Mountain infomation

Hiking difficulty/experience

Based on how much distance we walk and how much elevation we gain, and how much hiking experience you have, the difficulty varies.

Our guiding plans are separated into day and multi-day.

The most of day hike takes roughly 4-6 hours on average walking pace. For multi-day, we walk for 5-8 hours in a day.

Check the total distance, time and elevation gain given at each guiding page. However, depending on your fitness level, how difficult you feel and how long it takes is very different.

For multi-day hike, we require minimum hiking experience at least. You have the "experience" is that you know your walking pace, when to rest, how much you should drink and eat on a mountain. Add to it, you can expect and deal with what to do with the trail, weather and temperature in various condition.

You never did multi-day hike in your country or other places, but you are keen for multi-day hikes. Please chose from 1 night 2 days plans.

If you have any questions, talk to us please.

Trail condition

It depends on which mountain you go. from my experience of hiking in Nepal and New Zealand, the trail in Japan is not that nice especially when you walk to high peaks. The steepness of the trail is mean in a way. The most of trails are maintained by local volunteers, government or mountain huts.
The typical example of trail below tree line, it can be hard soil, soft mad, a lot of tree roots, or bushes.

Above the tree line, it is rocky, uneven, and fragile at some places. The good news is for everyone to get through, wooden bridges are built for crossing stream, ladders or chains are on difficult rocks to climb.

Mountain environment

In our guiding, we hike alpine mountains like North alps or Nikko. Unlike European alps we have only a few mountains that has permanent snow.

The early snow comes on and off from Oct. usually (but it will not stay.) Then decent amount of snow falls from Nov. and Dec. The snow will be gone by mid July. (Here, snow means the snow on the trail.) So, the hiking season at alpine area is short window.
In summer, you start hike with T-shirt from the forest and get a lot of sweat because of its humidity. As you gain the elevation, it becomes dryer and cooler. Even if it is summer, you need warm layers in the morning and night at alpine area. In its exposed alpine environment, there is nothing protects you from rain and wind, but a mountain hut. It is possible and easy to get hypothermia with rain and wind. Please keep it mind that you definitely need proper mountain gears to survive. "What to bring" is mentioned in each Guiding page, please check.

Mountain huts

Facilities/Room/Food/Rules
The mountain hut resources are different at each hut.
Most likely, the lower hut is more convenient than the higher. They probably have electricity, flush toilet, variety of snacks and drinks... The higher hut is more basic. Water is filtered rain water, electricity comes from solar. The toilet is dropped style. There may be a drying room. Also phone service and Wi-Fi might be available. It really depends where it is located and how they operate with the environment.

The room is basically shared with other hikers. After the pandemic, it looks each mountain hut made separation in shared room and we can have more space for each. The hut has bedding, mostly futon. Some huts have a private room with extra charge. If a hut has one and you want a request for a private room, let us know when you make a reservation. It is good to have ear-plug for your sleeping.

The food at mountain hut is pre-cooked meal in the most of cases, but it is hot meal! It is hard to request the food for dietary constraints. If you have dietary restrictions for any reasons, bring your own foods with you. The foods can be cooked with hot water is easy. Hot water is available at a hut.
Beer, coke and cup noodle is very common food that you can purchase at a hut.

The morning at mountain hut is very early. In summer season, we have breakfast like 5-7a.m. then we leave. In Japan, we have a saying "YAMAGOYA SANJI" Directly translated "Mountain hut, 3 p.m." It means that the hikers should arrive at a mountain hut before 3 p.m. The typical weather on high alpine in summer is that the clouds are lifted up by the heat and it creates rain clouds with thunder. It rains after three. It is definitely a game changer if you are in exposed environment on a mountain. To avoid this situation, everything is early. The dinner is 5-6 p.m. Then the light off is by 8. Because of the climate change, the weather condition is hard to be read these days, but they keep the same way. Again, it depends on the mountain hut.

The most of mountain huts are run by family or city. For more details, the hut information on its Guiding page. Please have a look. If it is only in Japanese, you can use google translate.