Strenuous Hikes

Yakedake (焼岳) is an 8,054 ft / 2,455 m peak at the southern end of Japan's Northern/Kita Alps (北アルプス). It's also an active volcano. You can also hike to the top of it. One of Japan's hyaku-meizan, it's a fairly well-known peak but is not nearly as popular a hike as some of the more prominent

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

Yarigatake (槍ヶ岳) is perhaps one of the most recognizable peaks in Japan. Located in the center of the Kita Alps, it's a must for anyone serious about peak bagging in the Land of the Rising Sun. It can be accessed via numerous trailheads and is possible to conquer in a day (a very tough day). I

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