Oku-Hotaka-dake (3,190 m) is the highest peak in the Northern Alps and, since a 2014 remeasurement, tied for third-highest in all of Japan. It crowns the Hotaka massif — a wall of granite peaks that rises straight out of the Kamikōchi valley — and the climb to it passes through Karasawa, one of the most beautiful glacial cirques in the country. The summit day involves fixed chains and ladders on exposed rock; the cirque below is, for many, reason enough to make the trip on its own.
Why Fukada Chose Oku-Hotaka-dake
Kyūya Fukada held the Hotaka range in high regard for its sense of hinkaku — dignity, presence. Seen from the floor of Kamikōchi the peaks rise as a sheer wall; seen from the summit ridge the land falls away on every side into glacier-carved cirques. Few mountains in Japan combine that scale and severity so completely, which is why Hotaka sits near the top of any serious hiker's list despite the commitment it demands.
The mountain is inseparable from Kamikōchi, the glacial valley at its base. The English missionary Walter Weston climbed in the Hotaka range in 1893 and, through his writing, did much to make the Japanese Alps known to the wider world — and to establish Kamikōchi as Japan's premier mountain valley.
The Mountain
| Elevation | 3,190 m — highest in the Northern Alps; tied 3rd in Japan (with Ai-no-dake) |
| Prefectures | Nagano / Gifu (high point of both) |
| Range | Northern Alps (Hida Mountains) |
| Key feature | The Karasawa cirque; chains and ladders on the summit block |
| Hyakumeizan | One of Fukada's 100 Famous Mountains |
| Hiking season | Roughly July – early October (snow lingers into July) |
The Hotaka massif's four "Hotaka" peaks are Nishi-Hotaka (2,909 m), Mae-Hotaka (3,090 m), Oku-Hotaka (3,190 m, the main summit), and Kita-Hotaka (3,106 m) — with Karasawa-dake (3,110 m) rising between Oku- and Kita-Hotaka as the massif's second-highest point. The range links to Yarigatake along the famous Yari–Hotaka ridge traverse, one of Japan's great multi-day routes.
The Routes
Standard: Kamikōchi → Karasawa → Oku-Hotaka
Grade: Challenging (chains and ladders; two days minimum)
You cannot reach the summit comfortably from Kamikōchi in a single day — plan on at least one night, ideally in or above the cirque.
Day 1 — Kamikōchi → Karasawa cirque (~6 hours): A long but near-flat valley walk up the Azusa River past Myōjin, Tokusawa and Yokoo (cross the Yokoo bridge), then up past Hontani-bashi into the Karasawa cirque — a wide bowl ringed by the Hotaka peaks, with two huts at its base. Karasawa is extraordinary in its own right.
Day 2 — Karasawa → summit → descent (~7–9 hours): From the cirque the standard summer line climbs the Zaitengrat (ザイテングラート), a rock ridge with fixed chains and ladders, to Hotaka-dake Sansō on the Shiradashi col. (In early season, before about late July, the cirque headwall is still under snow and needs crampons — a different, harder proposition than the bare-rock summer route.) From the hut, the summit is about 50 minutes away, starting with a near-vertical rock step climbed on ladders and chains right above the door.
- Net elevation gain: ~1,685 m (Kamikōchi ~1,505 m → summit 3,190 m); cumulative is higher with the ridge's ups and downs.
- Gloves and a helmet earn their place on the chain-and-ladder sections — cold metal in the morning, and loose rock kicked by hikers above is a real hazard.
Alternative: Shinhotaka Ropeway (Gifu side)
Grade: Challenging
The Shinhotaka Ropeway lifts you to Nishi-Hotaka-guchi (2,156 m) on the Gifu side — a higher start, useful for loop routes, but the onward ridge to Oku-Hotaka is serious and exposed. Less used by foreign visitors than the Kamikōchi approach.
The Yari–Hotaka Traverse
Grade: Strenuous (3–4 days)
The high ridge linking Oku-Hotaka and Yarigatake is one of Japan's greatest traverses — and one of its most exposed, with sustained scrambling (the Daikiretto gap among it). For experienced hikers in settled weather only.
