Introduction
Daisetsuzan is not a single mountain, but a mass of mountains. Kyuya Fukada, author of “Japan’s 100 Famous Mountains,” highly praises Mt. Fuji as a representative of beautiful mountains, and Mt.Daisetsuzan as a representative of majestic mountains. For general sightseeing, you can easily approach parts of both Mt. Asahidake on the front and Mt.Kurodake near Sounkyo on the back using the ropeway, but to fully enjoy its true charm, it is best to walk into the heart of the majestic mountain on your foot. In other words, it is a difficult place to reach.
It is famous for being the first place in Japan to see the autumn leaves, and also for being covered in a carpet of autumn leaves. This year(2023), however, the heat lasted forever, making it difficult to determine when the leaves would turn. Also, although the mountain is 2000 meters high, it is located at a high latitude, so it suddenly gets cold and the weather is unstable, so it was difficult to judge the weather. Therefore, this time we planned a one-night, two-day trip that took all of these things into consideration.
At this time, the accommodation in the difficult-to-reach location would be an inn in the deepest part of the mountain, so unless we were lucky enough to have someone’s cancellation happen, this project would not be possible. Lately, there have been an unusually large number of group mountaineers of elderly people, and perhaps because it is difficult to maintain their physical condition, cancellations have been happening at the last minute (sorry to say). This is a rare experience that was made possible by a combination of the difficulty of determining the timing of autumn leaves due to global warming, the fickle weather at this time of year, and the good fortune of having my accommodation someone else cancelled.
Bears have been appearing all over Japan this year(2023), including in urban areas, and I hear that bear bells and bear repellent spray are in short supply. Bear repellent spray, whose main ingredient is capsaicin, runs the risk of repelling you if the wind is against yours, and since you don’t always have the mental strength to spray it at close range, it’s only useful as a talisman. In this regard, there is a brown bear information center at the entrance of the Daisetsu Kogen Swamp area, which constantly observes brown bears to preserve the ecosystem and enforces mountain entry regulations for safety. Encounters are rare, and no accidents have occurred so far. The brown bears that used to roam around looking for budding plants (skunk cabbage, etc.) when the snow was still on the ground, but when the leaves turned red, they went down to the lower area in search of acorns, so I felt safer (“Does that mean the lower area was dangerous?”). Recent climate change and the abandonment of cultivated areas by humans are causing unexpected bear behavior and the appearance of carnivorous OSO18, making it difficult for humans and bears to coexist.
To fully enjoy Mt. Daisetsuzan, you need to detour from the direction of Sounkyo. From New Chitose Airport, it takes more than three hours even if you use the expressway. Asahikawa Airport is more convenient, but last-minute reservations may be difficult. Once you get off the highway, be sure to stop by a gas station in Kamikawa-Town. If you’re in too much of a hurry and assume that it’s probably in the Sounkyo hot spring town, you’ll be in trouble.
Those with experience speak. I discovered later that at the last gas station in Kamikawa-Town, there was a sign that said, “There are no gas stations for the next 100km! Please be careful heading towards Obihiro.” Especially on the last approach to the autumn foliage area, I was worried about what would happen if the engine stalled on the gravel road.
Detail
1st day (Short mountain climbing day)
Ginsendai, a carpet of autumn leaves and pikas peeking out from the rocks (50 minutes from Sounkyo directly by car)
During the autumn leaves season, you will need to transfer to a shuttle bus*. If you’re prioritizing the next day’s fall foliage season at Daisetsu Kogen Swamp (The swamp is at a lower altitude), your best bet is to go to Ginsendai just after the Ginsendai shuttle bus season ends although the best time to see the autumn leaves is coming to an end. It just so happened that this year(2023), the leaves turned red later than the scheduled shuttle bus season, so general cars were allowed to enter and I was able to climb the mountain in one go. There are Sika deers leisurely grazing on the roadside, so be careful not to hit them.
*)Shuttle bus time table
2nd day (Swamp tour day)
Daisetsu Kogen Swamp, a natural beauty more perfect than the gardens of Kyoto (50 minutes from Sounkyo directly by car)
During the autumn leaves season, you will need to also transfer to another shuttle bus. Since Kogen Swamp is at a lower altitude, the season starts at the same time as the end of Ginsendai’s shuttle bus season. The transfer location is a parking lot near the heliport on the shores of Lake Daisetsu.
However, if you stay at an inn at Daisetsu Kogen Onsen, a lifeguard will check your accommodation book at the approach entrance and you can follow the shuttle bus. This time, someone canceled their stay at the last minute, so I booked an inn, so I followed the instructions and drove down the gravel road to the inn. I was stuck under the spell of engine stalling due to lack of gas.
The next day, after touring the swamps, you could return to New Chitose Airport by either going around Obihiro or taking the same road around Asahikawa, but the Obihiro round would take longer than expected as the expressway has one lane each way. If you have time, you can visit Sounkyo around Asahikawa, but you don’t have enough time to ride the ropeway.
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