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English-language guidebook to the Japan Alps, featuring 27 walks and treks in the North, Central and South Alps, and the Mt Fuji area. Routes range from short, easy walks to long, tough treks and thrilling scrambles. Covers popular areas of Hakuba, Tateyama, Kamikochi, Kawaguchiko. With full information on travel, camping, mountain huts and more.
Free Royal Mail 48 postage on UK orders. European postage is £3.50 per item. Worldwide postage is £5.50 per item. If you're not happy with your purchase for any reason, we'll give you a full refund.
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A guidebook to 13 short treks and 14 day walks in the Japan Alps and on Mount Fuji. Routes are graded by difficulty and range from relatively short walks on easy terrain to strenuous mountain excursions, sometimes involving scrambling, aided sections and considerable exposure.
The routes cover the North , Central and South Alps, with each chapter offering information on local bases and public transport access. Also included are the four main ascent routes on Mount Fuji, Japan’s highest mountain. The treks range from 2–8 days and the day walks from 4 to 20km (3–15 hours).
Map key
Overview map
Introduction
Preparations and practicalities
When to go
Getting to Japan
Getting around Japan
Rail passes
Accommodation
Mountain huts and camping
Food and drink
Hot springs
Money
Communications
Language
Tourist information offices
What to take
Luggage forwarding
Maps and GPS
Waymarking
The typical hiking day
Mountain etiquette
Health and safety
Emergencies
Using this guide
All about the Japan Alps and Mt Fuji
Location and climate
Geology and landscape
Plants and wildlife
History of hiking in Japan
The North (Kita) Alps
Hakuba Area
Walk 1 Mt Shirouma-dake
Trek 1 Mt Shirouma-dake and Hakuba-Yari Onsen
Tateyama Area
Walk 2 Mt Tateyama
Walk 3 Mt Oku-dainichi-dake
Trek 2 Mt Tsurugi-dake
Trek 3 North Alps traverse
Hotaka Area
Walk 4 Mt Yake-dake
Walk 5 Mt Nishiho-Doppyō
Trek 4 Mt Oku-Hotaka-dake and Karasawa Cirque
Trek 5 Mt Yari-ga-take
Trek 6 Mt Chō-ga-take and Mt Jōnen-dake
Trek 7 Mt Kasa-ga-take
Norikura Area
Walk 6 Mt Norikura-dake
The Central (Chūō) Alps
Walk 7 Mt Kiso-koma-ga-take
Trek 8 Central Alps traverse
The South (Minami) Alps
North Area
Walk 8 Mt Kai-koma-ga-take
Walk 9 Mt Senjō-ga-take
Trek 9 Mt Kita-dake
Trek 10 Mt Hō-ō
South Area
Trek 11 Mt Arakawa-Higashidake (Mt Warusawa) and Mt Akaishi-dake
Trek 12 Mt Kamikōchi-dake and Mt Hijiri-dake
Trek 13 South Alps traverse
Mt Fuji
Walk 10 Mt Fuji – Yoshida route
Walk 11 Mt Fuji – Subashiri route
Walk 12 Mt Fuji – Gotemba route
Walk 13 Mt Fuji – Fujinomiya route
Walk 14 Mt Kuro-dake
Appendix A Route summary table – walks
Appendix B Route summary table – treks
Appendix C Mountain huts
Appendix D Glossary
Appendix E Useful contacts and further resources
Appendix F Further reading
November 2019
Tom Fay is a British writer and teacher based in Osaka, and he has been living in Japan for well over a decade. Growing up in the hills of North Wales, the mountains of Snowdonia were his first outdoor 'love', and he still returns there year after year. He has since hiked and climbed in many places including Scotland, Iceland, China, South Korea, New Zealand, the Himalayas and every corner of Japan. Tom writes about travel and the outdoors for a variety of publications and media outlets, and is the author of a popular guidebook called 'Must-See Japan'. He is a member of the Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild.
View author profileWes Lang has been exploring Japan's mountains since relocating to the country in 2001. In 2008 he became the first American (and one of only a handful of foreigners) to climb the Hyakumeizan, Japan's 100 Famous Mountains. He has since gone on to complete the Kansai Hyakumeizan (100 mountains of the Kansai region) and is currently attempting to climb the highest mountain in each of Japan's 47 Prefectures. He is the founder of Hiking in Japan, a website providing comprehensive hiking information for the Hyakumeizan and beyond. His travels have taken him to the mountains of South Korea, Taiwan, New Zealand and throughout the US. Wes lives in Osaka with his Japanese wife and young daughter.
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