(槍ヶ岳) Yarigatake Winter Hike

A spear that can be recognized miles away, Yarigatake's peak is probably one of the most distinct summits outside of Mt. Fuji.

Budget: JPY9,380 (~USD91)

JPY8,000. Roundtrip bus, allocated using Willer Bus Pass (JPY4,000 one way)
JPY1,380. Bus, Hirayu Onsen < > Shin-Hotaka Onsen. JPY690 one way.

Hike Date / Difficulty (Elevation: 3,180m / 10,433ft)

May 25-26, 2019
Difficulty: 4 out of 5.
Route below is around 26kilometers, with an elevation change of ▲2,672m/ ▽2,672m

When to Go
Throughout the year.

Buses from Tokyo to Kamikochi only run from mid April to early November, but the buses to Hirayu Onsen run throughout the year.

However, to get good weather and autumn foliage, early October is recommended.

Special Notes

Weather forecast. English / Japanese. English more detailed, Japanese more accurate.

Trailheads. This hike definitely requires advanced consideration, as it can be quite dangerous.

Kamikochi (上高地). Direct to the summit, and more importantly, safer.

Direct Bus, Tokyo (Shinjuku) to Kamikochi. JPY4,000 one way, using JBL bus pass. Otherwise, depending on the season, JPY6,500 to JPY8,600 one way, reserve here.

Bus schedule, Tokyo < > Kamikochi

Shin-hotaka Onsen (新穂高温泉). Some of the trails are not passable due to an earthquake, the passable trail is either via Yarigatake or going up Shinhotaka Ropeway - which is the dangerous trail. Access wise, this is bus stop H065 in the schedule below. Take note that you would want to stop at the last stop - Shihotaka Ropeway, NOT Shinhotaka Onsen.

Bus, Tokyo to Hirayu Onsen (平湯温泉). JPY4,000 one way, using JBL bus pass. Otherwise, JPY6,200 one way, reserve here.
Bus, Hirayu Onsen to Shin-Hotaka Onsen. JPY690 one way.

Bus Schedule, Tokyo < > Hirayu Onsen

Bus Schedule, Hirayu Onsen < > Shinhotaka Ropeway

Mountain huts.

Paid.

Yarigatake-sansou (槍ヶ岳山荘). Right next to the summit.
Yaridaira-goya (槍平小屋). At the halfway point, which may be needed depending on your itinerary. It is open around July to October.

Free. Right next to Yadiraida-goya is a small hut, and that hut has a little flap that is actually an entrance (picture of entrance). This cannot be used outside of winter season.
Camping. Next to the mountain huts above, JPY1,000 per person.

Itinerary - Actual Log
Saturday

06:43am. Bus from Shinjuku to Hirayu Onsen. We stopped at Hirayu Onsen, bought our roundtrip ticket to Shin-Hotaka Onsen, and waited about an hour before our bus.
12:40pm. Bus, Hirayu Onsen to Shin-Hotaka Onsen.
01:16pm. Arrived at Shin-Hotaka Onsen, right at the ropeway. We made sure to take the last stop. We fixed our stuff, and ten minutes later, started our hike. The first part of our hike was a nice spring hike, and then we started seeing some iced-snow, which we enjoyed because it was a hot day out and it cooled us down playing with ice. Once we encountered a trail with snow, that was it - it was snow mode the entire hike.
It soon got dark, and it was dusk when we arrived at Yaridaira-goya. We were planning to camp, and it was difficult to find a flat spot to camp on - the flat spots were all ice! Thankfully one guy was in the emergency hut and peeked at us, and we decided to crash with him for the night.

Sunday

02:00am. We had a lot to cover and a bus to catch, so we started early. It was pitch black of course, and we had a lot of trial and error finding our way up.
06:47am. Finally arrived at Yarigatake-sansou. Going up that snowfield was a lot harder because I was struggling with the elevation gain and hiking up the snow with my frozen feet (I was wearing summer shoes - yep, utterly unprepared). Surprisingly, the place was utterly crowded! Most people were hiking from the Kamikochi trail though. We decided to take a break here and eat our breakfast in one of the tables.
07:43am. Arrived at the summit! The final push was a long rocky climb up with plenty of chains. This is not too technical, but not for the faint of heart either.
08:36am. Back at Yarigatake-sansou.
11:40am. Back at Yarigadaira-goya. We packed up our things and had lunch.
We continued on back to Shin Hotaka Onsen and waited at the bus stop. There's a shop at the bus stop with a free foot onsen, and one dollar eggs cooked with onsen water. Their beef bbq is also good. So we soaked, waited for the bus and ate. Took the bus to Hirayu Onsen, went to a nearby onsen, then took the bus back to Tokyo! Done!

Our weekend started waiting for the bus to Hirayu Onsen.

Our peek to the mountains at Shin Hotaka Ropeway.

Our big spring hike!

Plenty of rocky segments.

Snow! Uh oh. Soon it got dark and we were hiking in the dark, and I have no pictures. So this is it for the day.

We started hiking 2am, but given how dark it was, I had to wait til 4am to take a picture - which is this shot.

Our day started reaaally early, which is why we were close to the ridge even before the sun has risen. I was feeling the effect of the elevation and the rather steep ascent up this snow field in my summer shoes. My hiking buddy was right in front of me. Well, a hundred meters or so in front of me.