Summer Info
The road closure on Route 322 between the Futamata Gate and Sarukura was lifted on 7/18 (Fri.) at 3:00 p.m. However, this summer private cars are not allowed to park at the Sarukura parking lot, so in order to reach the Hakuba Daisekkei, you’ll need to park at one of the designated lots—Happo No. 3 Parking, Happo No. 5 Parking, or the Lawson Hakuba Happo store east-side lot (overnight parking allowed for climbers)—and then take either a reservation-only bus or a taxi from the Hakuba Happo Bus Terminal (shuttle vehicles are also permitted). On 8/9 (Sat.) at 5:55 a.m., both buses departing JR Hakuba Station were already full.
[Sarukura-so]
I arrived at Sarukura at 6:28 a.m., submitted my climbing registration at the bustling Sarukura-so lodge (pictured, first photo), and began my ascent at 6:40. Along the way, many hikers paused to snap photos when Mt. Shirouma came into view to the west. With the temperature at a cool 16°C and the sunlight softened by thin clouds, the climb felt easy, and I reached Hakuba-jiri in about an hour.
[Sarukura to Gotemba]
Many hikers were taking long breaks at Hakuba-jiri. I met a pair of hikers from Saitama (pictured), who told me, “We’re climbing Mt. Shirouma today and camping overnight at the Hakuba-dake summit lodge. Originally, we had hoped to do a full traverse of the Ushiro-Tateyama range over Mountain Day, but since the weather looks unstable, we decided on a two-day trip instead.”
[Hakuba-jiri]
From Hakuba-jiri to the Daisekkei Cairn, the forest trail changed in character—from wooden steps, to loose rocky sections, to a short 100-meter stretch of snow, and finally to rocky ground again. Before stepping onto the Hakuba Daisekkei, I strapped on gaiters and crampons. Once on the snowfield, the wind rushing down was noticeably strong and cold, so I put on a windproof jacket. (To be continued in Hakuba Daisekkei, Pt. 2)
[Hakuba Daisekkei]
*If you’d like to receive an experience ticket as a return gift through the Furusato Nozei program, please apply via “Furusato Choice.”
*Furusato Nozei is a program that allows you to make a donation to your hometown or to a municipality you wish to support. In return, you can receive gifts worth about 30% of your donation, and for any portion exceeding JPY2,000, you can receive a reduction in your resident tax (deduction) and a refund on your income tax. For example, with a JPY50,000 Furusato Nozei donation, JPY48,000 yen will be deducted from your resident and income tax the following year, and you’ll receive a return gift worth JPY15,000—resulting in a net benefit of JPY13,000.
*Furusato Nozei Report Series 2025 (*Most recent reports listed first) → Hakuba Daisekkei Pt. 2, Hakuba Daisekkei Pt.1, Hakuba Experience Ticket, Hakuba Hill Climb, Hakuba Mountains, Hakuba Rice Pt. 4, Shionomichi Matsuri
