REPORT

The season’s first major cold front moved south on 10/19 (Sun.), bringing the first snowfall of the autumn to Mt. Teine and Mt. Yokotsu in Hokkaido, Mt. Hakkoda and Mt. Gassan in northern Japan, and even Mt. Fuji. And as I began to write the above sentence, I realized—it’s all happening at almost the exact same time as last year’s abundant snow season! In any case, it was a beautiful morning, with the rocky ridges of the 3,000-meter peaks and the white trunks of dakekanba birches combining to create a striking late-autumn landscape.
[Tsugaike Nature Park・Ukishima Marsh to Mousen-ike Pond]

At 9 a.m. this morning, the temperature at the Visitor’s Center was just 6°C. A light, chilly breeze was blowing, yet the warm sunshine made the walk deeper into the park feel pleasantly comfortable. Though the autumn foliage at the Tsugaike Nature Park has now come to an end, visitors admiring the scenery could still be heard saying things like, “It’s amazing,” and “Even like this, it’s still beautiful.” At the Watasuge Marsh (pictured), a thin layer of ice had formed across the surface of the ponds—a clear sign that winter is drawing near.
[Tsugaike Nature Park・Watasuge Marsh]

The most breathtaking view of the day came from the Yase-One Ridge, looking down over the Karimata-ike (pictured) pond with the Hakuba Sanzan peaks rising at eye level beyond, and framed by the golden larch trees in the foreground. At the Tenbo Marsh, I met a hiker from Yamanashi Prefecture who told me, “I always read your reports! I came hoping to see the first snow on the Hakuba peaks, but I see it hasn’t fallen yet. Still, the late-autumn scenery is absolutely magnificent.”
[Tsugaike Nature Park・Yase-One Ridge]

The Tsugaike Ropeway (which includes both the Tsugaike Gondola and Tsugaike Ropeway) will operate for just a few more days this season: from 10/24 (Fri.) to 10/26 (Sun.), and again from 11/1 (Sat.) to 11/3 (Mon., holiday). The autumn colors are steadily descending the mountains, with the area around the Shirakaba Slope currently at its peak. And with that, this season’s summer trekking reports for Tsugaike have come to an end. Thank you very much for following along. See you next time when our winter slope reports kick off!
[Tsugaike Gondola]

　　
[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 weekdays from 8:00 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 … 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (last admission at 3:00 p.m.)
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