Northern Yatsugatake: Adventures in Snow Hiking - Journeys in Japan

0:04 indulging in the highest open air bath in Japan.

0:10 The surroundings a bit quieter.

0:13 I mean, very wide.

0:16 Yeah.

0:16 This magical place just 2 hours from Tokyo

0:20 turns challenging mountain climbs into unforgettable memories.

0:30 Trek through a pure white forest.

0:36 Hey, watch out and glide over to a completely frozen lake.

0:49 Michael Kea, an actor and organic farmer, has a go at snow climbing.

0:59 He even learns all about using crampons and an ice axe.

1:11 He savors all there is to savor in the snowy mountains.

1:25 This time on Journeys in Japan,

1:27 we explore northern Yatsugatake in Nagono Prefecture,

1:31 some 130 km west of Tokyo, where a series of peaks soar over 2,000 m.

1:42 Hi, I'm Keita.

1:43 I'm originally from America, but I've been living in Japan for 20 years now.

1:46 Behind me is Chino City and beyond that is Yatsagatake.

1:50 Now, I have been interested in snowmountaineering my whole life,

1:53 but I've never taken a chance and tried it because

1:55 it seemed like a bit of a hurdle to get over.

1:57 But what I'm told is in the northern Yatsagatake area,

2:00 it's got great access and it's good for beginners.

2:02 So, I'm going to go try it for the first time.

2:04 Let's get going.

2:18 Good morning.

2:19 Good morning.

2:20 I'm Michael.

2:20 Nice to meet you.

2:22 Guideto Podlagar, originally from Slovenia,

2:25 is one of some 40 international mountain guides.

2:29 The highest qualification of its kind working in Japan.

2:35 I'm absolute beginner.

2:36 I've never really mount winter mountaineering before.

2:40 Is this uh approach is this okay for a beginner?

2:44 Yeah.

2:44 Yeah.

2:44 You know this time we will do like very basic winter mountaineering.

2:49 But one thing I want to say even you if you have

2:52 all your equipment necessary you know we never go solo on the mountains.

2:57 In summer we in winter it's more dangerous.

2:59 So if you're with the guide it's safe you

3:02 know and you learn the things and uh it's fun.

3:06 So we're going to have a fun.

3:08 Let's Let's go follow me and we find out what we Yes.

3:12 what we find up there.

3:18 On the way to their first destination,

3:21 the two walk along the country's second highest national road,

3:25 which is closed in winter past 1,800 m.

3:43 We go there to the viewpoint.

3:45 Yeah.

3:46 Rest in a bit view point when we can have a nice view, I guess.

3:53 Should I put my snowshoes on now?

3:55 Just we just go there.

3:56 But this would be a good time to have my uh um Wow.

4:06 So definitely worth the uh hike up to this point.

4:09 It's still Japan and Japan has Alps too.

4:13 And then we have on the back you have Japanese north

4:16 Alps and then you know it's very long range if you see

4:20 it is Yatsu Gatake is surrounded by three mountain

4:26 ranges collectively known as the Japanese Alps.

4:30 Climbers can get close views of these peaks,

4:33 many of which are among the country's tallest,

4:41 which is in the center of the Honu.

4:43 It's not affected by the wind or the the weather

4:46 coming from Siberia or from the ocean from the other side.

4:49 Oh, it's far enough away from the ocean, too.

4:51 Yeah, it's always good weather, but it's cold.

4:58 Oh.

5:06 Two hours after setting off, we're going to stay here tonight.

5:24 Do you like the hike?

5:25 Yeah, that was really nice.

5:26 It was kind of easygoing, light, but uh nonetheless,

5:31 I could get warmed up and uh take a rest.

5:33 So, we head inside.

5:35 Good.

5:35 And uh relax.

5:36 Good.

5:37 I I I I appreciate you enjoy the first day.

5:41 It's not, you know, it's too hard or not fun.

5:43 It's not fun.

5:44 Anyway, okay, let's go.

5:49 The Mugusa hut near the main road is popular with climbers,

5:54 especially beginners, for its accessibility.

6:03 And it rents equipment so anyone can

6:06 easily set out to enjoy Yatsugatake's winter wonderland.

6:23 Michael, cross country ski.

6:43 Fore cross countries.

7:14 This pattern surface mitigates slipping while propelling skiers forward.

7:28 Yes.

7:28 You ready?

7:29 Yeah.

7:29 So, so we put the skis on first.

