Nishibetsu Hut

西別小屋
Free Hut
Has stove/heating
Has full kitchen
Has full bedding
Has toilets
Accessible by bicycle

Posted on Sep 28, 2018
0

Posted on Sep 28, 2018

0 0
Nishibetsu Hut (西別小屋, 335m) is a hopelessly beautiful, immaculately upkept loghouse-cabin, situated at the trailhead for Mt. Nishibetsu in Eastern Hokkaido. In the non-snow season, the hut is accessible by car or bicycle via a couple of gravel roads. In winter, the hut is only accessible in winter on skis or snowshoes via a snowed in 5km forestry road. This free hut, unlocked and open for use, is the perfect base to explore the area’s winter or summer offerings.

Last updated Sep 30, 2018

Location

At around 335m, at the official trailhead for the summer trail up Mt. Nishibetsu (here).

General notes

Nishibetsu Hut is a large log house-style hut that officially sleeps 50 people. It is very well built with double-glazed windows, very good insulation, and a large wood-burner stove. It is officially managed by the Shibecha Town Council Mountain Hut Management Committee (標茶町役場内山小屋管理委員会, TEL: 01548-5-2111), but in reality the day-to-day maintenance is carried out by local volunteers belonging to the small (about 20 members) but passionate Nishibetsu Hut Friendship Society (西別小屋友の会). It is hands-down the most solidly and well-built mountain hut in Hokkaido.

Capacity
Sleeps 50 people.
Official contact
Shibecha Town Council Mountain Hut Management Committee (標茶町役場内山小屋管理委員会)
TEL: 01548-5-2111
Maintenance
Nishibetsu Hut Friendship Society
西別小屋友の会
Booking

Booking is not required. The hut is unlocked.

Hut Fees

What ever you can afford, by donation. A donation box can be found inside the hut. Alternatively, as per the deposit slips at the hut, you can make donations for overnight stays by making a deposit direct into the Nishibetsu Hut Friendship Society’s Post Bank account, either by dropping into a Post Bank (ゆうちょ銀行) and making a deposit in cash (photo of a deposit slip at the hut here), or making a direct bank transfer via the Internet banking using the account below. There’s faint mobile reception at the hut, so I made a deposit at the hut on my smartphone from my Japanese bank account of 1,000yen for the night.

  • Bank: ゆうちょ銀行 (Yuucho Bank)
  • Branch: 二十九 (ni juu kyuu)
  • Account number: 0045781
  • Account type: 当座 (tooza)
  • Account name: ニシベツコヤトモノカイ (西別小屋友の会, Nishibetsu koya tomo-no-kai)
Facilities

Heating: Wood stove. There is copious wood available for use. Make sure to replace wood used into the trolleys inside from the stack outside. You may want to bring your own firelighers and/or newspaper to get the fire going. When we were there we couldn’t find an axe to make kindling, and there was only a couple of old cardboard boxes to use to light the file.

Water: There is no running water source at or near the hut. Either bring your own or melt snow from outside on the large wood stove.

Kitchen/cooking: There is a full kitchen’s worth of utensils, pots ,fry-pans etc. There are a couple of stove-top gas cookers for use on a first-in-first-served basis, so bring a threadless gas canister like this to use in those. The wood stove is also great for cooking on. It has a door in the pyramid-shaped base of the flue that can be used as a small oven for baking.

Bedding: There is copious bedding available for use: foam mattresses, blankets, pillows, and duvets.

Elecricity: There is no electricity in the hut in winter.

Toilets: Toilets are outside in their own small building.

Cell reception: No (Docomo tested).

Hutkeeper

There is no hutkeeper.

Related Maps

NOTE: For number references to official printed topographical maps, check the main route report ( Nishibetsu-dake and Nishibetsu Hut ).

Special Nishibetsu  Hut Notes

There are multiple signs inside the hut reminding users to replace any wood used with wood from outside on the deck. The vast majority of huts in Hokkaido are 100% maintained through passionate volunteer time and effort. If you make a visit, please give the place a clean, and make sure to sign the guest book. Always leave a hut cleaner than you found it.

Nishibetsu Hut Trip reports

Nishibetsu Hut Photo Gallery

Summer↔Winter slider

[twenty20 img1="13729" img2="13720" offset="0.5" before="Summer" after="Winter"]

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Nishibetsu Hut Difficulty Rating

Category

Grade

Points

Strenuousness

Vertical Gain

D

25

Time ascending

D

0

Technicality

Altitude

D

0

Hazards

D

Navigation

D

Totals

25/100

GRADES range from A (very difficult) to D (easy). Hazards include exposure to avalanche and fall risk. More details here. Rating rubric adapted from Hokkaido Yukiyama Guidebook 北海道雪山ガイド.