Prior to beginning my traverse of the Japanese Alps this year, I had the chance to visit Jotaro Yoshida, founder of LOCUS GEAR at their headquarters in Japan's Kanagawa Prefecture, just outside of Tokyo. LOCUS GEAR is a small gear manufacturer, based in Japan, that specializes in lightweight
Japan Alps Traverse: Route Expectations
The start of my Japanese Alps Traverse is less than a week away and I have been looking into the route a bit more since, you know, I should probably know where I'm going. My starting point will be Ichiburi Station (市振駅), a train station) in the south of Niigata Prefecture (新潟県). This station is
Thru-hiking The Japanese Alps
A lot of my hiking endeavors began with me thinking to myself, "Hmm, that thing would be cool to do," and last November, I thought to myself, "Hmm, traversing the entire Japanese Alps would be cool." I got super into planning a traverse of Japan's Alps for exactly two days before I gave up,
Japan’s Most Dangerous Hike: The Okuhotakadake – Nishihotakadake Traverse
The most dangerous thing you will encounter on most hikes in Japan is probably dehydration or perhaps one of the giant Japanese hornets if you're unlucky enough to catch one on bad day. However, the number one killer of hikers and people in the outdoors is not bears, snakes, ax-murderers, or even
Hiking Yarigatake (槍ヶ岳) in Japan
Name: Yarigatake Japanese name: 槍ヶ岳 Location: Kita Alps (北アルプス) Summit elevation: 10,433 ft / 3,180 m Elevation change: 6,991 ft / 2,131 m Round-trip distance from trailhead: 17.6 mi / 28.4 km Round-trip time from trailhead*: 12 hours Difficulty: Strenuous Water on trail: Yes Trailhead
Hiking Mount Haku (白山) in Japan
Name: Mount Haku Japanese name: 白山 (Hakusan) Location: Hokuriku (北陸地方) Summit elevation: 8,865 ft / 2,702.2 m Elevation change: 4,764 ft / 1,452 m Round-trip distance from trailhead: 10.6 mi / 17 km (following the route here) Round-trip time from trailhead*: 8 hours (following the route
Hiking Okuhotakadake (奥穂高岳) in Japan
Name: Mount Okuhotaka Japanese name: 奥穂高岳 (Okuhotakadake) Location: Kita Alps (北アルプス) Summit elevation: 10,470 ft / 3,190 m Elevation change: 6,627 ft / 2,020 m Round-trip distance from trailhead: 12.8 mi / 20.6 km Round-trip time from trailhead*: 10 hours Difficulty: Strenuous Water on
Hiking Tateyama (立山) in Japan
Name: Mount Tate Japanese name: 立山 (Tateyama) Location: Tateyama, Toyama (富山県立山町) Summit elevation: 9,892 ft / 3,015 m Elevation change: 2,017 ft / 615 m Round-trip distance from trailhead: 3.5 mi / 5.6 km Round-trip time from trailhead*: 3 hours 30 minutes (from Murodō) Difficulty:
Hiking Mount Tsurugi (剱岳) in Japan
Name: Mount Tsurugi Japanese name: 剱岳 (Tsurugi-dake) Location: Tateyama, Toyama (富山県立山町) Summit elevation: 9,839 ft / 2,999 m Elevation change: 7,283 ft / 2,220 m Round-trip distance from trailhead: 10.6 mi / 17 km Round-trip time from trailhead*: 10:55 moving time / 12:02 total time