Jeff and I did this trip in early August 2014. We had a forecast for three days of decent weather, and a pickup arranged from the car park at Bogakudai. After a day travelling by train and bus from Sapporo, we set up camp at the trailhead, eagerly anticipating the next three days. It would turn out to be a great trip, memorable for both its highs and lows.
Highlights
- The early morning panorama of the Tokachi peaks emerging like a chain of islands from a sea of clouds below a flawless blue sky.
- Remote campsites and tasty mountain pasta.
- A kumataka (Hodgson’s Hawk Eagle) at the trailhead – not completely sure though.
- A pika darting among the rocks below Maetomudaira.
- A sighting from the summit of Tomuraushi of a bear trundling across a distant snowfield.
- Meadows of flowers below Tomuraushi and on the broad open ridge to Sansendai.
- The narrow summit ridge of Oputateshike in the mist, then the long high traverse to Beifuji.
- Arriving at the pickup point hungry and thirsty to be greeted by our spouses with an organic takeaway curry and ice cold drinks.
Lowlights
- A major gear failure when BOTH soles of Jeff’s cheap hiking boots came off completely; hardly amusing a few hours into a three-day trip. My emergency duct tape was useless in this case. Luckily he had a pair of sandals with him.
- The long, rough and claustrophobic trail through the juniper between Sansendai and Futagoike, a lot of up and down on a hot and sticky afternoon. Not ideal in sandals.
- Stressing about water, partly due to me underestimating the amount of fuel needed to boil the copious amounts of drinking water required by Jeff (he’s a big guy). We barely had enough – the first thing I did on getting back to Sapporo was to go out and buy a water filter.
9 thoughts on “Southern Daisetsuzan Traverse: Tomuraushi to Oputateshike”
Hello! Thanks for the great details here. I’m curious are there outdoor stores on the way to this route? Perhaps near Shintoku Station? I’d like to pick up a portable toilet and probably some gas for my jet boiler. I’ll be coming from Sapporo and am aware of the Shugakuso outdoor store, but due to the timing of my flight, I may not be able to get there before they close.
Hi Chris, there’s nothing around Shintoku Station that I’m aware of. There is a small shop in the large lodge at the trailhead, but I don’t remember there being any gas etc, just snacks and instant noodles.
I am thinking about doing the full Daisetsuzan traverse starting in mid-October.
Do you have a sense of what the conditions might be like? I am preparing as though the snows will have started in earnest by then, and it’ll be full winter kit, full-float snow shoes, ice-axe, crampons, and a few extra days food and fuel for bad weather.
But, this is my first trip to Japan so I’m not sure if this is merely ambitious or nearly impossible. I’m very fit and experienced in the mountains (hiking, climbing, mountaineering) — New Zealand, winter Tasmania, summer Karakoram, Himalaya and Patagonia — and have all the correct equipment and know-how to use it, and ready for a good adventure.
Should I keep planning this, or choose something a bit further south (eg the Northern Alps Tateyama to Kamikochi traverse).
Hey Diddy. Usually, the first snowfall for Asahidake and surrounding areas is between the 20th and 30th of September. Take a look at this blog post: https://www.yamatabi-hokkaido.com/asahidake201710/. This was the 1st of October 2017. As you can see, there is already snow on Asahidake. If you are prepared, you have plenty of experience hiking in snow, and the forecast is good, then there’s no problem. Safety all depends on experience, equipment, and weather forecast. The important thing to remember, however, is that even though the Daisetsuzan Range is ‘only’ just over 2000m in altitude, Hokkaido is cold. Many an experienced continental mountaineer has been caught out. October is still the start of the winter season, so weather should be relatively stable still, but I’d just say take care and make conservative decisions. Overall, I’d pin it at ambitious, but not impossible. Keep plans super flexible though. If it were me, I’d certainly give it a shot, but it would be 100% weather dependent as to whether I’d actually go through with the plan or not. Windy.com is pretty accurate to within about three days out (and often within about a week out), so if you get within a week of the trip and the weather is a white-wash, I’d start looking elsewhere. Hokkaido is a long way to come for bad weather 🙂 Hope this helps.
Hi Diddy, like everywhere the weather in Hokkaido is increasingly erratic. October is shoulder season but in a normal year there will be snow on the tops in Daisetsuzan and a heavy dump is always possible. So yes, winter gear and skills are required, and settled weather is preferable. The tops are broad and open and navigation would be tough in a whiteout.
As for the Japan Alps, again snow on the tops though I think most huts are open till the end of the month.
Good luck!
Thanks Rick and Rob.
I completed the traverse solo in 7 days with 2 bad-weather hut days. There was snow/ice but conditions were generally quite good. Crampons were essential (ice on the steeper sections of the peaks) and snow shoes were helpful (very deep snow in some sections, particularly in the lower flatter areas). Route-finding was generally fine even with the track covered in snow, but I had good visibility apart from the 2 enforced rest days and the maps I had were very good and accurate.
In good visibility I found the going fairly straightforward. The most difficult walking is between Mt Tomuraushi and Tokachidake where there is some thick vegetation made more difficult with snow on top, and some steep narrow ridgelines where mountaineering/climbing experience was helpful (steep exposed ice with bad fall potential).
Because of the season and conditions I had the entire park to myself – I saw nobody between the Asahidake ropeway (day 1) and the Tokachidake onsen (day 7). I did come across fresh bear tracks in the snow but luckily I did not meet any bears (but I made a lot of noise singing to myself as I walked).
I certainly would not recommend the walk to someone without winter experience, but for an experienced winter walker or climber it is a fantastic time to enjoy the region.
Sounds like a fantastic trip! Thanks very much for the valuable feedback on the conditions.
Love it. Brings back memories. Sansendai to Futagoike is gut wrenching then throw in the brutal Oputateshike for good measure. Haha, can’t believe Daisetsuzan was my first real multi-day trek and second time in a tent! Awesome website. Can’t wait to get back up North!
Sounds like you were thrown in the deep end, Willie!