REPORT

It was sprinkling at the base of the mountain at 6:00 a.m. on 8/12 (Mon., national holiday), and as I got off the Grat Quad at 7:05 a.m., I found myself surrounded by clouds. However, within 10 minutes, the fog quickly melted away, revealing a bright blue sky. As I made my way to the Happo Pond (pictured), I overheard a number of visitors commenting on how beautiful the sea of clouds was.
[Happo-One Nature Trail・Happo-Pond]

The sea of clouds spread impressively to the east, and very well could have been the most spectacular of the summer so far (pictured). A man from Tokyo, who was resting at the No. 3 Cairn on his way down from Mt. Karamatsu, told me, “I love your site! Today was the first time we’ve climbed a mountain together as a family, and our group consisted of my parents who live in Nara Prefecture, my younger brother’s family who lives in Tokyo, and my family. We made wonderful memories together.”
[Happo-One Nature Trail・No. 3 Cairn]

A father from Aichi Prefecture (pictured, second from left) commented, “This is our first visit to Hakuba. Today we’re going up to the Maruyama Cairn! It’s so nice and cool.” As it was the middle of the Obon holiday period, there were a lot of people on the Nature Trail as well as on the route heading up to the summit of Mt. Karamatsu.
[Climbing Trail to Mt. Karamatsu・No. 3 Cairn to Shita-no-Kanba.]

The view of the Happo Pond, the Hakuba Sanzan (three major peaks of Hakuba), and the sea of clouds was also spectacular. After turning around and starting my descent, I found myself back in the clouds around the Shakujii Cairn at 10:30 a.m. It was a bit cooler by then, and the sweat I generated from the climb cooled off so quickly that I changed shirts before getting on the lift.
[Happo-One Nature Trail・Happo-Pond]

　　
*The annual stargazing event ‘Tenku no Tensai Show’ will be held at the Usagidaira Terrace starting at 7:00 p.m. on the following dates: 8/2 (Fri.) to 8/18 (Sun.), 8/24 (Sun.), 9/14 (Sat.), 9/15 (Sun.), 9/21 (Sat.), and 9/22 (Sun.).

　
[Happo-One Nature Trail 2024 Opening Information]
Period … 2024/6/1 (Sat.) & 6/2 (Sun.), 6/8 (Sat.) – 11/4 (Mon.)
Hours … Happo Alpine Line: 8/1～8/2・8/5～8/9・8/24・8/25 open at 7:00am～、8/3・8/4・8/10～8/18 open at 6:30am～、8/19～8/23 open at 7:30am～、8/26～8/31 open at 8:00am～. Kurobishi Line: 8/1～8/2・8/5～8/9 open at 7:15am～、8/3・8/4・8/10～8/18・8/24・8/25・8/31 open at 4:30am～、8/19～8/23 open at 7:45am～、8/26～8/31 open at 8:15am～
Fees … Happo Alpine Line Roundtrip / Adults JPY3,300, Elementary School Students JPY2,100, Preschoolers Free → Advance Discount Tickets: Adults JPY2,950, Children JPY1,800! (No need to exchange at the ticket window! You can proceed straight to the gondola.) Kurobishi Line Roundtrip / Adults JPY2,000, Elementary School Students JPY1,300, Preschoolers Free.
(*One preschooler free with each paid adult. The second preschooler will be charged at the normal children’s rate.)

*Hakuba Happo-one will be reported 1－2times a week
*To Visitors Requesting Original Data of Our Photographs.

reported by Snownavi