7:32 Yeah.

7:32 Okay.

7:34 Yeah.

7:34 Okay.

7:35 All right.

7:36 So, we go from this little slope up.

7:39 We walk a little bit.

7:41 Mhm.

7:41 And then we ski back down.

7:43 Oh, just for practice.

7:44 Yeah, just for practice.

7:47 Okay.

7:46 Not very gentle slope.

7:47 Don't be afraid.

7:50 J, can you show me how it's done?

7:53 Yes.

7:53 You just go.

7:54 You just try to slide like this.

7:57 Top t.

8:03 Two-time cross country winter Olympian Setto,

8:06 who represented the former Yugoslavia, makes it look effortless.

8:23 Snow plow,

8:24 you know, you just do like that.

8:26 So, these skis, they have edge, so you can you can break quite easy.

8:31 All right, let's get going.

8:36 They'll attempt a round trip to the nearby Shidoma palm.

8:49 Oh, here goes the snow plow.

8:51 Yes, yes, yes.

8:56 Yeah.

9:01 Who?

9:03 Wow.

9:05 Oh, gets difficult when it's deep.

9:10 Maybe you you walk you you go behind me.

9:13 Yeah, just follow.

9:14 It's easier.

9:20 Oh, it's a really nice way to cruise through the forest.

9:25 Yeah.

9:25 And it's uh as you can see it's easier than with a snowshoe.

9:30 I mean easier

9:32 faster.

9:31 At least you go faster.

9:34 Yeah.

9:33 Especially when on the way back, you know, if you use the same track.

9:39 Uh-huh.

9:38 You can slide a little bit more and you go quite fast.

9:44 You will not slide backwards.

9:46 So this is not easy.

9:53 Put the your knees a little bit more inside.

9:56 Like this.

9:57 Knees knees a little bit more in.

9:59 Yeah.

9:59 With your knees.

10:00 Like a duck.

10:00 Duck one.

10:01 Yes.

10:01 Yes.

10:01 Like this.

10:09 Such a beautiful forest.

10:11 Yeah, it's nice.

10:16 Let's follow my line.

10:22 Woohoo.

10:36 This is actually quite a large piece of uh area.

10:41 Hold your breath.

10:44 Wow.

10:45 How is there a lake up here?

10:48 Yeah,

10:50 this pond is one of the few in Japan sitting above 2,000 m.

11:03 You drink coffee most mornings?

11:05 Every day.

11:05 Every day.

11:07 Oh, you're going to do from the your grind here.

11:10 You

11:10 Yeah, of course.

11:13 Yeah.

11:12 It's not freshly ground.

11:14 The uh Yeah, the aroma disappears.

11:18 So, what we got here?

11:22 Look at

11:22 that.

11:23 That smell good.

11:25 Oo.

11:26 All right, brother.

11:27 Cheers.

11:28 Cheers.

11:28 Thanks for making this.

11:31 My pleasure.

11:32 How is it?

11:38 What do you think?

11:40 This is coffee.

11:42 So, how do you feel to do cross country?

11:44 I I've been a snowboarder almost my entire life

11:47 and I'm always like cruising down the hill, you know, going

11:51 I don't stop to look around as much and doing this it

11:54 really is like taking a nice slow walk through the forest

11:58 but at a nice pace as well.

12:01 So, it's really able to appreciate nature a little bit more.

12:05 It was really nice.

12:23 Good morning.

12:28 Snowshoe.

12:28 On day three, they press ahead to their next lodging.

12:39 Yeah.

12:39 Yeah.

12:42 Or maybe just to see what the the point of snowshoe is.

12:47 Not to walk on the hard, but we can walk, you know, like this.

12:50 Yeah.

12:51 This is the deer.

12:53 Oh, deer track.

12:54 Yeah.

12:54 Yeah.

12:54 It's a deer track because he's jumping quite, you know,

12:56 see long cuz it's they go very deep, you see?

13:01 So,

13:01 they don't have snow jumping.

13:02 They don't have snowshoes.

13:04 Yeah, they jumping.

13:05 Yeah.

13:06 You see the one there?

13:07 Oh, yeah.

13:08 It's a little bit more, how do you say?

13:10 What do you think it is?

13:13 Uh, something small.

13:14 Yeah, it's definitely smaller because it's not very deep.

13:19 Is it a bunny rabbit?

13:19 And it's going like this.

13:20 Is it a bunny rabbit?

