Jump Ahead:
Day 1 | Hike Hatomachitoge to Miharashi, Sanjo-no-taki
Day 2 | Ozenuma Lake loop from Miharashi
Final Day 3 | Hike Miharashi to Hatomachitoge
Coming off the high of doing the Kumano Kodo trip, I wanted to keep the nature/hiking momentum going so just one week later we decided to do a short camping trip at Oze National Park. Doing research online, it seemed like a unique setting, relatively flat and easy course with good camping amenities… all around perfect! Access to the park is not really possible by car during peak seasons so we drove to Tokura and then caught the bus from there to the Hatomachitoge trailhead.
Some good links for info:
https://www.env.go.jp/en/nature/nps/park/oze/guide/view.html
https://www.oze-fnd.or.jp/en/
https://www.oze-fnd.or.jp/DL/oze_map_e.jpg
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7440.html
Day 1
From Hatomachi Toge trailhead to Yamanohana takes about an hour per the guide map and pretty much all downhill. The trail itself is well maintained with steps and boardwalks everywhere. Can’t get lost. Nice easy start to get the day started.
After resting at Yamanohana for a little while, we began our walk through Ozegahara Marsh. From Yamanohana to Miharashi is about 2 hours on the map… all flat boardwalks… easy enough to pass slow walkers or pull over to one side to take pictures. Very unique scenery for me so it was enjoyable even though I’d rather be walking on grass. Miharashi is where we would be setting up our home base for the trip.
We finally arrived at Miharashi after a pretty long day already… it’s a pretty big area with several different shops, inns, and the campground we’d be staying at. The check-in place for the campground is a little difficult to find I thought but luckily Marie could read Japanese signs pointing us in the right direction. Once we got checked-in, they give you a little numbered tag to clip to the outside of your tent to show you’ve paid for the spot. There’s a pretty clean restroom right next to the campground too so you can use a regular toilet and sink to wash-up (though water was really really cold). If you feel generous you can leave money in the little coin box for using the restroom. So far everything has been well maintained and convenient for this trip.
After setting up camp and resting for a little while, we decided to do another short hike to Sanjo-no-taki falls. Sanjo-no-taki is one of Japan’s Top 100 waterfalls at about 100m tall and 30m wide. Flat boardwalks again for most of the way but the last 30 minutes or so can get muddy/steep. Definitely worth the side trip if you’re already here in the park.
We were pretty tired once we got back from the waterfall hike and the temperature was starting to drop. Noticed a lot more tents set up now and seemed like there was a big school group camping overnight. This was interesting because when I was in middle school we wouldn’t be allowed to do this kind of trip. The children here were basically setting up their own tents and cooking their own food (looked like curry) in smaller groups independent of the adults with them. I would’ve loved that kind of school trip when I was younger.
Day 2
Overnight was very cold and a little bit rainy… since we were using mostly my camping equipment, I gave most of it to Marie while I basically slept on the ground… so note to self, if you go camping with others make sure they have their own stuff! Warmed up with some instant coffee in the morning and slowly got ready for another day of hiking/walking. Today we decided to do a loop of Lake Ozenuma and see that half of the park. Bit cloudy today with some passing showers but we headed out anyway. Mostly boardwalks again with a steady uphill for about a third of the way and then flattens out to and around the lake.
At the halfway point for today, there’s the Ozenuma Visitor Center. It’s another major hub like Miharashi or Yamano with some shops, inns/campground, Oze park information, etc. Started to rain again while here so we took our time to eat some snacks and look around. When the rain passed, we started making our way back to our campsite, stopping at the lake again to enjoy the view. We pretty much had the view to ourselves as opposed to in the morning when it was very crowded.
After relaxing near the lake one last time, it was a straight shot back to our campsite. When we got back we walked through some of the inns and shops, then just cleaned up and ate/relaxed for the rest of the evening. Seemed like most people had packed up and left during the day even though was a 3-day weekend in Japan so the area was not so crowded this night.
Final Day 3
Not as cold last night but still not comfortable. In the morning it was still wet and a little rainy which made packing up the tent and everything else even less fun. Good thing was that there’s a covered rest area nearby in case it was raining any harder. Managed to pack everything up during a short period when the rain stopped and dried everything out later at home. From Miharashi it was a straight hike back out through Hatomachi Toge. Flat in the beginning but was kind of dreading the steep finish from Yamanohana to the trailhead. At least the weather cleared up for the most part!
After resting at Yamanohana, we gathered our strength and began the uphill hike to the trailhead. It was a little difficult and we took quite a few breaks but in the end we were happy to have made it out of there. Seeing all the older grandma’s and grandpa’s doing the same hikes can be really inspirational and kind of forces you to go faster hehe.
Made it out! We bought our shuttle tickets from the window and then shopped around for some omiyage inside. It was a short walk back to the parking lot where the shuttle taxi was waiting to take us back to where we parked our car in Tokura.
Overall, a great little weekend getaway trip. Very scenic and got to break out the old camping gear for a couple nights. The trails were all well managed and there’s conveniences all around. The only downside I would find out later is all the black fly bites I got (of course Marie didn’t get any, I just say my blood is sweeter)! At first I didn’t know what they were because they didn’t look like regular mosquito bites but after some research I found out what it was. I swear they are like mosquito bites on steroids! They itch for a good three weeks and then leave scars most times too… so if you do go be sure to bring the bug repellent!
hi, thanks for sharing your experince , could you please tell me , how can i book one of the campsite ?
Hi, no reservations were necessary for the campsite. We just showed up and paid same day, spots were first come first serve so better to go early to grab a space.