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Outdoor Toyama (and Japan)
Welcome to Toyama! You may not believe it, but you live in a great place if you like the outdoors. We have plenty of mountains to climb, rivers to run, scenic roads to bike, and slopes to ski. You can also easily visit amazing towns like Kanazawa and Takayama, and shop till you drop.
Here are some useful hints for making the most of your time in “Outdoor Japan”:
- Buy travel tickets ahead of time- if you know when you are going to go, you can sometimes get discounts on JR tickets or airline tickets if you purchase them in advance.
- Ask your teachers your travel questions. They may know someone who knows someone...
- Take a ferry! Ferries take longer but they are a significantly cheaper alternative to getting to such places as Kyushu and Hokkaido, and even China. If you have a car, you can take it with you and save bundles on highway tolls.
- Take overnight trains when you can, versus the Shinkansen. Not only can that save you money, it also saves you from having to pay for a hotel room for a night.
- Over night buses are also a great way to save a bit of cash. There are a variety of companies who all offer competitive rates to all major destinations. Tickets for these services can be purchased easily from almost any ticketing office.
Useful Websites
http://www.outdoorjapan.com Tons of info about surfing, rock climbing, hiking and camping, whitewater, onsens, etc.
http://www.snowjapan.com This site offers up to date weather and slope conditions, where to ski, resort maps, etc. This site is relatively easy to find your way around and allows the user to search resorts by prefecture. Also has a chat room for you to ask your ski and board questions.
Climbing Gyms
- Gekko, Kosugi – afternoon and evening hours
Cost: ¥1500 on weekdays, ¥2000 on weekends. No rental shoes available. Homemade gym, but very cool. You can get a yearly membership for ¥40,000. Directions: From the north side of Kosugi Station, head right on 44 (towards Toyama). Look for the Tanaka store sign in English (it’s orange) and turn left immediately after. Go past the women’s college on your left, and Gekko is in a huge warehouse-like building also on the left. If you hit Route 8, you have gone too far. Can also be reached by bus from Toyama Station.
- Sakura-ga-ike Climbing Center, Johana - open Sat/Sun (0763 62 1212)
Cost: ¥100 an hour. Shoe rental is ¥300 yen. Cheap!! Indoor bouldering room (with heat and air conditioning!) and indoor and outdoor lead walls. Please bring your own rope if you wish to lead. Directions: Take 156 South out of Takaoka until it splits in Inami. Go right at the split past the large wooden sculpture and follow the road signs to Johana. Get on Route 304 and look for the signs that lead to Sakura-ga-ike Kuagarden (a huge spa). The climbing gym is right next to the spa. Do visit the onigiri shop by the spa as well when you leave. Yum! If you take the JR to Johana, you are about 15 minutes away from the gym via a taxi.
- Real Rock Bambajima (at the foot of Mt. Tsurugi-dake).
Find Route 333 by following the signs to Bambajima, heading south–east out of Kamiichi towards Tsurugi-dake. Route 333 will lead you to a park-like area. It includes a mountain hut, some restrooms, and a big fat boulder smack in the middle of a small grassy area. Warm-up there and then make your way down to the river.
- There are also a number of great boulders in and across the river about a five-minute drive upstream. The road deteriorates, but there will be a large turnaround and a monstrous yet beautifully featured boulder to give you a hint about where to look for more pump.
- Ogawa-yama (southern Nagano Prefecture).
This climbers’ paradise is located near the town of Kawakami. It is located two hours south of the Sudama Interchange on the Chuo Expressway via Kiyosato and Nobeyama. Hundreds of bouldering problems and lead climbing (both sport and traditional) await you.
Biking
While Toyama looks like it would have loads of single-track trails, the majority of the good biking is road biking or dirt roads. If you are looking for something with a little more power than your granny bike, check out Takahashi Bike Shop in Toyama, just past the bowling alley on the other side of the street. He carries mountain bikes, hybrids, and road bikes, as well as leading rides in the spring and the fall.
- Osawano to Gifu Ken and back (70km)
Best in fall or early summer. Starts and finishes in Osawano at an onsen. Takahashi has a great map.
- Uozu City to Unazuki and back (70km)
Best in fall or early summer. Start in Uozu at Kintaro Onsen. Head through the tunnel towards Niikawa Dairy Farm. Continue along this road towards Unazuki. Head through another tunnel and follow the road to Unazuki. In Unazuki, take the ski resort road up to the Peace Statue. The road is steep and windy all the way up. Continue up past the Peace Statue until you reach the top. Bomb it down, but watch out for punctures. You will come out near Uozu, a bit to the left of Kintaro. Keep heading right until you find yourself at the onsen again.
