Hiking route of Mt. Nyukasa-yama
Gondola summit station (Sawairi trailhead parking lot) - flower garden - O-ahara marshland - Mt. Nyukasa yama
Technical level: A
Physical strength level: 2
Difficulty level: ★★
If you take the gondola at Fujimi Kogen Panorama Resort and go up to 1,800 meters at a stretch, you will be right in front of Mt. Nyukasa-yama which is one of the 300 famous mountains. If you are going by car, the starting point is the Sawairi trailhead (cars are restricted from there). From there, you will need to be strong enough to climb a little further up the mountain. In any case, since we are going all this way, let’s go to the O-ahara marshland.
Not many people go to the marshland, but you can enjoy a leisurely hike. The weather is stable during the autumn foliage season as well as during the season of bellflower and alpine flora, so it is a great place to enjoy the view. This is a highly recommended hiking route, which is designed to enjoy the view of the Japan Alps, although the summit is also a must-see. The gondola is open during the green season from late April to early November (please inquire for details).
●Mountaineering Data
Walking time: 4 hours 10 min. by gondola / 4 hours 45 min. from Sawairi Parking Lot
Walking distance: 9.8 km when using the gondola / 12 km from Sawairi parking lot
Accumulated elevation gain: ±445.8 m when using gondola / ±708 m from Sawairi parking lot
：Mountain Villa InformationGondola summit station (Sawairi trailhead parking lot)
Elevation 1,777（1,450）m
↓ 40 minutes (1 hour 5 minutes)
Entrance to the flower garden
Elevation 1,770m
↓ 35 minutes
Hotoke-daira Pass (Kubikiri shimizu : Decapitated Water)
Elevation 1,842m
↓ 15 minutes
O-ahara marshland parking lot
Elevation 1,820m
↓ 30 minutes (1 lap)
O-ahara marshland
Elevation 1,820m
↓ 15 minutes
Hotoke-daira Pass
Elevation 1,842m
↓ 25 minutes
Nyukasa-yama
Elevation 1,955m
↓ 30 minutes
Lady's Hill Viewing Point
Elevation 1,762m
↓ 20 minutes
Entrance to the flower garden
Elevation 1,770m
↓ 40 minutes (45 minutes)
Gondola summit station (Sawairi trailhead parking lot)
Elevation 1,777（1,450）m
Route Guide
Fujimi Kogen Panorama Resort's gondola ride starts from the summit station.
Mt. Nukasa-yama is also known as Suzuran-yama, where the Suzuran orchids are in full bloom during the season (late May to early June). From the back of the station, take the forest road and soon turn onto a side road that leads to the Nyukasa Marsh. After passing through the marshland in the shape of a compact depression and following the trail for a while, you will come to a flower garden that serves as the entrance to Mt. Nyukasa-yama trailhead.
(From the Sawairi trailhead parking lot)
A little further from the trailhead, there is a steep slope, but once past that point, the rest of the trail is a gentle mountain traverse. Follow the trail to the Nyukasa marshland, but if you turn left on the way, you will see a sign for Hokkemichi, so go down that trail and climb back up the valley to join the boardwalk before the flower garden.
After a short time, you will reach a terraced Yatsu-gatake viewpoint. From here, you will certainly be able to take pictures of the unobstructed, man-made view of the Yatsu-gatake mountains.
After a while on the paved trail, you will come to the entrance of the Nyukasa-yama East (decapitation) Trail (Hotoke-daira Pass) on your right, where you will find a scary historical site called "decapitation water".
The entrance to the O-ahara Marsh is on the right side of the paved road, a small marshy area that can be circled in about 30 minutes, but it is a high moor with an atmosphere similar to that of Oze marshland.
After this, we will return to Kubikiri Shimizu for a 30-minute hike up Mt. Nyukasa-yama, 300 famous mountains, offers an unobstructed 360-degree view of the Japan Alps (the Manaslu mountain lodge staff checked that the number of famous peaks visible from the summit was 31).
The view of the Yatsu-gatake mountains is particularly spectacular, and you may even be able to grab a hold of the range of peaks. If you have enough time after descending to Manaslu mountain hut, go down toward Nyukasa Ranch. After a while, you will see two trees on the hill on your right. They are "Lady's Hill," a hidden spot that has been used many times for filming TV dramas and commercials.
The view of the Northern Alps over the ranch, which is hard to believe it is in Japan (especially from the morning to around noon, when the light is good), is one of the most spectacular of all the distant views of the Japan Alps.
Once you have enjoyed the wonderful scenery, return to the flower garden and slowly walk back to the gondola station and parking lot, respectively.