REPORT

The MIKKETA! event and “Oze & Tsugaike Mizubasho Trip” campaign are currently running through 8/31 (Sun.), while the Tsugaike Nature Park Stamp Rally will continue until 11/2 (Sun.). This morning, I joined a group of four children from Tochigi Prefecture taking part in one of the MIKKETA! programs that roughly translates to, “Become a Ranger and Protect the Nature Park.” (Pictured, participation fee ¥1,000). After a short lesson at the Visitor Center on how to use a camera and other basics, we set off on patrol through the Tsugaike Nature Park.
[Tsugaike Visitor’s Center]

Their mission was to take photos within the park and report their findings to the Chief Ranger. The kids eagerly snapped pictures of everything from iwana char swimming in the stream, tadpoles in the wetlands, and various insects and alpine plants. It was fun to see them capturing the park as they saw and felt it. After concluding their patrol, they returned to the Visitor Center, selected three of their photos to print, and mounted them on a special report sheet to present to the Chief Ranger.
[Mizubasho Marsh]

Clear skies have continued since last week, and this morning brought especially beautiful weather that offered stunning views of the three major “Hakuba Sanzan” peaks and the rest of the Northern Alps from the windows of the gondola on the way up. Compared to my last visit on 7/21 (Mon., holiday), both the watasuge cotton grass and the Nikko-kisuge daylilies have increased in number, making the scenery at the Ukishima Marsh breathtaking. In addition, the comfortable temperature, hovering around 20–21°C, made it an incredibly pleasant day to be in the park.
[Ukishima Marsh]

Around 10 a.m., the park began to fill with more visitors, especially families. Near the Fuketsu wind cave, located between the Mizubasho and Watasuge marshes, a cool, refreshing breeze drifted through the air. Along the path from the Mizubasho Marsh to the Ukishima Marsh, a lovely variety of alpine flowers were in bloom, including Nikko-kisuge daylilies and watasuge cotton grass plumes, as well as kuruma-yuri lilies, shimotsuke-so, kinugasa-so, gozen tachibana, and karamatsu-so.
[Watasuge Marsh]

　
[Tsugaike Nature Park Opening Information]
*Period … 6/7 (Sat.) to 10/26 (Sun.), 11/1 (Sat.) to 11/3 (Mon., holiday)
*Hours … Tsugaike Ropeway is open Every day from 7/19 to 8/17 and Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays from 9/27 to 10/13 from 7:00 a.m.; Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays from 8/23 to 9/23 and 9/22 from 7:30 a.m.
＊Fees … Tsugaike Ropeway Roundtrip + Entrance Fee / Adults JPY4,000, Elementary School Students JPY2,200, Preschoolers Free → Advance Discount Tickets: Adults JPY3,500, Children JPY1,950! (No need to exchange at the ticket window! You can proceed straight to the gondola.)
(*One preschooler free with each paid adult. The second preschooler will be charged at the normal children’s rate.)

[Hakuba Tsugaike WOW! Opening Information]
*Period … 2025/7/19 (Sat) – 8/31 (Sun) *Closed on weekdays from 6/7 – 7/13 and 9/1 – 10/26.
Opening hours … 10 am – 4 pm (last admission at 3 pm)
Charges … Tobidas (1 time) JPY1,000 Kabedas (1 time) JPY500 Amidas (60 min) JPY1,600 for adults, JPY1,000 for primary schools students Kogidas (1 time) JPY2,000

*This season’s Tsugaike Report will be updated once or twice a week.
*To Visitors Requesting Original Data of Our Photographs

reported by Snownavi