REPORT

With the recent stretch of sunny days continuing, total sunshine hours over the past 10 days have reached about twice the seasonal average for the same period. In fact, on 7/29 (Tue.), the nearby city of Omachi recorded its highest temperature ever at 35.5°C, and today around 7:00 a.m., even just walking from Happo’s No. 3 Parking Lot to the gondola base station had me breaking into a light sweat. In contrast, it was a refreshingly cool 20°C in front of the Happo-ike Sanso lodge at 7:30 a.m.—a stark and welcome reminder of how comfortable the mountains can be.
[Happo-One Nature Trail・Wooden Boardwalk Course]

That said, the intense sunlight beating down on my back while ascending the ridge route was more draining than expected. With summer holidays in full swing, the trail was busy, and minor traffic jams formed along the narrow wooden stairways of the Ridge Route and near the end of the Boardwalk Course. Among the hikers out on the trail, many were taking precautions against the sun, with some using parasols, while others wore wide-brimed hats for added protection.
[Ridge Route]

Although it may be hot, please note that wearing shorts or other clothing that exposes a lot of skin increases the risk of sunburn and insect bites. I met a staff member from the Happo Information Center along the trail, who told me, “Your alpine flower photos are amazing—I always check them out! I even show your reports to our guests when giving them information.” Beginning around 8:00 a.m., large clouds began to form quickly, gradually obscuring the ridgelines of Mt. Shirouma, Mt. Shakushi, Mt. Hakuba-Yari (collectively known as the Hakuba Sanzan), the peaks of Kaerazu-no-Ken, and Mt. Goryu.
[Happo-One Nature Trail・Happo Cairn to No. 3 Cairn]

I ran into a few staff members from the Hakuba Alps Hotel who were out enjoying some hiking on their days off. They greeted me cheerfully saying they always read our reports, and added, “We stayed overnight and made it up to Mt. Karamatsu. The sunrise we saw on the way down this morning was absolutely breathtaking!” At first I thought they were still heading up—but it turns out they were already on their way back down.
[Happo-One Nature Trail・No. 3 Cairn]

　　
[Happo-One Nature Trail Opening Information]
*Period … 2025/5/31 (Sat.) – 6/1 (Sun.), 6/7 (Sat.) – 11/3 (Mon.)
*Hours … Happo Alpen Line: Weekdays from 7/22 open at 7:00am, 8/2, 8/3, 8/19 – 8/17 open at 6:30am, Kurobishi Line: 8/2, 8/3, 8/9 – 8/17 open at 4:30 am, Weekdays from 7/22 open at 7:15am.
*Fees … Happo Alpen Line Roundtrip / Adults JPY3,400, Elementary School Students JPY2,200 → Advance Discount Tickets: Adults JPY3,000, Children JPY1,850! (No need to exchange at the ticket window! You can proceed straight to the gondola.) Kurobishi Line Roundtrip / Adults JPY2,300, Elementary School Students JPY1,400.
(*One preschooler free with each paid adult. The second preschooler will be charged at the normal children’s rate.)

*Hakuba Happo-one will be reported 1－2times a week
*To Visitors Requesting Original Data of Our Photographs.

reported by Snownavi