Trekking in Mt. Asahidake

Hokkaido, a trekker's paradise!

This time, we venture up its highest peak,

Mount Asahidake.

We'll enjoy various natural landscapes over a two-day hike.

And the highlight will be a sunrise from the highest spot in Hokkaido.

Come and experience the view from the top.

Wild Hokkaido!

The Taisetsu Mountain Range is located in the center of Hokkaido.

It is a series of 2,000 meter-and-above peaks

that stretch north to south for about 60 kilometers.

The main peak, Mount Asahidake, is 2,291 meters high,

making it Hokkaido's tallest mountain.

Going trekking today is Aga Kusama, a Polish resident of Hokkaido.

Although she's hiked many of Hokkaido's mountains,

this is her first time climbing Asahidake.

It's a beautiful season, so let's see some autumn leaves and...

Yeah, it's going to be amazing.

It's the highest mountain in Hokkaido.

Let's do it!

Aga will take the route that winds around the mountain's foothills.

She'll start at the 1,100-meter mark

and then set up camp just below the peak at about 2,100 meters.

Then, she will set out before the sunrise and scale the summit.

Good morning.

We are going for a hike.

Assisting her on her hike is trekking guide Morishita Ryotaro.

So, let's go.

They'll hike through the forest

and head to a point from which the peak is visible.

They've been hiking for two hours.

At last, they reach the viewing point for Asahidake's peak.

Wow. This is amazing, look at this.

This is amazing, so beautiful.

So that's Asahidake?

No tall trees grow in this alpine zone.

It's the end of September, and already autumn has arrived here.

The earliest place in Japan.

Aga is thoroughly enjoying her first time hiking Asahidake.

This is beautiful. What is this flower?

It's called an Aleutian Avens.

And what is this white flower?

They're the seeds.

They disperse in the wind.

OK, so it's blowing and it's spreading the seeds all over.

It looks like a carpet, like a lawn.

And it's beautiful because you have the colors there,

green and blue and yellow.

The surrounding scenery changes the further they climb.

They're at the 1,800-meter point.

This area is full of enormous piles of rocks.

Aga has noticed something.

I smell the sulfur.

It's strong.

They step across and follow the cloudy stream of water.

A part of the stream has been enclosed by rocks, creating a little pool.

It's a hot spring known as Nakadake Onsen,

a natural foot bath free for all to enjoy.

They check the water's temperature.

48, 49...

Oh my, that's hot.

Even so, Aga dares to try this foot bath anyway.

(Temperature at this spot is around 45 degrees Celsius)

It's so hot!

Oh, it's hot but it feels good.

This is the best, being in nature in the middle of nowhere.

And just, getting all of the blessings from nature. This is amazing.

The piping hot spring water is a sign of the active volcano's energy.

After refreshing her feet in the water,

Aga is ready to start the steep climb.

Behind her is the majestic mountainous landscape.

They've been hiking for 5 hours and have now reached 2,000 meters.

The vegetation along the trail becomes sparse.

Suddenly, an unexpected visitor appears.

A Siberian Chipmunk emerges from the rocks.

It dares to come within two meters of Aga.

Its tail is standing straight upright,

shaking quickly from side to side.

This is a sign that the chipmunk feels threatened.

It was probably caught off guard by

Aga's sudden appearance in its territory.

Aga slowly moves away so as not to intimidate it any further.

Six hours have now passed since they began trekking.

Aga, over there is our campsite.

That's the campground!

Wow, that's amazing.

- Let's go.
- We're nearly there.

A little bit more, yeah. Let's do it.

We'll pitch our tents here.

OK, it's perfect.

There are designated campsites in the Daisetsuzan National Park region.

This site lies at an altitude of about 2,100 meters,

sitting just below the peak of Asahidake.

It's 6 pm.

Once the sun goes down, the temperature drops very quickly.

Aga prepares a warming camp meal of packaged "bibimbap."

That's good.

No clouds, that's why it's so cold.

And I think tomorrow will be a beautiful sunrise, so we are lucky.

Overnight, the sky puts on a spectacular starry show over Mount Asahidake.

4 am the next morning.

Good morning.

It's so cold!

Let's go.

They finally set off for the summit of Mount Asahidake,

and plan to see the sunrise from the top in about an hour's time.

Here, it's frozen.

It's amazing.

The temperature has dropped to zero,

and the ground is covered in shards of needle ice.

The campsite and the peak

have a difference in elevation of about 200 meters.

This is the steepest section of the hike.

It's quite steep here, so I need to watch out.

It's very steep. I think it's almost the peak.

Upon turning around, the horizon has been dyed the color orange.

This is amazing. The sky is just red and orange.

Only 40 minutes until sunrise, and they are almost there.

It's now 4:45 am.

The peak! We made it!

Good job. So good.

They've reached the summit in time for the sunrise.

The silhouettes of the mountains reflect against the fiery-red sky

just before the sun comes up.

Far away, about 190 kilometers from here,

the mountains of the World Natural Heritage site, Shiretoko are visible.

This panoramic view can only be enjoyed from Hokkaido's highest peak.

It's now 5:10 am.

Bright sunlight has pierced the sky as the sun starts to rise.

I'm speechless. It's so beautiful. I mean, it's stunning.

Everything is worth it.

This view, the mountains.

We are standing on the highest mountain in Hokkaido, Asahidake,

and we are seeing a sunrise.

The sun paints the surrounding mountains red as it climbs in the sky,

creating a spectacular scene.

The sunrise also creates this amazing view on the other side.

Mount Asahidake has cast an enormous shadow across the foothills,

conveying the sheer scale of its presence.

It feels so great.

I was always looking forward to it.

It was always my dream to come here,

to make it to the highest mountain in Hokkaido.

And finally, I did it, and it feels so satisfying.

I'm just so impressed by all the landscape,

the weather, the sunrise...

It's amazing. It's breathtaking.

Hokkaido's tallest peak, Mount Asahidake.

This magnificent nature

that it shows from the summit continues to attract hikers from all over.