(常念岳) Mt. Jonen Hike

This mountain has a reputation for being a beautiful hike, and it definitely delivers. 

Budget: JPY11,660 (~USD110) from Tokyo

• JPY4,820. Two days' worth allocated with Seishun 18 ticket. (if from Tokyo)
• JPY5,840. Taxi share, assuming 2 people. (JPY11,680/2 people)
• JPY6,140. Taxi, Toyoshina Station to Mimata.
• JPY5,540. Taxi, Ichinosawa to Hotaka Station.
• JPY2,000. Tent fee.
• Or JPY10,500, share in car rental+gas+tolls divided by 3 people

Hike Date / Difficulty (Elevation: 2,857m / 9,373ft) 

• Target 2020
• Difficulty: 5 out of 5.
• Route below is around 17.1 kilometers, with an elevation change of ▲2,215m/ ▽2,230m
• The route, if looping from Mimata, is ideally done counterclockwise due to the rocky ascent to Mt. Jonen. 
• Map Link

When to Go
Probably throughout the year, but the official hiking season is around April to late October.

Special Notes

• Weather forecast: English / Japanese.
• The ascent from Mimata involves a rock scramble up to Mt. Mae-Jonen (前常念岳), but the descent from Chougatake Hut to Mimata involves mainly stairs.
• Nearby hikes:
• Mt. Chougatake (蝶ヶ岳). They share a trailhead, and doing this mountain just adds 4ish hours (~5kms, ~500m elev gain)
• Mt. Tsubakuro (燕岳). Trailhead to this mountain has a ropeway, and a bus that costs JPY1,800 one way from Hotaka Station (穂高駅).
• Mountain huts.
• Paid: Chougatake Hut (蝶ヶ岳ヒュッテ) . Near Chougatake Summit. It's JPY7,500 without meals, reservation via call: 090-1056-3455. Tents at JPY1,000 per person, no reservations needed. It is open until mid-October.
• Paid: Jonen-koya (常念小屋). Near Mt. Jonen summit. It's JPY7,500 without meals, reservation via call: 090-1430-3328. Tents at JPY1,000 per person, no reservations needed. It is usually open from early April to early November. 
• Outside those period, the website says that the southeast side of the hut turns into a FREE emergency hut, but I have not verified how this works.
• Jonen-koya involves a ONE HOUR out of the way descent from Mt. Jonen's summit, so if doing a loop with Chougatake, stay at Chougatake Hut, not Jonen Hut. 
• ???Free: 横尾避難小屋 is 3 hours away (3.4kms, 1,110m descent) from Chougatake Hut, which is really an entire hike on its own. But I'm just putting this out here.
• Trailheads. No public transportation really, but if you think about it, most buses are JPY1,000~JPY2,000 per head, and some require ropeways too that are at least JPY1,000 one way. Bottom line - consider taxis.
• Ichinosawa (一ノ沢). Shortest route, but no public transportation. Taxi from Hotaka Station (穂高駅) station is about 30 minutes, JPY5,540 (source).
• Mimata (三股). No public transportation. Taxi from Toyoshina Station (豊科駅) is about 30 minutes, JPY6,140. (source). Parking available. 
• Most people sleep in their cars, but if you have a tent, it will be a lot more comfortable to walk a little bit up the rough road to the official trailhead and wild camp there. The official trailhead is flat enough, has a water source and a restroom. 
• Nakabusa Onsen (中房温泉). With a bus from Hotaka Station, JPY1,800 one way. Bus schedule below.
• Access.
• Train. The earliest train to Hotaka Station (Toyoshina Station is about two stations away from Hotaka Station). From here on, taxi is the only way.
• Bullet train. JPY10,930, 214 minutes, earliest will get here at 09:50am.
• Local trains. JPY4,210, 322 minutes, earliest will get here at 10:21am (Seishun 18 ticket can be used, in which case it'll be JPY2,410 one way).
• Taxi. A company provides taxi shuttles, website here. Going from the train station to the trailhead probably is not that big a problem, but finding a taxi from the trailhead back to the bus stop might not be that easy, so consider reserving (via phonecall: 0263-82-3113)
• Bus. A bus comes from Hotaka Station (穂高駅) to Nakabusa Onsen (中房温泉). For 2020, it runs from July 15 til November 3. Website here, schedule below. Taxi fee table - regular taxi (普通車) vs "jumbo taxi" (ジャンボタクシー)

Taxi Fee Schedule

Bus schedule Hotaka Station (穂高駅) < >Nakabusa Onsen (中房温泉)


Itinerary

For the hike below, I'm mapping a hike from: Trailhead: Mimata (三股)  -> Mt. Chougatake (蝶ヶ岳) -> camp -> Mt. Jonen (常念岳) -> Trailhead: Ichinosawa (一ノ沢)
Saturday

• 04:49am. Train, Iidabashi Station (near Tokyo Station) to Hotaka Station.
• 10:15am. ETA: Toyoshina Station (豊科駅).
• 10:30am. Taxi, Toyoshina Station (豊科駅) to Mimata (三股) trailhead.
• 11:00am. Start hike.
• 04:05pm. ETA: Summit, Chougatake. Camp/stay in mountain hut.

Sunday

• 05:00am. Start hike.
• 09:50am. ETA: Mt. Jonen Summit. Rest for an hour.
• 03:10pm. ETA: Trailhead: Ichinosawa (一ノ沢)