Hakuba is approximately 40 minutes away from the entrance to the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, one of the most spectacular sights in all of Japan. The journey to the top of the the mountain includes multiple modes of transportation which are all included with a single ticket. The October colors on the Alpine Route are some of the most spectacular in all of Japan.
Modes of Transportation
9am Drive 40 minutes to the start of the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route.
10am Enjoy the views at Kurobe Dam
11am Take a walk at Kurobedaira Station
1pm Lunch at Hotel Tateyama (Approximately ¥1,500/person)
2pm Make your way down the mountain
5pm Arrive at accommodation and relax until dinner
7pm Dinner at Kikyo-ya
The hike to Happo Pond is a beautiful and family friendly hike on Hakuba’s largest and most popular resort, Happo One. Most hikers choose to ride the gondola and then the Alpen and Grat quad chair lifts and then start the hike from there. From the Grat quad chair lifts the hike takes between 45-90 minutes and does not require any hiking experience or technical equipment.
Sample Itinerary
9am Ride Happo Gondola followed by two chair lifts (¥3,300/adult and ¥1,900/child)
9:45am Hike 60-90 minutes to Happo Pond
12:30 Hike down followed by chair lifts and gondola
14:00 Lunch at Gio’s just a short walk from the Gondola
Rhythm Japan offers the largest range of premium rental bikes in The Hakuba Valley. All rentals are Specialized and models include road bikes, village cruisers, E-bikes, and Full Suspension mountain bikes. Rhythm is located at THE HAPPO plaza.
15:00 Rent a bicycle from Rhythm (e-bikes, mountain bikes and village bikes available)
15:15 Ride 1km to Snow Peak Land Station and enjoy a Starbucks coffee and the stunning views
16:00 Cycle 1km to Oide Park and enjoy a leisurely walk through the park. In the rear side of the park, there is a trail leading up a small hill where you will find the best place to take a photo of the Japanese Alps in Hakuba.
17:00 Cycle back to THE HAPPO and enjoy an onsen and a sauna.
18:00 Happy Hour drinks at The Clubhouse — You’ve earned it at this point.
19:00 Dinner at Izakaya Hie
9am Drive to Iwatake Resort and ride the Gondola 10 minutes (also an easy 2-3km bicycle ride)
9:15am Coffee and relax with the views of a lifetime at City Bakery
10:00am Try the Yoo-hoo Swing
10:15am Mountain Karting
11:00am Take the Gondola down to try the EX Adventure Park at the base of the mountain
12:30pm Lunch at Ramen Tottsun
1:30pm Onsen at Highland hotel for the best onsen view of the mountains
2:30pm Pack up, head home, and start planning the next trip to Hakuba