What's the best way to climb Japan's Top Ten highest mountains?
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What's the best way to climb Japan's Top Ten highest mountains?

by Bruce
(Japan)

Hi Gary,

As a 33 year resident of Japan, I will be leaving in a year or two.
I would like to put the top ten highest mountains on my "bucket list"

Obviously, Mt Fuji takes care of number 9.
After reading your website, it appears that knocking out multiple mountains on one trip is possible.
So, can you advise as to how you would recommend doing this (I won't be doing the Big Cut as I have a family and not enough life insurance.)
ie. 6 and 7 (Mt. Warusawa-dake (悪沢岳) and Mt. Akaishi-dake (赤石岳) ) can be done together.

Thus, two questions
How would you advise re #2 - #5, #8-#10?
When is the earliest latest dates for these? (in general terms, are the seasons much longer than Mt.Fuji or not?)

Kind Regards,

Bruce

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Apr 18, 2016
5 trips
by: Gary Wolff

Wow, Bruce, you have me beat. I've only been in Dai Nippon for a quarter-century. :-)

I'm not sure what you mean by "Mount Fuji takes care of number 9," but obviously Fuji-san would need to be done separately.

In accordance with my list of Japan's highest peaks (https://www.garyjwolff.com/highest-mountains-in-japan.html#list), if you zoom in to the Kita Alps on my Google map of the Japan's 25 highest peaks (https://www.garyjwolff.com/highest-mountains-in-japan.html#map), you'll see that 5 of Japan's 10 highest peaks are in the Kamikochi area.

Without having to negotiate the Daikiretto, you can do highest peaks #3 (Oku-hotaka-dake, 奥穂高岳), #8 (Karasawa-dake, 涸沢岳), and #9 (Kita-hotaka-dake, 北穂高岳) on one trip, and peaks #5 (Yari-ga-take, 槍ヶ岳) and #10 (Obami-dake, 大喰岳) on another.

Switching down to the Minami Alps, in the same Google Map you can see that highest peaks #2 (Kita-dake, 北岳) and #4 (Ai-no-dake, 間ノ岳) are right next to each other, and then as you mentioned, a little further south are peaks #6 (Warusawa-dake, 悪沢岳) and #7 (Akaishi-dake, 赤石岳) which can be done together.

So if my math is correct, without doing the Daikiretto (I wouldn't either!), you can knock out Japan's 10 highest peaks in 5 trips.

As for the best climbing season, yes, summer is best, and personally, I wouldn't go before mid to late July because I HATE climbing on the slippery, white stuff. :-)

Happy trails...

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