13:21 Yeah, it's a rabbit.

13:22 Yeah, it's a because the back back uh it's a bit bigger and the front

13:28 it's smaller.

13:31 Their route passes across ridges and includes several peaks.

13:42 Cross-country skiing is suited to flat terrain,

13:45 whereas snowshoeing is convenient for navigating ups and downs.

13:55 Yes.

13:56 Good.

13:56 Good, Ben.

13:58 Absolutely incredible view.

13:59 Yeah, it's fantastic.

14:03 From Takami Isi, they can see Shiraakoma pawn

14:08 where they enjoyed that aromatic coffee the day before.

14:19 So, I I learned that you've done mountaineering all throughout the world.

14:25 What do you like about Japanese mountains in the winter?

14:28 And then this tug here, not much snow, but it's cold.

14:33 And also you have a lot of fine days like we have, you know,

14:36 it's the third day on our hike and we have blue blue sky.

14:39 We have fantastic weather.

14:41 So it's a lot of variety.

14:42 It's it's, you know, you never get boring,

14:46 you know, to go to explore the the mountains.

14:48 So I'm getting old, you know.

14:50 They ask me, you know, where you going to live when you retired Europe?

14:54 You will go back to Europe or you stay in Japan?

14:56 And I said, I will always come at least in winter back to Japan.

15:05 So beautiful how the sunlight is piercing through

15:08 and hitting these uh frozen tips and just shining, glittering.

15:14 It's really a winter wonderland here.

15:16 You can blow maybe if you try to blow.

15:23 Yeah, it's Let me get my phone ready.

15:26 Yeah.

15:26 Yeah.

15:26 Watch out.

15:33 One more.

15:33 Yeah, one more.

15:39 I don't need to take shower tonight.

15:45 Yeah, it was it was still not too big.

15:47 But if it's one more big then Oh, another good good view.

16:12 Yeah, another beautiful.

16:15 Okay.

16:16 But tomorrow this is the Tangu.

16:21 Mount Tigashi Tangu suddenly looms into view.

16:30 Ready for it?

16:31 I think so.

16:31 Yeah.

16:34 YEAH.

16:43 About 3 hours after starting out Yes.

16:46 Here.

16:48 What a day.

16:48 It was very nice.

16:49 That was a another good day.

16:51 Very good day.

16:52 But that was

16:53 You okay?

16:53 I'm okay.

16:54 Yeah.

16:55 I can use some hot tea though.

16:56 I mean, some hot cocoa.

16:59 How you feeling?

16:59 They serve this kind of things in here.

17:01 Let's go in.

17:03 Hey, this hut is one of the most popular in northern Yatsugatake.

17:10 The outgoing staff try to make sure guests are prepared for their climb.

17:34 Yeah.

18:07 One son of day four.

18:23 They scale Mount Higashi Tangu.

18:32 For this, they'll need crampons and ice axes.

18:36 for a strap and technique again.

18:46 Put your iceax with both hands on the iceax.

18:52 Turn around slowly.

18:53 When you turn, you turn iceax and you grab again.

19:00 It's hard.

19:01 It's hard on your calves here.

19:03 And my cat is burning balance is bad and everything is bad.

19:09 So if we go straight up, if you don't have other choice

19:13 to go straight up, we go often we cross our legs.

19:16 This is going like this.

19:18 Ah, like this.

19:20 Okay.

19:22 Going down.

19:23 Same thing.

19:25 If it's not too steep, you can you can go that way.

19:29 There is important is in French they call it flat footing.

19:33 I mean in English sorry

19:35 flat footing.

19:36 It means that your foot it's always contact in the snow flat.

19:43 Uhhuh.

19:42 Like this.

19:42 Not like this.

19:44 Yeah.

19:44 Flat.

19:45 Flat.

19:45 So this if this is too steep it's hard.

19:47 So if you fall let's say if you start to slide down.

19:51 So you already your position it's your pick.

19:55 It's this is what you need to do.

19:57 It's just to bring your here elbow inside and then

20:01 you just turn around and move on your on your iceax.

20:08 You never go onto the mountains without ice and krampons.

20:11 That's is also that's why I said it's better to learn how to walk properly.

20:16 You have little chance to to stop.

20:19 So even we are expert.

20:20 You can you have mix maximum maximum 3 seconds then you go 50 km/ hour

20:27 even if you turn around you do proper you know your I6 will go

20:34 after a 2-hour training session they set off the sun on the top

20:46 yeah it' be nice if we could get the clear blue skies and the forecast set fine.

