Marsh | Blue Lapis Road

MOUNT RAUSU (羅臼岳), Shiretoko Peninsula (知床半島), Hokkaido (北海道), Japan, 2019.06.18

Day 4 (1/2).

It was the fourth day since we arrived in Shiretoko. Finally we woke up to a fine morning. Clouds gathered atop the Shiretoko Mountain Range northwest of Rausu. We had made reservations for an afternoon whale watching cruise. Our plan for the morning was to head up to Shiretoko Pass, and do a bit of hiking near Rausu Lake. It would be quite unfortunate if we were to leave Shiretoko without seeing Mount Rausu (羅臼岳).

At 1661m in height, Mount Rausu is an active stratovolcano that sits above Shiretoko Pass, the highest point on Road 334 between the villages of Utoro and Rausu. Also known as the Fuji of Shiretoko, Mount Rausu is one of Japan’s 100 Famous Mountains. Hiking up the volcano takes 6-8 hours round trip, but given our limited time and lack of snow crampons, we would have to leave the hike for another time.

Driving Road 334 up to Shiretoko Pass, we could see the mountains were still covered in clouds.

On our way up, we passed by several covered road sections.

It was a disappointment again when we arrived at Shiretoko Pass (知床峠) and saw Mount Rausu covered in thick clouds.

Though the weather looked quite promising down at coast of Rausu. We hoped that the fine weather would stay for several more hours so that we could embark on our whale watching cruise in the afternoon.

It was 2.3km from Shiretoko Pass to the trailhead of Lake Rausu Trail. About five minutes after we walked down the road from the parking lot of Shiretoko Pass, the clouds began to disperse over Mount Rausu. We could finally see the beautiful volcano right behind us.

Some hikers would prefer taking the bus to cover the 2.3km journey to the trailhead, but there are only four buses per day on the route.

Looking down from the trailhead, the trail began at a marsh area.

We followed a narrow path down to the trailhead of Rausu Lake Trail.

The return trip of Rausu Lake Trail would take about 3-4 hours. Unfortunately our time was restricted by the afternoon whale watching cruise. We decided to do a shorter hike by turning back at Marsh 3.

As warned at the trailhead, the early section of the Rausu Lake Trail was flooded like a swamp. Rubber boots could be rented at the Rausu Visitor Centre.

We soon reached Marsh 2 after a short walk in the flooded path, but there wasn’t much water in the marsh.

Snow was still visible at certain parts of the trail.

After about half an hour from the trailhead, we reached Marsh 3, the destination of our short hike.

Mount Rausu and its reflection at Marsh 3 was the biggest highlight of the hike. While most hikers would continue on towards Rausu Lake, we had to turn back in order to make back to Rausu on time for our whale watching cruise.

Back to Shiretoko Pass, more clouds were visible over Nemuro Strait and the Russian controlled Kunashir Island. We were a little worried about the overcast conditions ahead of our whale watching cruise. After 2.5 days of rainy weather, even few patches of clouds would make us nervous.

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Introduction
HOKKAIDO ROAD TRIP, Hokkaido (北海道)

Day 1 – from Tokyo to Shiretoko Peninsula
Day 1.1 TSUKIJI OUTER MARKET (築地場外市場)
Day 1.2 ARRIVAL IN SHIRETOKO, Utoro (ウトロ)

Day 2 – Utoro
Day 2.1 SHIRETOKO FIVE LAKES (知床五湖)
Day 2.2 UTORO FISHERMAN’S WIVES CO-OPERATIVE DINER (ウトロ漁協婦人部食堂)
Day 2.3 FUREPE FALLS (フレペの滝)

Day 3 – Rausu
Day 3.1 RUSA FIELD HOUSE (ルサフィールドハウス)
Day 3.2 JUN NO BANYA (純の番屋)

Day 4 – Rausu
Day 4.1 MOUNT RAUSU (羅臼岳)
Day 4.2 FANTASTIC ORCAS, Nemuro Strait (根室海峡)

Day 5 – Lake Mashu & Lake Akan
Day 5.1 SUNRISE AT LAKE MASHU (摩周湖)
Day 5.2 MOUNT MASHU TRAIL (摩周岳) , Teshikaga (弟子屈)
Day 5.3 SILENT NIGHT AT LAKE AKAN (阿寒湖)

Day 6 – On the road from Lake Akan to Furano
Day 6.1 FISHERMEN BELOW MISTY OAKAN (雄阿寒岳), Lake Akan (阿寒湖)
Day 6.2 TREATS OF OBIHIRO (帯広), Tokachi (十勝)
Day 6.3 ARRIVING IN FURANO (富良野)

Day 7 Furano & Biei
Day 7.1 LAVENDER BUDS, Nakafurano (中富良野)
Day 7.2 FARM TOMITA (ファーム富田), Nakafurano (中富良野)
Day 7.3 BI.BLE, Biei (美瑛)
Day 7.4 PATCHWORK ROAD & PANORAMA ROAD, Biei (美瑛)
Day 7.5 NINGLE TERRACE (ニングルテラス)