- Noto Hanto (3-5 days)
Follow the peninsula around starting from Toyama, up to Himi, Himi to Hakui, then Hakui all the way around the peninsula to Nanao, and back to Toyama. Late summer or early fall is the best time to go.
- Toyama City
There is a nice bike trail that starts from the red bridge over the Shogawa River that connects Takaoka. It takes you to Taikoyama Land. From there follow the Taikoyama Land Road (near Kosugi) and get back on the bike trail that you will see on your right. The trail ends behind Toyama University. There are also trails along the Shogawa River in Takaoka and the Jinzu River in Toyama. For those of you in Tonami, Ranjyo no mori is a good place to go hiking and biking. there.
Hiking
There are loads of options in Toyama for hiking and backpacking, ranging from day hikes to multi-day treks. The best time to go is late summer and early fall. Here we list mainly bigger hikes, but there are plenty of one-day options around Tateyama town, Kamitaira, Toga, and Unazuki. Get hold of a car, buy yourself a good map, and look for some waterfalls or follow one of the dozens of little random roads that lead into the mountains, and explore!
- Tateyama and Tsurugi-dake
From Murodo Station on Mt. Tate, you can hike around the area or climb Mt. Tate in a few hours. There is also an onsen up there which is the highest in Japan (although it’s small and there isn’t any outdoor bath). At Murodo, you can choose to go up to Tsurugi-dake, which is a tough mountain and will involve ropes and chains, or you can cruise down from Murodo to Keyakidaira, relishing in valleys and onsens - a slightly easier route! Don't miss the last bus down! Climb from late July through October. There are mountain huts to stay in and the average trip should take 2 days.
- Mt. Yari-ga-take
In Kamikochi, which borders on Nagano, Gifu, and Toyama ken. Most Japanese people think this is a beautiful hiking area so take care about when you choose to go unless you enjoy crowds. There are many different routes in this area, but 3 days is recommended for a loop involving Mt. Yari. There are mountain huts (5000 yen/person) and tent spaces. Unfortunately, the area is only accessed by taxi. Share the price and don't miss the last ones down (6pm)!
- Unazuki area: Mt. Sogaike and Keyakidaira
- Keyakidaira: The last stop on the little private train heading from Unazuki.
This is one of the most beautiful hikes I’ve ever done and it can be done on a regular weekend (although it makes for a long one). Starting from Unazuki town, catch the first morning train (about 9am) up to Keyakidaira (2hrs/1000yen). There is a paved street that walks up along the river and ends at some little soba houses and onsens, but the real trail starts in front of the station and kind of next to the restrooms. This trail isn’t used much, so don’t be surprised if no one else seems to be heading onto it. From the head, hike straight up for about 30 minutes. Once you get to the top, the trail will T. Go left. In 5.5 hrs. you will end up at a campsite (500yen/tent) and mountain house (about 7000yen/person including dinner and b/fast). There is a free, natural onsen and an incredible view. Bring warm clothes and a flashlight. You NEED at least 6 hours of light from Keyakidaira. It’s dangerous and near impossible to camp on the trail.
- O-Iwa
This Shrine area is more a beautiful place to explore in Toyama than a real hike, although there are a few trails that wind about the complex, and if you ask at one of the famous somen shops you can usually pick up a map of some trails in the area. The O-Iwa shrine was built around a Buddhist deity that was carved into the mountain face some 1000 years ago. Monks live and work here and sometimes you can catch one chanting prayers standing under pounding streams of water flowing from the heads of Dragons some 8 meters above. O-Iwa is located in the mountains behind Kamiichi. You need a car to get here.
Camping
The following places are accessible by car, and are great because they are easy to access, cheap, and great for a BBQ:
- Togi Wind and Wave Seaside Resort (Noto Peninsula, on the West coast)
Cabins: 10,000 yen each, 4-5 people Tent space: 700 yen per person BBQ areas, facilities, beach
- Kurobe Ishida Beach
Tent space: available BBQ areas, facilities, beach, FREE See the below link for a chart with info on the camping facilities available in the prefecture. NB may be a bit out of date!
Click on the links below for info on various outdoor pursuits