Chubetsu-dake Hinan-goya (Hut)

Chubetsu-dake Hinan-goya

Chubetsu-dake Hinan-goya (Hut) is a triangle shape hut that is nestled in a small valley surrounded by low trees and alpine pine . 
The hut is about a two day trek from Asahidake and Sounkyo onsen villages or very long and hard day trek for the hardcore out there.

Chubetsu-dake Hut

The hut has two floors, The lower floor can sleep about 12 people comfortably and upper floor which is more like a loft, about 6 to 8.
The hut like most huts in Daisetsuzan is very simple with only a place to sleep. The first floor has 2 raised wooden areas where people sleep and you must wear your shoes on these areas. there is a walk area between them where you can take off and leave your footwear.
For the 2nd floor there is a ladder to your right as you walk into the hut. The 2nd floor is just a wooden floor and again you mustn't wear your boots or shoes up stairs. What people do is usually take off their footwear before climbing the the ladder and leave them at the bottom. Thiis is where have a pair of sandals make life easier when popping in and out of the hut.

first floor

first floor

first floor

Hut details:

    Official Season: July 1st to September 30th.
    Caretaker: No
    Water: YES
    Fee: NO (free)
    Power: NO
    Toilet: YES (out house)
    Campsite: YES
    

first floor

 Water:
All the water there comes from the snow field that is right next to the hut. Usually there is no problems with water in July and August but September can be a MAYBE or even a NO if it was a real hot summer. 
The water there is icy cold and delicious but you must boil, filter or use tablets to treat the water before drinking.

July: The ice field is right up to the hut

September: The ice field is almost gone

Taking a bath:
One of the best kept secrets about this hut is that it has a great pool for taking a dip in and having a bath. The pool isn't very big about a meter and a half long and a meter wide and if you stand up the water will come just above your waist (some years it can get deeper) but it is big enough for a dip. BUT ! be warned the water can be freezing but on a hot day it is just what the doctor ordered .
To find this pool you head down from the hut to the stream and follow the trail the leads to the 2nd campsite. the pool is just there.

Uraasahi Camp Site

Uraasahi Camp Site

Uraasahi Camp Site is my all time favorite mountain camp site in the park if not Hokkaido.When most people see this camp site for the first time they think "What the HELL !" and "Have I made a mistake by planning on camping here !" but they would be wrong on thinking that in my book.

Uraasahi Camp Site on the slope of Mt Asahi-dake

Uraasahi Camp Site sits on the back slope of the eastern side of Mt Asahi-dake and is the highest camp site in Hokkaido and supposedly Japan (I'm not sure about that last bit but that is what many people have told me) at a height of around 2000 meters.

Uraasahi Camp Site is a very simple place with no facilities like toilets or anything at all. The only thing there are spaces to pitch your tent that surrounded by semi rock walls to help protect your tent from the very strong winds that can blow through there.

Like I said before a lot of people get a bit shocked when they first step into the  Uraasahi Campground because of its roughness and if you turn up there when it is covered in clouds it can have that spooky feeling going for it for sure but once you have you tents up and if the weather is clear and you give it a bit of time, you will start to see and feel what makes this cam site so special to me and a lot of locals.
For one thing  there is nothing round but nature. The camp sites sits in a small high valley that has the peak Mt Asahi-dake on one side and couple of other small peak on the others and is surround by alpine grass which in July can be dotted with beautiful alpine followers and in September the grass turns a remarkable gold color.
From this camp site you can get some magnificent sunsets and if you can get up real early some spectacular sunrises.

Alpine flowers in July

Alpine flowers in July

Sunset at the camp

When can you camp there ?
The official hiking and camping season the Daisetsuzan is from the beginning of July up to the end of September. From the end of September the first snows start to fall and the camp site can be covered in snow right up to June.

The camp site covered in cloud

Uraasahi camp ground in June. Notice the winter sleeping bag and down jacket

Water ?
The camp site is located right by an ice field which is the sauce of the water there. There is a stream that runs right through the camp ground in July and August which means you can collect water right at the camp site without walking anywhere but as the summer months move along the ice field gets smaller and by the end of August and September the stream in the campground can stop running, which is that case you will have to walk a bit to get your water. Some years because of a very hot summer there has been no water in September at Uraasahi Campground. This doesn't happen a lot but can happen.
Walking for water: If you see snow that is where the water is coming from. What you do is walk back up the trail up Mt Asahi-dake a bit and you will see where the stream was running. Follow it up until you come to some running water. Sometimes you may only have to walk a few minutes and some years you might have to walk all the way up to where the snow is which might take 20 minutes.
Note: In September the nights can get very cool and if there is water it can freeze overnight and stop running until it warms up again. I suggest that if you are planing to leave early that you get all your water the night before.
Note: If you are heading into park from end of August or September and are planning to start at Uraasahi Camp Site. It might pay to visit the visitor center at Asahidake onsen village and check if there is water there but be warn that there is not always English speaking staff there and they might not have the latest up date about the water situation on the mountain. The other thing would be to ask people if you run into them that have been up there about it.
Note: You must treat the water before drinking either by boiling, filtering or tablets .

Walking into the camp site. As you can see the snow field is right up to the camp so no problem with water

collecting water at the campsite

The camp site in September. As you can see by this photo there is no snow at the camp site and no water. There is a little snow up hill that you can't see in this photo where I had to walk to to get water.

The Bush Pig's advice:
The Uraasahi Camp site is a about a 20 minute hike down the back slope from the peak of Mt Asahidake and is well worth a stop over for the night.
If you are planning on doing the Grand Traverse route and starting from the Asahidake onsen village then make the Uraasahi Camp site for first stop.
If you hike from the Asahiake onsen village it will be a hard 5 to 6 hour trek to the camp. If you start from the top gondola station then it should take between 2 and 3 hours.

The camp site looking down from one of the nearby peaks

Naka-dake onsen:
If you get to camp real early or plan to take a rest day there. You can make a side day hike to Naka-dake natural hot spring (onsen).
From the camp it will take you about 1 hour and half to get to and about the same to get back.

Naka-dake natural onsen, about a 3 hour round trip from the camp

Bush Pig tip:
Because this camp site sits right next to a snow field it can get real cool and cold even in mid summer and especially in the evenings. I strongly suggest that you take some extra warm clothes and things like a woolen hat and gloves will not go a miss there.

Uraasahi Camp

Always a good time at the Uraasahi Camp Site