Japan

Published: May 2, 2004

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The Trip-Finder, January 1998
Japan

Hiking Inn-to-Inn in the Northern Alps

Outfitter	Departures	Price	Accommodations
Guides For All Seasons 800-457-4574	1	$3,489	rustic lodging

The Route: A ten-day trek among craggy peaks, larch forests, red oaks, and yellow aspens in Chubu Sangaku National Park, ending with a pilgrimage to the top of 12,388-foot Mount Fuji, Japan’s most sacred mountain.

When to go: October

Difficulty: Moderate

Travel advisory: Even in mountain huts, Japanese take their shoe etiquette very seriously. God forbid you should wear your hiking boots into the dining room.

High/low points:

Spotting the legendary four-foot-nine-inch hermit who lives in a shack near Tokugo Pass.
Sleeping with 12 others in your group bunched up like sardines on the drafty floor of a hut on Mount Karasawa.