3 Incredible Fall Hikes You Need to Do in the Japanese Alps

3 Incredible Fall Hikes You Need to Do in the Japanese Alps

Fall in Japan is my favorite season. With cooler 
temperatures after brutal summer heat and the most gorgeous foliage I’ve seen, it’s no wonder. 
Unlike last year though, when I went to Hokkaido where the foliage starts first due to its northern 
latitude, I’m in central Honshu this year where the colors don’t really start until November… at 
lower elevations that is. So, in an effort to make the most of fall, I’m proposing three adventures 
in the Japanese Alps to hopefully catch some early colors at higher altitudes while also rounding out 
the hiking season. The first adventure I have for you today is on the Toyama side of the northern 
Alps. I’m heading up to Tateyama, one of Japan’s three holy mountains. To get there, you need 
to first take a cable car from Tateyama Station and transfer onto a bus, which will take you to 
Murodo. This round trip costs 7,400 yen and can be reserved online. I took the third earliest cable 
car at 7:10 a.m. as the first two were sold out already. After an hour winding up the mountains, 
you arrive at Murodo, an alpine plateau nestled in the peaks of the northern Alps. I’ve heard 
it’s full of beautiful meadows in the summer, but I have to say it’s pretty magical in early 
fall as well with the turning colors. It may seem quite busy initially, but many people just 
stick to the plateau and head off to Kurobe Gorge after. So, I’m going to escape the majority of 
the crowds by doing a loop of the entire caldera All right. So, just crossed off the iconic 
Tateyama. And I actually have no idea if I’m pointing at it because I don’t have 
a flip out screen on this camera. The reason I’m using my A7 III for 
video now is because my Sony ZVE1 has been broken for a couple months now and 
it’s been in repair and I probably won’t get it back until I go back to Canada in uh 
December for Christmas. So, what can you do? Yo, check out this spot I just found. I’m 
going to set up a tripod, run down there, take a shot. This is going to be awesome. Wow, the clouds are moving fast up there. Well, guys, one of my worst fears has 
been realized. Um, I just dropped my camera cuz it’s very windy. Um, it was on 
my tripod and it actually just slipped out, so it wasn’t the wind’s fault. The lens is 
actually the thing that’s broken. Luckily, not the camera. This is the lens I use 
for 90% of my shots, if not more. And so, I have one camera that’s being repaired right 
now, and I’m going to have to repair this lens, and I’m going to have to probably get a substitute 
in the meantime. The only other thing I have to shoot right now with is my 100 to 400 mm, which 
is uh not very versatile for my kind of videos. Well, there’s Tsurugi-dake behind me and 
just the way things have been going today, I think I’m going to pass on that and turn 
back to the bus and get back to the van. I’ll get you next time, Tsurugi. This is the side of the journey that people 
don’t really see. It’s absolutely incredible, but it can also be isolating. Finding a place to 
sleep every day, wondering where my next paycheck is going to come from, camera gear breaking, 
it all builds up. And in a country where I don’t speak the language fluently, it can feel 
like I have no one to talk to. like really talk to. So that’s why I think on top of staying 
active and eating and sleeping well, I think it’s also important to speak to a credentialed 
therapist. Talking with a professional has helped me understand my triggers and deal with stress 
in a healthier way. And when I think about how much I dreamed of living this lifestyle, I don’t 
want stress to take away from it now. In that way, therapy has helped me stay present in the journey. 
So introducing today’s paid partner: BetterHelp. BetterHelp is on a mission to make starting 
therapy easier. And that was the big appeal to me. It doesn’t matter if I’m in a van in the mountains 
of Japan. All I need is internet. I got connected with a credential therapist who’s trained to 
listen and give helpful, unbiased advice. You just fill out a questionnaire and you’ll match 
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to get 10% off your first month of therapy. This is crazy. What are you doing here? I picked 
up my friend Miki who’s from Osaka and happened to be traveling in the area with her family, but took 
a couple extra days to join me on an adventure. First stop, ashiyu. We had wanted to hike on 
the first day, but weather was not on our side, so we took it easy. feel. We ended up deciding 
to go to Takayama to kill some time before our main adventure tomorrow. We chose this place 
for lunch specifically because of the doge! When in Gifu, had to get the 
Hida-gyu (famous beef from Hida). After lunch, we checked out Hida no Sato, a sort 
of traditional village replica. I can’t lie, I thought this was going to be a complete 
tourist trap. Just buildings made in a somewhat traditional fashion to give tourists that Japan 
vibe. However, I was pleasantly surprised that all these buildings were taken from around Gifu and 
reconstructed here to display the old techniques. And as someone with an architecture background, I thought it was fascinating. Not only 
can you go inside all the buildings, but when you do, they also have artifacts and more 
information on how people lived in these times. In fall, they also extend the opening 
hours for illuminations. In mid-october, it’s still too early at lower elevations for 
