I’m taking the Toki ✌️✌️ shinkansen towards Jomo-Kogen, then getting a rental car to drive the rest of the way to Oze. There should be some good hiking around there, but… that’s about as much as I know so far. But I’m prepared! And I think I can find a cabin to stay at in the national park. I’ll figure it out when I get there.

Wait, that’s it? That’s the “plan”? Yeah look, it’s kinda half-baked but I think it’s doable. I forget where I read about it, but apparently it’s a nice area in the Japanese alps with good hiking trails. I was originally going to be doing this trip with my wife, but now she can’t make it, so I’m gonna tackle a bit of a hike.

The last time I did anything like this was several years ago, when I walked the Overland Track in Tasmania with two friends. It’s a 65km hike that most people do over a span of a week, give or take. Well I don’t have a week to spare, but I reckon I could manage an overnighter. There’s just not that much useful info out there unfortunately, but I’m not dissuaded by that.

The shinkansen is quick as always, and the drive is easy. More accurately, the driving is easy but I have no idea whereTF I am. I’m a little out-of-season for the usual touristy stuff, so a lot of things aren’t open yet for the summer, and all the snow recreation areas are closed. This makes things… iffy.

It’s about 3pm when I wind up at Snow Park Oze Tokura and resign myself to the fact that I won’t be hiking into the national park today. Not that I want to be here, but it’s one of the few identifiable locations in the vicinity of the national park. I haven’t even found a place to leave the car and enter the area, let alone arrange a place to bunk for the night. You’d think it’s not that hard, but all the tourist maps of the area are pictorial ones that only identify landmarks, and they don’t align clearly with google maps so it’s hard to know where you’re really aiming for.

It’s time to regroup and revise the plans. I pick a spot and aim the Toyota at it – a snow resort about 20min drive away. There’s a bunch of lodges there and surely one of them will be open. I take the opportunity to give the rental car a solid thrashing along the windy mountain roads. It’s a not-very-powerful nugget but my God is it fun.

It’s been a little while since my last Japan trip and I assure you, dear reader, that my Japanese has only gotten worse. There’s one guy tending the garden when I roll up outside Pension Pokapoka, and he’s thoroughly confused.

Excuse me~! Do you have any vacancies?
Sorry?
Do you have any vacancies?
Ahh, please come in. Do you have a reservation?
Uhhhhh no.
[ some time later ]
So… you want to stay one night? One person?
Yes.
[ there are some paper forms to fill out and passport to present, and 14500yen to pay when I check out ]

I don’t think they’ve had any guests for ages – I mean who would come out to the snowfields when there’s no snow??

Anyway I like this place, it’s cosy and dark, all the rooms are tatami mats and everything is made of wood. My host shows me the communal kitchenette for tea and coffee, the bathrooms, and the hot tub. I’m keen to take advantage of that straight away, and have a good long soak after the provided dinner (chahan and gyoza).

I’m in a spacious 3-person room but I get the whole thing to myself – I can use BOTH powerpoints in the room for charging my electronics! Actually I think I have the entire lodge to myself, I’m certain there’s no one else here apart from a couple of resident dogs. I try to figure out my hiking options for tomorrow then turn in for the night.

Furi’s stats

Physical: ★★★★☆ A bit tired from driving around, but fine
Mental: ★★★☆☆ Frustrated by all the dead ends and lack of direction