Jump Ahead:
Day 1 | Drive to Tokura, Hatomachi Toge Trailhead, Hike to Miharashi Campsite
Day 2 | Round trip hike from Miharashi to Lake Ozenuma
Final Day 3 | Hike out from Miharashi to Hatomachi Toge
Our second backpacking trip to Oze National Park! I guess it’s safe to say this is our favorite all-around hiking/camping park so far. Just like the first trip, we were only going for 3 days and 2 nights and our itinerary was pretty much identical to the first trip except we didn’t hike to Sanjo-no-taki this time. Of course, it was a lot easier this time since we knew what to expect. I was also excited to try out some new gear that I had just purchased…. sort of a tryout for longer hikes to workout all the quirks of my new kit.
Some good links for info:
First Trip Journal
https://achikochitravel.com/2017/07/oze-national-park/
Official Website
https://www.oze-fnd.or.jp/en/
Tokura –> Hatomachi Toge Bus/Shared Taxi Info
https://kan-etsu.net/publics/index/43/&anchor_link=page43#page43
Oze Highlights
https://www.env.go.jp/en/nature/nps/park/oze/guide/view.html
English Hiking Map
https://www.oze-fnd.or.jp/DL/oze_map_e.jpg
General Info
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7440.html
Day 1
The drive from Yokohama to Tokura was about 3-1/2 hours so we tried to leave a little earlier around 0600. We stopped for some quick breakfast-to-go foods at Miyoshi rest stop after about an hour of driving along the ETC road.
We made it to Tokura around 0930 and tried to park at the same lot (#2) as we did on the first trip but it was closed so we had to go to lot #1. I’m guessing they wanted to fill lot #1 (main lot) first and since the big summer rush of hikers had already gone there were plenty of spaces at lot #1. The popular daylily season in Oze is typically late July so if anything we were catching the tail end of it already. Parking in both lots is ¥1000/day. From the lot, we purchased our bus tickets and got on the next bus to Hatomachi Toge trail head which ended up being completely packed and a bit uncomfortable with our huge packs.
After we got to the trail head, we didn’t waste any time getting started. We knew we could do our shopping there on the last day when we returned and we were anxious to get to our camp site so we could hopefully get a good spot.
We made it to our camp site at Miharashi just before 1500 and promptly checked-in at the camping office in the back of the grounds. We ended up getting a pretty favorable spot considering a lot more people showed up later in the afternoon. There was still quite a bit of daylight left even after setting up our area but we decided to just take it easy and enjoy the camping life instead of hiking off somewhere else. I was hoping to practice some night photography (brought my tripod just for that purpose) but it was supposed to rain the first night.
Some of the new gear I was trying out on this trip was the MSR Hubba Hubba NX2 tent, my Osprey Aether 85L pack, a Trekology Inflatable Pillow, North Face Furnace 20 deg sleeping bag, Sawyer Squeeze gravity bag, Sea to Summit long spork, Captain Stag camping table, UV Buff, Outdoor Research Rocky Mountain High gaitors, Injinji 2.0 line crew toe socks, Bedrock Cairn Sandals, and various instant food packs.
If you’d like my review of all the equipment feel free to contact me but overall I was very happy with majority of the items, especially the Hubba Hubba and the Osprey pack.
Day 2
It had rained overnight so everything was a little damp outside when we woke up. The tent held up well and didn’t have any major issues with condensation dripping inside although the huge flies sure liked getting trapped on the ceiling. The sleeping situation was also MUCH more comfortable this time as we had a slightly larger tent and we each had our own sleeping gear. It was still a little chilly in the morning but no complaints this time hehe
After eating our instant breakfast and coffee, we grabbed our day packs and secured our camp site before heading out to Lake Ozenuma.
We got back to Miharashi around 1500, in time to wander through the small shops and cafes in the main area. Can’t remember exactly what time they stayed open until but I know some of them closed pretty early. After walking around that area for a little while, we went back to our tent to grab our dinner and ate it up at the rest house area near the bathrooms.
Luckily for me, the weather was looking better this night so I had the chance to use my tripod and practice taking some night photos (I didn’t bring it for nothing!). My camera/lens combo isn’t exactly meant for night photography so I did as best I could… either way, it was a perfect night view even without taking photos (aside from some of the louder drunk teenagers wandering past us in the dark).
Final Day 3
Ahhh the bitter sweet last day…. we were leaving on a Sunday so we knew it would be kind of crowded hiking back out (and inevitably driving home too). We didn’t get the earliest start and a lot of people packed up and left before us so we kind of just conceded the fact we’d have to deal with it and took our time eating our breakfast. Washing my shirt and pants the night before ended up being a mistake because they weren’t the least bit dry when I woke up in the morning so I ended up wearing a cold wet shirt and my thin white sleeping pants for the entire morning. By the time we had packed up and eaten, it was already around 0800 when we started the hike back out.
The drive home took over 5 hours due to traffic (typical Sunday driving back through Tokyo)… needless to say I was pooped after hiking and driving that much. We capped off the long weekend with a quick and easy dinner at Matsuya before finally making it home to enjoy a clear view of the moon over Mt. Fuji in the distance.
That’s all for now, till next time!