REPORT

I was concerned about how hot the days and warm mornings throughout September might affect the fall foliage, but the leaves have been changing color the last few days, and the autumn transformation at Tsugaike Nature Park is taking shape nicely. As of 10/5 (Sat.), the colors were 60 to 70% of peak around the Mizubasho Marsh and Watasuge Marsh areas, 80% of peak along the Kusunoki River and Tenbo Marsh, and 50% of peak along the Yase-one Ridge. As I walked from the Ukishima Marsh to the Tenbo Marsh (pictured), the deeper I went, the richer and more vibrant the colors became.
[Tsugaike Nature Park・Mousen-ike Pond to Tenbo Marsh]

Furthermore, the cloudy weather forecast turned out to be wrong, and by around 8:00 a.m. the sky had begun to clear, and by 10:30 it was a beautiful sunny day. I spoke with a man from Saitama Prefecture (pictured, center), who told me, “This is my first time visiting the Tsugaike Nature Park. I had almost given up on coming because the weather forecast was bad, but I’m really glad I came and that it cleared up at just the right time.”
[Tsugaike Nature Park・Tenbo Marsh]

The beautiful views of the Northern Alps (pictured) were one of the highlights of the day. The mountainsides of the massive 3,000-meter peaks were covered in a blanket of green conifers and kumazasa bamboo grass, splashed with red accents from nanakamado (Japanese rowan), and a dash of yellow from the leaves topping the white trunks of the dakekanba (Erman’s birch) trees. It was a classic fall day in Tsugaike. The waterfalls here and there along the hillside and the colorful autumn leaves around them were also a sight to behold.
[Tsugaike Nature Park・Ginmeisui Spring to Mousen-ike Pond]

Depending on the weather going forward, the Tsugaike Visitor Center is predicting that the climax of the autumn leaves will be from 10/10 (Thurs.) to 10/15 (Tue.). On the Yase-one Ridge, which is 50% of peak color, the fresh green of the maple trees was still very noticeable, and the sarasadodan (redvein enkianthus) had only started to change color slightly.
[Tsugaike Nature Park・Ginmeisui Spring to Mousen-ike Pond]

　
[Tsugaike Nature Park 2024 Opening Information]
＊Period … 2024/6/1 (Sat.) – 10/27 (Sun.), 11/2 (Sat.) – 11/4 (Mon.)
＊Hours … Tsugaike Ropeway is open from 7:00 a.m. on 9/28, 9/29, and from 8:00 a.m. on 9/2
＊Fees … Tsugaike Ropeway Roundtrip + Entrance Fee / Adults JPY3,700, Elementary School Students JPY2,100, Preschoolers Free → Advance Discount Tickets: Adults JPY3,300, Children JPY1,850! (No need to exchange at the ticket window! You can proceed straight to the gondola.)
(*One preschooler free with each paid adult. The second preschooler will be charged at the normal children’s rate.)

[Hakuba Tsugaike WOW! Opening Information]
*Period … 2024/6/18 (Sat) – 10/27 (Sun) *Closed on weekdays from 6/10 – 7/12 and 9/2 – 10/25.
Opening hours … 10 am – 4 pm (last admission at 3 pm)
Charges … Tobidas (1 time) JPY1,000 Fumidas (1 time) JPY800 Kabedas (1 time) JPY500 Amidas (60 min) JPY1,600 for adults, JPY1,000 for primary schools students Kogidas (1 time) JPY2,000 Pochadas (90 min) JPY2,800 for adults, JPY2,500 for primary schools students Tent sauna ( (90 min) JPY1,200 Baggy Cruise (1 time) Adults JPY2,000, 4 years to primary schools students JPY1,500 Trampolines (5 min) JPY500

*This season’s Tsugaike Report will be updated once or twice a week.
*To Visitors Requesting Original Data of Our Photographs

reported by Snownavi