Mt. Tomuraushi (トムラウシ）
Home of the endangered Japanese pika, Mt. Tomuraushi is a wonderful rocky peak located at roughly the halfway point on the Daisetsuzan trekking route. The scenery and views will certainly make you believe you’ve left Japan.
The hike: First of all, I would like to thank Julian for this hike description, as I climbed this peak while doing the full Asahi-dake to Tokachi-dake traverse. From the bus stop, head to the end of the road and the trailhead. After about 5 minutes of hiking, you’ll cross a forest road, where you’ll find the lovely Higashi Daisetsu hut, which looks like a great place to stay. Click here for the website in Japanese. Continue hiking on the trail for about 90 minutes or so, until reaching a trail junction marked 温泉コース分岐 (Onsen kousu bunki). This is where foot traffic will increase signficantly, as the trail to the right leads down to a parking lot. Most people with cars just drive up here rather than hiking from the hot spring, so if you’ve got your own wheels you might consider doing the same (especially if doing this hike as a day trip, which I don’t recommend). Turn left at the junction for a moderate climb up a well-worn path. If it’s raining then the path will become a nasty mixture of water and mud, so bring gaiters if you’ve got them. After about 45 minutes or so, you’ll reach an unmarked junction, which is where the old path joins the new. The old path is closed, so stay towards the left and climb through an area of thick bamboo grass. This grass is trimmed during the summer hiking season, but may not be maintained out of season, so exercise caution. The next hour or so is relatively gentle until dropping steeply to a the ‘Robin’ stream (こまどり沢). Be sure to boil and filter any water from the stream, because it could be contaminated with the echinococcus parasite. Cross the stream and stay on the right bank (following the paint marks on the rocks if the weather is bad). If hiking before August then you’ll have to cross a rather large snowfield before reaching 前トム平 (Mae-tomu-dai), a great place for a break. The trail will start to become quite rocky now, passing through areas of wildflowers before reaching a small pond at トムラウシ公園 (Tomuraushi-koen). Be sure to follow the paint marks, since it’s easy to get lost if the cloud is in. The scenery is spectacular, and you’ll reach a junction in about an hour or so. To the left there is a small campsite with a water source (again, be sure to boil) but no toilet. Turn right for the steep, 20-minute climb to the summit. It should have taken anywhere from 6 to 8 hours to reach the summit, so be sure to bring plenty of supplies and consider breaking this up into a 2-day hike. You can either retrace your steps to the campsite, or consider traversing over to Hisago-numa hut (ヒサゴ沼小屋), which will take another 2 or 3 hours of ridge hiking. Alternatively, you could consider heading all the way back to Tomuraushi Onsen, but that’d be over 30km of hiking in one day! Click here for some nice photos of the route.
When to go: This hike can only been done in the summer, when the bus to the trailhead is running. If you’ve got your own transport, however, you can go a little earlier or later in the season. Alternatively, the peak is on the main Daisetsuzan trekking route, and can be approached from the north via Chuubetsu-dake. Be prepared for a lot of snow if attempting before July.
Access: From Obihiro (帯広) station, take a local train on the JR Nemuro line and get off at Shintoku (新得) station. You can also take a limited express train, but it’ll cost twice the amount. From Shintoku, take a bus bound for Tomuraushi Onsen (トムラウシ温泉) and get off at the final stop. As of 2011, the bus is by reservation only and runs between July 16th and August 14th. Click here for the schedule.
Level of difficulty: 4 out of 5 (elevation change 1176m)
Explore posts in the same categories: ArchiveTags: blogsherpa, Daisestuzan nat'l park, hiking, Hokkaido hikes, Hyakumeizan, japan, Mt. Tomuraushi
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Hiking in Japan 
January 9, 2017 at 1:03 pm
Hey Wes,
Thanks for this invaluable resource. I’ve been using it for day and overnight hikes all over Japan for the last year.
I have a bit of an ambitious undertaking and would love your expertise.
I want to spend a summer in Hokkaido strictly hiking. From my very limited research I’ve seen the “Hokkaido Nature Trail” but upon closer inspection it doesn’t really seem to exist.
My question is what do you recommend for an unobstructed summer of hiking in Hokkaido? Which traverses can I combine and what is the best use of my time in terms of hiking trails? What is the most worthwhile/longest undertaking in Hokkaido?
Any and all opinions/advice are warmly welcomed.
Cheers,
Dahn
May 31, 2017 at 10:14 am
Hey Dahn!
Tomy here. I enquired Wes about something similar. When are you going in 2017?
I will be trying to conquer peaks in Hokkaido as well this summer. Currently I will be going solo but I’ll be glad to have a buddy to go along with if you’re interested. I’ll be in Hokkaido from 7-25th Aug, starting from Mt Rausu-Meakan-Tokachi-Tomuraushi-Asahi.
Do give me a ring if you’ll like to accompany me :) (I’m a 21y old straight male)
Regards,
Tomy
May 31, 2017 at 11:12 pm
What’s you’re email?
June 4, 2017 at 2:13 am
Contact me with tommy.arden@gmail.com
April 18, 2019 at 7:28 pm
Hello Tomy and Dash,
Which trail did you decide to do in the end?
WIth kind regards,
MArenthe
April 28, 2019 at 4:11 am
I went alone in the end. I did a clockwise loop from Asahidake to Hakuun then back to Asahidake!
August 6, 2025 at 2:57 pm
Ultimately (time, planes n all) I did a small Tomuraushi Onsen > peak > hut > Tenninkyo Onsen traverse.
Onsen to Peak is a supremely well maintained path (mid-season now). There is one bit where it dips into a valley and a stream, which could be troublesome in wet weather, but the rest is fast going. With a big pack I reached the peak in 3:40! I started late so I had to hustle to reach the hut before the dark.
If you need to nip out of the Daisetzu traverse early, or only wanna do a bit, this is a great entry / exit point.
Peak to Hisagonuma hut is a tough route even with a good visibility. There’re few large rock fields with little to no markers. I really, really would not want to go through here in rain or on no vision. Be careful when you go.
Hisagonuma hut seems to be under construction this year. That means few things: helis come down during the day so leaving a tent pitched outside is not recommended. And the 2nd floor of the hut is mostly occupied by the workers, who smoke in their beds and generally are on a very different wavelength than hikers. Everyone else therefore crowds the bottom floor.
From hut it’s a short traverse to Mount Kaun on the main traverse path. That’s where the descend trail starts.
Mount Kaun to Tenninkyo Onsen is a path that’s not received much love lately. It totals some 12km and the first half runs on ridges. It’s a narrow trail with weeds and bushed growing into it and treacherously hiding the slippery and muddy bottom. Bring all your waterproof gear, down to waterproof socks and swimming goggles. This part’s very slow and painstaking going.
About halfway the path crosses a dry riverbed with the help of a rope and that’s where things turn for the better (or worse, if you’re climbing up). Follow planks laid down over marshes until you hit a nice forest path where it’s a joy to hike as it’s never too steep. Then you hit one more sightseeing spot of Asahi and some waterfalls, complete with several benches. From there the last kilometer to the onsen is steep 300 vertical meters drop, but the path remains nice and easy to walk.
Worth it? Only if you need to get to Asahikawa, I’d say. If you’re coming from there, consider starting up on Asahi right nextdoor, with a lot more trodden (and better maintained) paths.
Admittedly I had only some of the toughest Hokkaido peaks left, but I am happy to be done here now. The weather’s been all over the place as well. Off to wrap up my 100 in the Southern Alps and the Mt. Fuji area!