REPORT

This year’s Obon holiday period has been marked by a stationary front stretching across Japan, bringing unstable weather to the area, but also resulting in incredibly cool temperatures up in the mountains. At 7:30 a.m., I felt refreshingly cool standing in front of Happo-ike Sanso, which was blanketed in a veil of thin mist. Looking up, I caught a glimpse of blue through the clouds, so I set off with the hope of climbing above the clouds and emerging into the clear sky.
[Happo-One Nature Trail・Happo Cairn to No. 3 Cairn]

On the way up the Boardwalk Course, the mist briefly cleared, only to return again near the No. 3 Cairn (pictured), with the droplets growing larger as I gained elevation. Around me, I could hear hikers remarking, “It feels like a mist shower!” and “It’s a little chilly, isn’t it?” I realized how much less tiring hiking can be in cool conditions, and after a quick rest at the Ougi-no-Setsuden snowfield, I continued on toward the Maruyama Cairn.
[Climbing Trail to Mt. Karamatsu・Ougi-no-Setsuden to Maruyama Cairn]

At the Maruyama Cairn, brisk winds were blowing from the south, and the sky alternated between patches of blue and passing clouds. A woman from Gunma (pictured front left, blue jacket) told me, “I had planned a traverse from Mt. Shirouma across the Kaerazu-no-Ken ridge to Mt. Karamatsu, but I had to cancel because of the heavy rain two days ago. Still, since the weather looked like it might improve today, I decided to come up on short notice with just some basic hiking gear!”
[Climbing Trail to Mt. Karamatsu・Maruyama Cairn]

I also spoke with a family from Aichi (pictured), who told me, “We’re climbing Mt. Karamatsu as a day trip. The kids already seem a bit tired, so we’ll take it easy.” Compared to my hike up to Mt. Karamatsu exactly a month ago, the lingering snow at the Ougi-no-Setsuden snowfield had retreated considerably, and the area to sit and rest had returned to its usual spaciousness for this time of year.
[Climbing Trail to Mt. Karamatsu・Maruyama 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, 8/9 – 8/17 open at 6:30am, Kurobishi Line: 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