Made it to the peak — and it was absolutely worth it! The view of the Alps was stunning. The hike from the hut to the peak takes about an hour, though the trail has lots of loose rocks, so be careful along the way.
If you’re not a fan of hiking, you can still enjoy the picturesque scenery near the bus station. It’s also a popular cycling route up to that point. From Takayama, it takes two bus rides to get here, both offering scenic views throughout the journey.
For reference i travaled here on may 21st.
If you are driving from Takayama/Gifu you need to park you are in Honokidaira bus terminal.
Amazing experience, but i was totally unprepared for the challenge and amount of snow you ll encounter.
Bus from Honokidaira will take you to Tatamidaira at 2700m, which is the highest bus stop in Japan ( check when the service resume, but it's usually mid May ).
If you want to get to the top of mt Norikura make sure to have proper boots, pants and walking poles.
It's been great, breathtaking view and very few people at this time of the year.
The snowall was still roughly 5meters high, and you can really walk next to it
Definitely come here! It was foggy and raining when we boarded the bus, so we were feeling disappointed. But when we woke up from our nap (still in the bus) we had suddenly gone above the clouds and the sky was sunny and clear blue. The view was breathtaking. Hikes are easy and super enjoyable.
This mountain claims to have the highest bus station stop in Japan. I came here by bus from Kamikochi. The day was misty-rainy and very unpredictable, so bring your rainwear. In the bus station area there some shops to buy water/lunch box. The hike from the bus station to the top was not that hard, but the scenery and view despite the bad weather was very beautiful. The strong wind will blow in the middle of the cloud rains.
In late October, we saw some snow and it's about 15 degree Celsius there. We took 3 hours to reach to the top. The views are amazingly beautiful.