Day 8 – from Furano to Otaru
Day 8.1 CHURCH ON THE WATER (水の教会), Hoshino Resorts Tomamu (星野リゾートトマム)
Day 8.2 HILL OF THE BUDDHA (頭大仏), Makomanai Takino Cemetery (真駒内滝野霊園)
Day 8.3 SEAFOOD, CANAL, & HISTORY, Otaru (小樽)
Day 8.4 RAINY NIGHT IN OTARU, Otaru (小樽)

Day 9 – Yochi & Sapporo
Day 9.1 NIKKA YOICHI DISTILLERY (余市蒸溜所), Yoichi (余市)
Day 9.2 SOUP CURRY NIGHT

Day 10 – Sapporo
10.1 OKKAIDO SHRINE (北海道神宮 )
10.2 MORIHICO COFFEE (森彦珈琲本店)
10.3 KITAKARO SAPPORO HONKAN (北菓楼札幌本館)
10.4 SATURDAYS CHOCOLATE
10.5 GOTSUBO OYSTER BAR(五坪)
10.6 MOUNT MOIWA (藻岩山) & RAMEN HARUKA (ラーメン悠)

Day 11 – Sapporo
11.1 FORMER HOKKAIDO GOVERNMENT OFFICE (北海道庁旧本庁舎)
11.2 RED STAR & GENGKIS KHAN, Sapporo Beer Museum (サッポロビール株式会社)

August 5, 2019 | Categories: Hokkaido, Japan, Japan: Hokkaido 2019, Shiretoko | Tags: 知床, 羅臼, hike, Hokkaido, Japan, Japanese, Marsh, Mount, mountain, Rausu, Shiretoko, Stratovolcano, Trail, volcano, wetland, 北海道 | Leave a comment

DAY 3 (2/2): DAKESAWA HIKE (岳沢), Kamikochi (上高地), Nagano Prefecture (長野県), Japan, 2018.05.27

After consulting a staff at the Visitor Centre, we decided to take the Dakesawa hike instead of climbing the Mount Yake (焼岳). According to the national park staff, snow could be an issue even on the Dakesawa (岳沢) trail as we didn’t have snow crampons with us. Anyhow the Dakesawa trail was still the better bet for us in comparison with Mount Yake. We decided to go as far as the trail conditions allowed.

From Kappa Bridge, we walked northeast in the direction of Myojin Pond (明神池). Soon we reached the picturesque Dakesawa Marsh (岳沢湿原), where a small path led us towards the trailhead of Dakesawa Trail.

At the trailhead, a sign post indicated that it would take us 2 hours to reach Dakesawa Hut. Without snow crampons, Dakesawa Hut would probably be our destination of the hike. From July and September, the Dakesawa Trail would be busy with hikers aiming for Mount Mae-Hodaka (前穂高岳) and Mount Oku-Hotaka (奥穂高岳).

The first hour of the hike was a steady uphill walk in the forest. At midway, we reached a spot called “Wind Cavern (風穴)”, where chilly wind from uphill came down via a gully.

Out of the forest, we reached an open and rocky ravine flanked both sides by high peaks of Mount Hodaka.

We rested upon a pile of rocks. The environment was perfect to devour a can of local tomato juice.

Down below, we could see the Kamikochi Valley, the turquoise Taisho Pond (大正池) and the Akandanayama (アカンダナ山).

In the last half hour, snow began to appear on the trail. The snow was slippery but we managed to climb up step by step.

We met several groups of hikers along the way, including a group of visually impaired hikers and their attentive guides.

Finally, after rough 670m of elevation gain, we arrived at Dakesawa Hut. At 2,216m above sea level, the hut was the highest point for our hike. Nested in the embrace of the Hodaka peaks, the hut enjoyed fine views of the surrounding mountains and Kamikochi Valley down below. A few staff were making repairs here and there.

The notice board at Dakesawa Hut provided information on trail conditions and other useful notes for hikers. From Dakesawa Hut, it would be another 4 hours of steep hiking towards the junction of Mount Mae-Hodaka (前穂高岳) and Oku-Hotaka (奥穂高岳).

Inside the hut, there was a small eatery and souvenir shop.

We gratefully sat down and ordered curry for lunch. The menu was simple and slightly pricey, due to the fact that all food up here were transported by helicopter from down below.

On the desk, chairs and benches offered hikers a lovely spot for rest.

The helipad nearby was essential as most provisions at the hut were transported by helicopter.

Behind the hut, reaching the peaks of Mount Hotaka would take another 4 hours of hiking at least.

We took the same route for the descend.

Too bad we didn’t encounter any wildlife during the hike. With the lovely scenery and pleasant hiking experience, Dakesawa trail offered us a decent introduction to the magnificent alpine scenery at Kamikochi.

It took us less time returning to the trailhead at Dakesawa Marsh (岳沢湿原).

A zigzagging boardwalk took us to a small deck at Dakesawa Marsh (岳沢湿原). We sat down at the edge of the deck to admire the alpine scenery. A leisure stroll took us back to Nishi-ito-ya Mountain Lodge, where the refreshing hot bath awaited for our return.