This is a compact Ptarmigan RAICHO experience tour. As in A, we will observe Japan’s fresh greenery in the summer, autumn leaves in the fall in the Norikura Mountains, guided by mountain hut manager. The first day of the tour includes a nature guide’s Kamikochi tour.
Tour Itinerary for Day 1
On the first day, after exploring Kamikochi, one of the most popular resorts in Japan, we will go to Norikura Tatamidaira at an elevation of 2,700m in the evening via Norikura Kogen Plateau.
Azusa river and Hotaka Mountains
Azami Pond and Norikura Mountains
Norikura Haku-un-so mountain hut
It is a mountain hut adjacent to the Tsuru-gaike parking lot where there is a Tatami-daira bus terminal where the shuttle bus stops and arrives.
While the convenience is outstanding, with Mao-dake at its back, it is isolated from the bustling space, and it is welcomed when you can rest slowly in silence.
On clear nights, the high elevations make it possible for you to see the stars in the sky so close to you that you can reach them, and the scenery of the mountains where the unbelievably bright moonlight can be seen is also excellent.
乗鞍白雲荘 – 乗鞍白雲荘 ※Japanese only
Japanese Mountain hut Roule
Mountain Huts and Camping Ground | THE JAPAN ALPS
- All activities and lodging locations are tentative and subject to change at short notice due to weather and local conditions.
- All dinners and breakfasts are provided daily. Lunch and side dishes are sourced individually.
Ptarmigan RAICHO Short Story
They represent wild birds living high up in the mountains and are recognized as prefectural birds in Gifu, Nagano and Toyama prefectures. 20,000 years ago, during the glacier age, they came to Japan; at the end of the glacier age, most of them returned to the continents, however, some of them stayed in The Alpine Belt in Japan and have bred since then. In Japan, from the Heian era, the Ptarmigan had appeared in poems as “Rai-no-tori” and they were recognized as sacred birds by worship climbers. However, they became targets of hunting in the Meiji era and many of them were killed. Even Walter Weston hunted and ate them according to the records. Hunting was not the only reason for the numbers of the species to have dropped dramatically, however after the Meiji era, and it is said that currently there remain only about 3,000 birds. In addition to that , global warming threatens their existence, and they are facing an even bigger risk of extinction.
Tour Itinerary for Day 2
The main event on the second day is the early morning ptarmigan observation. After leaving the mountain, sightseeing in Matsumoto city.
- All activities and lodging locations are tentative and subject to change at short notice due to weather and local conditions.
- All dinners and breakfasts are provided daily. Lunch and side dishes are sourced individually.