the fall colors, but it was still nice. So, if you’re in Takayama, I do recommend 
this as a stop if you have time. Where I’m headed next with Miki, I bet you, 
is a place that almost no one has heard of, even in Japan. At around 11,000 yen for a 
guided tour, it is by far the most expensive of the three adventures I have in this video, 
but for good reason. Goshikigahara no mori is a protected forest on the slopes of Mount 
Norikura, another significant peak in the northern Alps which you’ll see more of in the next 
segment. Goshikigahara’s protection makes it one of Japan’s last remaining old growth forests, 
and it’s only accessible now with a guide. English guides are apparently available 
and you’ll want to be able to understand them because they have a lot to teach you 
about the local fauna, flora, and geology. I’ve been shooting everything on my wide angle 
since my main lens broke on the hike 2 days ago. And honestly, it’s been uh quite a lot of fun 
because I never use it. Especially because my ND filter when I use the wide at its widest, 
which is 17 mm, it gets really bad vignetting. But here in the forest, it’s been dark enough 
that I don’t need the ND. And when it is bright, then I just bump up the aperture and it’s been 
okay. So, honestly, it’s been a lot of fun just uh going outside of my comfort zone and 
shooting wide. After all, the best camera is the one you have on hand. In this case, 
the best lens is the one you have on hand. While the entire walk was incredibly 
beautiful and actually quite reminiscent of Oirase Gorge I visited in Aomori 
last fall, the main reason I had chosen this route was because of a certain 
waterfall I had seen photos of on Google Maps. Next is Nunobiki! I think we can hear it 
already. Yeah, there it is. We’re at the top. What was your favorite part? The only complaint I have is that it was 
quite expensive and we didn’t stop at the main attraction, the falls, Nunobiki Falls, for too 
long. Like we got to the bottom and we were there for like a few minutes and then he’s like, “Okay, 
let’s go.” So that’s my only complaint. The falls were so amazing. I wanted to sit there for like 
15 minutes and enjoy, but we were there for maybe like 5 minutes. I don’t know. So, but otherwise, 
incredible. Worth at least, you know, one try because it is quite expensive. But, uh, Miki is 
going to head back to Osaka now. Pien, bye. Bye. As I hinted at, the last adventure I’m 
bringing you on is up to Mount Norikura, which is actually just up the road from where 
you access Goshikigahara. Norikura is another set of prominent peaks in the Northern Alps, where 
private vehicles are not allowed. But fortunately, the bus tickets are a bit more reasonable at 
3,400 yen round trip, but can get really busy on weekends and holidays in the summer. So this ridge 
line right here is what separates Takyama City in Gifu Prefecture from Matsumoto City in Nagano 
Prefecture. An approximately 45minute bus ride gets you to the highest bus terminal in Japan. And 
the trails almost immediately give you sweeping views of the northern, central, and southern Alps. 
For those of you looking for more of a challenge, I wouldn’t recommend Norikura. Unlike Tatyama 
where the trails could take you for days through the Alps, this trail is disconnected from other 
mountains and not that long, plus has a lot of people on it. But if you’re someone looking for 
a chill hike with amazing views, this is for you. All right, we made it to Fujimidake, and 
indeed, you can see Fuji.. just barely. Well, I’m going to end off the video there as fall 
in the alpine is pretty well over and it’s soon going to start at lower elevations. I honestly 
don’t like paying to get out into nature, but I get why Japan does it. It’s such a small country 
and so many people are trying to visit these places that this helps protect those places. But 
don’t worry, there are a ton of free adventures that you can have in Japan as well. Those were 
just three pretty big places I had on my list and I don’t know if I’ll be in Japan still in a year’s 
time, so I had to get them done. It was quite a hiking heavy video. And with that, a big shout out 
to one of my viewers, Naomi, who’s currently going through chemotherapy. And I know she just can’t 
wait to get back out into the mountains once she’s fought off osteosarcoma. Naomi, I’m thinking of 
you, and I hope that my hiking videos can satisfy that itch in the meantime. But now, I’ve made 
it over to Fukui Prefecture, which is steeped in history and has a ton of hidden gems. So, with 
that, I’ll catch you in the next adventure!!

Going to therapy is a sign of strength, not weakness. My paid partner BetterHelp makes therapy simple, with 10% off your first month to help you get started: https://betterhelp.com/RyanBednar

Fall arrives early in the Japanese Alps. While the rest of Japan is still green, the mountains are already glowing with red and gold. In this video, I take you on three unforgettable hikes through the Northern Alps you need to add to your list: Murodo and Tateyama in Toyama, Goshikigahara in Gifu, and Mt. Norikura on the border of Nagano and Gifu. Perfect for anyone planning hikes in Japan, looking for fall travel ideas, or curious about Japan’s hiking culture.

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🎬Chapters:
0:00-5:29 Tateyama
5:30-7:12 Takayama
7:13-10:42 Goshikigahara
10:43-13:22 Mt. Norikura
13:23-14:32 Outro

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