got time,
why not go just up the road to Jozankei for an onsen
bath. The hike should take about five hours.
Farther
afield is Asahi-dake ("sunrise mountain":
2,290.3 m) the highest mountain in Hokkaido and one
of the most spectacular, especially in autumn. The
good news is that if you don't fancy hiking up from
the trailhead, there is a cable car (ropeway) costing
about 1,500 yen. This takes you a good portion of
the way up, leaving you with about a two- to three-hour
hike to the summit. You don't even have to go all
the way to the top to enjoy the scenery and really
feel like you're in the mountains. You can just walk
around at the cable car station and drink in your
fill. If you decide to go to the summit, you'll find
a steep climb from the cable car station that passes
steaming sulphur vents, Sugatami-ike ("mirror
pond"), the Asahi-dake mountain hut, and great
spots overlooking the mountains of Daisetsuzan National
Park. Slightly easier but equally rewarding is to
hike up from the trailhead to the top cable car station,
which should take about two to three hours.
Getting there is pretty easy. From JR Asahikawa Station,
you can take Asahikawa Denki Kido Bus to the cable
car station. The good news is that if you spend more
than 2,000 yen at the cable car station and keep your
receipts, the return bus is free. If you feel like
staying overnight there's the mountain hut about a
thirty-minute walk from the top cable car station
or, near the bottom station, there is Asahi-dake Youth
Hostel (a recently rebuilt wooden building) and a
plethora of hotels and lodgings nestled together.
There is also a campsite for those of you with tents.
A visit to the Asahi-dake Visitors Centre is a good
idea, as it has lots of maps and information, mostly
in Japanese.
Niseko, southwest of Sapporo, is another area with
many hiking trails and great views. It is home to
several famous ski resorts collectively known as Niseko,
although that name more accurately belongs to one
small town to the west of the resort and its neighbouring
mountain. Trains do run directly to Niseko from Sapporo
and Hakodate, but these are not frequent, so check
the schedules carefully. The start point for most
hikes is Niseko-yama-no-ie, which is at Goshiki Onsen
fifteen kilometres away. It is possible to get a bus
from JR Niseko Station to Niseko-yama-no-ie, about
a one-hour ride. Again check bus times carefully so
you're not hanging around for ages. You could stay
instead at Niseko Annupuri Youth Hostel and head off
hiking the next day. Take the bus to Konbu Onsen,
and after about twenty minutes get off at Niseko Annupuri
Kokusai Ski Resort. The manager of the hostel has
a good reputation and may even pick you up from Niseko
if you call in advance.
From Goshiki Onsen there are various hikes including
the Niseko Circuit. This is a seven-hour hike starting
from the carpark and toilets on the main road. Follow
the path over the bridge and up the manmade steps
to the registration book. From here follow the trail,
which is marked with pink stripes of tape or arrows
spray-painted on rocks. Do the circuit anticlockwise,
going towards Nitonupuri at the fork. The trail winds
uphill to the rocky summit (1,080 m) and then descends
to the road. Crossing the road, continue up to the
summit of Chisenupuri (1,134 m) and then down to Chonuma,
a big mountain pond that will be to your right and
is an ideal place for a lunch break. Continue on the
trail, re-crossing the road and passing through O-yachi,
a marshland of wildflowers, until you come to O-numa
on your right. This is another ideal place for a break
and some food. The final part of the trail takes you
through old sulphur mines and back to the fork. From
here retrace your steps from the morning back to the
carpark.
If
you decide to do any of these hikes, I hope you enjoy
them. Before you head out, get as much information
as you can about where you're going, including maps.
Good sources are The Lonely Planet Guide to Hiking
in Japan, and Hokkaido Trekking and Onsen Guide published
by the Sapporo International Communication Plaza Foundation.
The latter guide is in English and Japanese, and costs
about 400 yen.
A final word of warning before you're on your own.
Hokkaido is home to the higuma, the Hokkaido brown
bear. Although rarely seen by hikers on popular trails,
they are alive and out there. Japanese hikers carry
a bell to reduce the element of surprise, and encounters
are rare. In all my hiking in Hokkaido, the closest
I've ever come to the higuma is a mighty roar, which
sounded like a lion, up a valley in the Daizetsuzan
Mountains. Having said that, whilst hiking in the
Hidaka Mountains last summer, a friend of mine popped
behind a car at the trailhead for a quick pee, only
to find a large pile of fresh bear poo.