20:51 So, let's hope for that.

21:05 I know more soft.

21:21 So when it's very steep, you not the snow it's hard.

21:26 Uhhuh.

21:27 It's not going enough deep.

21:28 You see if you pull here, you will come off.

21:33 Yeah.

21:32 You know, then you just go if it's a little bit like this, it helps a lot.

21:37 Just go like this and just pull yourself up.

21:42 Okay.

21:41 It's very easy.

21:49 Yes.

21:50 Oo, that's a solid one.

21:54 Yeah.

21:56 Good like this always.

22:10 You know, even if sometimes it's a technical part, I have to stop a little bit.

22:16 So then I wait.

22:17 So you have to stop too.

22:21 Only climbers accompanied by professional

22:23 guides should venture beyond this point.

22:33 Yes, you can come.

22:35 I'm okay.

22:37 Yeah.

22:37 All right.

22:37 I'm up.

22:37 I'm going up.

22:38 Yeah, you can come straight up.

22:40 Straight.

22:42 Straight.

22:42 Yeah.

22:50 Yes.

22:50 It's a rock sometimes.

22:58 Okay.

22:59 Come behind me.

23:02 Safe place.

23:03 That's it.

23:05 Okay.

23:07 Okay.

23:06 I'm scared.

23:11 Okay.

23:10 About 1 and a half hours later.

23:17 Good job.

23:20 Made it.

23:24 Nice.

23:24 Yeah.

23:30 Wow.

23:32 Nice.

23:31 So, how was it?

23:34 It's nice.

23:34 Completely new experience.

23:36 And uh one thing I uh kind of again taking small steps,

23:43 taking little by little um just taking precaution allowed me to actually take

23:48 in the experience a little bit more slowly and it was uh really wonderful.

23:54 Wow, look at it.

23:56 Yay.

23:57 Yay.

23:58 Yay.

24:01 Absolutely.

24:00 Yeah.

24:01 Woohoo.

24:06 A fleeting glimpse of Yatsuake's main peak.

24:24 Let's go down.

24:25 We have onen.

24:26 Be careful.

24:27 Down is a little bit more difficult than up.

24:32 Extra care is needed on the descent

24:35 where the majority of mountaineering accidents occur.

24:49 Can go to the right.

24:50 Yes.

24:52 On same time down this way.

24:55 This way.

24:56 Okay.

24:57 Can't wait.

24:58 Yeah.

25:04 Bit steep.

25:09 Getting flat.

25:10 Bit easier to walk.

25:11 NOW they arrive at Hornawa Hotring.

25:19 After descending over 500 m in elevation in one go.

25:29 Can you still see the tango?

25:31 Yeah, you know, we were up there this morning and we already here.

25:37 So, this is the onhat.

25:40 Is this our last night on our journey?

25:44 I can't wait.

25:44 I can't wait to get in the onen.

25:46 I'm absolutely whooped after that climb.

25:48 It was really good.

25:49 Nice climb.

25:50 But after that, I could really really use a onen bath.

25:56 Yatsuake's oldest mountain lodge from 1882 is hike in only.

26:10 It is beloved for its open air bath

26:13 located at the highest elevation in the country.

26:18 This one is special, I guess.

26:20 How what do you think?

26:21 Well, after a day of climbing tangu,

26:24 it's absolutely perfect to get in on something like this.

26:27 And also the how the the surrounding it's a bit wider.

26:31 I mean, very wide.

26:33 Yeah.

26:38 This time on my first experience mountaineering,

26:40 I learned that by following good safety protocol,

26:43 you can take the mountain slowly, enjoy each moment,

26:46 and that's all thanks to my incredible guide.

26:48 Thank you so much.

26:49 Thank you.

26:50 You know theugat it's a great mountain and this past days

26:54 we had a great weather but if the weather turns bad you

26:57 know nasty like windy snowing foggy the sitation can change very

27:02 quickly not enough equipment uh you can get in trouble very quickly.

27:07 The safest way is go with a guide especially if you're beginner

27:10 and uh learn the basic things and you can enjoy the mountaineering till maximum.

27:16 So keep mountaineering.

27:18 Thank you.

27:18 Let's go.

27:41 From Tokyo to Chino, the main gateway to northern Yatsugatake,

27:46 it takes about 2 hours by express train on the JR Chuo main line.