(鷲羽岳) Mt. Washiba Hike

 

This is unfortunately not really feasible as a dayhike or an overnight hike. 

What I have prepared then is a multi-day hike covering Mt. Yakushi - Mt. Kurobegoro - Mt. Washiba - Mt. Suisho loop. 

Budget: JPY15,790 (~USD152)

• JPY4,000. Bus, Tokyo to Toyama Station, allocated using Willer Bus Pass
• JPY1,040. Bus, Toyama Sation to Arimineguchi. 
• JPY2,500. Bus, Arimineguchi to Oritate. 
• JPY4,250. Taxi, Takase dam to Shinano-Omachi Station (JPY8,500 one way, split into two)
• JPY4,000. Bus, Shinano-Omachi Station to Tokyo, allocated using Willer Bus Pass. Otherwise, it's JPY5,200. 

Hike Date / Difficulty (Elevation: 2,924m / 9,593ft)

• 2021
• Difficulty: 5 out of 5. 
• Route below is around 50.1kilometers, with an elevation change of ▲5,247m/ ▽5,317m
• PDF Map Link 

When to Go

It seems that this can be done throughout the year, but prepare for plenty of snow. 

Bus access limited to mid-July to mid-September (Oritate), though some trailheads would allow for year-round public transport access (Shin-Hotaka).

Special Notes

• Weather check: English / Japanese. English more detailed, Japanese more accurate. 
• Trailheads. Nothing straightforward, and the funny thing is given the scale of the mountain, public transportation will be advantageous so that one can traverse the entire area. 
• Shin-hotaka Onsen (新穂高温泉). Refer to Mt. Hotaka post for access. 
• Takase Dam (高瀬ダム). Access as follows:
• Bus, Shinjuku Station to Shinano-Omachi Station. Bus schedule here, buses run from April to mid-December. JPY5,200, 5 hours one way. Consider bus pass. For 2020, schedules as follows:
• Shinjuku Bus Terminal to Shinano-Omachi: 6:35am, 7:35am, 9:35am, 3:05pm, 6:15pm, 11:05pm.
• Shinano-Omachi to Shinjuku Bus Terminal: 7:42am, 9:56am, 2:57pm, 3:57pm, 4:40pm, 5:12pm, 7:57pm. 
• Taxi, Shinano-Omachi Station to Takase-dam (JPY8,500 one way, 45 minutes). Taxis generally go until Nanakura (七倉), and then transfer at another taxi to go to Takase Dam. Either way, call first at 0261-23-2323 or 0261-22-2121. Taxis are cancelled in case of heavy rain, and only operate from mid April til early November, around 6am til 6pm, depending on the month (schedule here). 
• Oritate (折立). Access from Tokyo below. Access from Toyama Station here. 
• Train/bus, Tokyo Station to Toyama Station. Consider bus pass.
• Train, Toyama Station (富山駅) to Arimineguchi (有峰口駅)*. JPY1,040, one hour, one way.  
• Bus, Arimineguchi (有峰口駅) to Oritate (折立)*.  JPY2,500, 55 minutes, one way.As for reference, buses only run from July 17 til October 11 for 2020. 
• There is generally a bus that goes straight from Toyama Station to Oritate, but it was not in operation for 2020. It normally is JPY3,500, 2 hours one way. Below is an old flyer, but I would assume that future time tables would be similar. 
• Mountain huts.
• Paid. They are all over, practically near every summit. If you're looking for one and can't find any, leave a comment here and I'll update the post. 
• Free. Practically none, though there are some close to the trailheads. 
• Camping. Plenty close to the trailhead and in between, see the map above. 

Itinerary
Friday

• 10:10pm. Bus from Tokyo Station Kajibashi Parking lot to Toyama Station.

Saturday

• 06:05am. Arrival at Toyama Station
• 06:30am. Toyama Station to Oritate.
• 08:30am.  ETA: Oritate trailhead. Start hike. 
• 01:20pm. ETA: ETA: Yakushi-touge (薬師峠). Set up camp spot. 
• 04:00pm. ETA: Mt. Yakushi (薬師岳)
• 05:50pm. ETA: Yakushi-touge (薬師峠). Camp for the night. 

Sunday

• 05:00am. Start hike. 
• 10:10am. ETA: Mt. Kurobegoro
• 02:30pm. ETA: 三俣山荘. Set up camp. 
• 03:50pm. ETA: Mt Washiba (鷲羽岳) 
• 04:40pm. ETA: Back at 三俣山荘. Camp for the night. 

Monday

• 03:00am. Start hike. 
• 05:58am. ETA: Mt. Suisho (水晶岳（黒岳）
• 04:00pm. ETA: 高瀬ダム. Make sure to have a taxi scheduled for pick up. 
• 05:00pm. ETA: Shinano-Omachi Station. 
• Check the bus schedule, but consider paying and additional 2-3,000 yen to just take the train. Last train is at 7:02pm, JPY7,390 one way.