Getting There
Kamikōchi has no private-car access — the park road is closed to private vehicles year-round; you transfer to a bus or taxi at Sawando (Sawando) on the Nagano side (or Hirayu/Akandana on the Gifu side).
From Matsumoto:
- Alpico direct bus ("National Park Liner"), Matsumoto → Kamikōchi: ~90 minutes, reserve in advance; about ¥4,600 one way (2026 season, roughly mid-April to mid-November).
- Or by train: Matsumoto → Shin-Shimashima (Alpico Kamikōchi Line), then bus to Kamikōchi (~1 hour).
From Tokyo: Shinjuku → Matsumoto on the JR Chūō Line limited express Azusa (~2 h 40 m, reserved ~¥6,400), then the bus as above. Allow most of a day from Tokyo to the trailhead.
Mountain Huts
| Hut | Elevation | Use / note |
|---|---|---|
| Karasawa Hyutte (涸沢ヒュッテ) | ~2,309 m | Cirque base; famous terrace; ~¥14,000–16,000 (2 meals) |
| Karasawa-goya (涸沢小屋) | ~2,350 m | The cirque's other hut, slightly higher; ~¥14,000 |
| Hotaka-dake Sansō (穂高岳山荘) | ~2,996 m | On the Shiradashi col (Oku-Hotaka–Karasawa-dake); summit base; ~¥15,500 |
Karasawa also has one of the best tent sites in Japan — and one of the busiest in the autumn-colour weeks. Reserve hut space ahead for August and late September; carry cash.
A cirque worth the trip on its own
Flora and Wildlife
Karasawa's autumn colour: From late September into early October, the cirque's dwarf pine and nanakamado turn orange and red against grey granite and lingering snow — one of Japan's most photographed mountain scenes. The peak has drifted slightly later in recent years; expect the tent site packed on fine weekends, and far quieter midweek.
Alpine flowers: In July–August the cirque floor fills with chinguruma (its feathery seed heads as striking as the bloom) and alpine sedges; the lower Kamikōchi valley has some of Japan's finest riverside flower meadows.
Japanese rock ptarmigan (raichō, ライチョウ): On the high ridges above the cirque — the col by Hotaka-dake Sansō and the ridge toward Mae-Hotaka are good ground, best in the early morning.
Asiatic black bears (tsukinowaguma, ツキノワグマ): The forested lower valley between Kamikōchi and Yokoo is bear habitat — this is Honshu, so the Asiatic black bear, not the Hokkaido brown bear. Carry a bear bell for the valley; above the treeline encounters are unlikely. Never leave food accessible at the tent sites.
Seasonal Guide
- July: Snow lingers in the cirque and on the headwall into mid-July; early-July summit attempts need crampons. Dramatic snow-and-granite scenery.
- August: Peak season — warm low down, cold at the col; the Karasawa tent site fills, so arrive early. Afternoon thunderstorms are common; start early and be off the high ground by midday (see the afternoon thunderstorm guide).
- Late September – early October: The famous Karasawa autumn colour. Often considered the best time to visit — and the busiest in the cirque.
- Mid-October on: Huts close progressively and winter returns to the tops; not a hikers' objective after that.
Practical Tips for Foreign Visitors
- Treat the summit day as the committing part. The valley walk to Karasawa is straightforward; the Zaitengrat chains and ladders, and the ladder step above the hut, are where attention and a helmet matter. Don't push it in bad weather — the cirque is reward enough.
- Book everything. The Kamikōchi bus, the huts, the Karasawa tent site in autumn — all fill. Reserve ahead.
- Carry crampons before late July. The cirque headwall holds snow into mid-July; without crampons, early-season is a different and harder climb.
- The free view: the Hotaka peaks reflected in Kamikōchi's Taishō Pond on a calm morning is one of the most beautiful sights in Japan, and costs nothing — worth it even if weather closes the summit.
- Download offline maps (YAMAP) before signal drops in the valley.
This guide is part of the Japan's 100 Famous Mountains: Complete Hyakumeizan Guide series. Kamikōchi access and hut info: kamikochi.or.jp
