久しぶり (Long time no see)! If you missed our community post, Aimee got a new job so editing has been a bit slower while she’s been getting used to her new role. But now she’s all settled in, we’ve got new videos coming! This one’s from the start of October so very much still autumn vibes 😅 but Japan’s starting to get pretty cold. What’s it like in your part of the world now?
Agree! Very nice video: short and comprehensive. But I didn’t understand how many km and hours did you do each day and if you stayed overnight in hakuba or at some huts on the top?
Hi guys, awesome video! You’ve inspired me to head to Happo Pond on my trip to Japan in October. I’m just wondering if you think it’ll be possible to do both the Tsugaike Nature Garden course and Happo Pond together in the same day? Will be using only public transit as well. Thanks again!
Really glad to hear we've inspired you to visit Happo Pond! That's the highest compliment 😊 Hmm that's a great question about doing both. It might not be possible. The lifts open at around 7:30am and close around 4:30pm so with hiking time and the time it takes on the gondola and lifts, you'd be cutting it quite fine I think. Here are links to the lift times in case it helps! www.happo-one.jp/en/trekking/alpenline/ www.nsd-hakuba.jp/green/tsugaike/panoramaway.html
Thank you for this great, fun video! I am staying two nights in the area but probably only time to do one of these hikes, the exact two I was trying to decide between... what do you think? I come from a mountainous area so I do have a chance to see great views and am intrigued by what looks like such a beautiful landscape to walk through at Tsugaike. Your opinion would be helpful!
Hi there! Thanks for watching! Ooh ok tough decision haha. Happo pond you have similar views for most of the way until you get to the pond at the end and then you have the spectacular mountain views. Tsugaike as you say has a beautiful landscape - there's less dramatic mountain views and you can't see into the valley below as much but there's perhaps more variation to enjoy. If you're not as worried about seeing mountain views then Tsugaike is a great pick 😊
Terrific videography and editing, Aimee! Videos a little longer (ca. 15 minutes) would be nice, too because there is a lot of scenery and information to share on these locations.
What month did you go there? Doesn’t look like it is cold up there? We plan to be there in the beginning of October. Will we have some snow, what do you reckon?
Hi guys! ほんとうに久しぶり! What a great video , all those beautiful and breathtaking views ! I’ve been to Hakuba twice in winter and now I definitely wanna go in Autumn 🍂 If you don’t mind , could you tell me a nice hotel to stay there? Because I went from Matsumoto for one day trip and it was exhausting 😅 Thank you Aimee and Roy for sharing such great moments of hiking ❤❤
It's so nice to see one of your comments again! Haha I bet it must've been exhausting coming from Matsumoto! The only place we can personally recommend is called Mojo Lodge; we stayed there while snowboarding. It's not a hotel but we had a bedroom with ensuite, which was really comfortable and the staff were amazing. This is the link goo.gl/maps/N7wV3UUC65BRGzvs9 😊
Thank you! For wintery town vibes with easy access from Tokyo (so you don't have to take a billion buses with a baby 😅), we'd recommend Karuizawa, Aizuwakamatsu or a little further afield is Kakunodate in Akita. Hakuba and Yuzawa also both have direct access from Tokyo but are a little bit more geared towards ski sports.
Hey there! Those views are spectacular aren't they! Apparently both of these places turn into ski resorts during winter, so it's probably not a place where you can go winter hiking.
awesome video guys! do you think is it possible to enjoy Hakuba hiking without staying there for the night? like a day trip? or is it best to stay there? thank youuu
Hi there! Thanks so much for watching 😊 There are buses that run from Nagano Station to Hakuba that take just over an hour so if you wanted to do a day trip, it's possible.
@@RoyandAimee nice! i was actually planning to comeback this september but it got cancelled. I went to tateyama last may and now I want to see the japanese alps in autumn. Hopefully by next year haha! really love your videos 😍
Lovely video! The views look spectacular! :) May I ask a most silly question? Are the chairlifts really not that high? Terrified of heights (when sitting on things, not hiking), lol!
Not a silly question at all! From memory, all the chairlifts weren't high. The different gondolas did get quite high but you're completely encased in glass in those ones 😊
@@RoyandAimee thank you :) that's reassuring. The gondolas should be fine, but after riding a 4-5m highchairlift without a bar with a kiddo somewhere in Japan during winter season last year...😅
Wow! What a grand plan! Roy also proposed with a mountain backdrop, it's making us feel so nostalgic hearing about your plans 🥹 Looking back at the video we can't stop saying "OMG that's just a beautiful place to do it". The trip to there and back was probably 2-3 hours return, but in terms of "hiking" it was pretty chill, slight inclines and declines for a good workout, but nothing to make you feel like "God this is certainly a mountain!". Of course it depends on your levels of fitness and expectations, but I'd say anyone can do it and find it not too challenging and enjoyable. If you want to avoid people, do NOT go on a weekend. This viewing deck will be packed with Japanese people (as you can see in the video - strong domestic tourism here). Going on a weekday (should) guarantee some time to get it without any people hopefully. However, because the retired elderly should be able to also do this hike, and the elderly here are quite active and love the mountains, I certainly can't guarantee long periods of no one being here even if you go on a weekday. Perhaps if you're patient & take a good amount of food and set up for a picnic there for a few hours (maybe pretend to be taking a timelapse for an hour?) the patience might pay off. Best of luck!
久しぶり (Long time no see)! If you missed our community post, Aimee got a new job so editing has been a bit slower while she’s been getting used to her new role. But now she’s all settled in, we’ve got new videos coming!
This one’s from the start of October so very much still autumn vibes 😅 but Japan’s starting to get pretty cold. What’s it like in your part of the world now?
Awesome views 🥹
The views in the Northern Alps are spectacular 😍
what a surreal experience, new friend here from the philippines
Hello! Thanks so much for watching ☺️
Absolutely brilliant presentation friend, this was narrated and filmed so professionally! What a breathtaking video!
Thank you so much! Your comment has made our day 😊
Agree! Very nice video: short and comprehensive.
But I didn’t understand how many km and hours did you do each day and if you stayed overnight in hakuba or at some huts on the top?
Beautiful. Thx
Hi guys, awesome video! You’ve inspired me to head to Happo Pond on my trip to Japan in October. I’m just wondering if you think it’ll be possible to do both the Tsugaike Nature Garden course and Happo Pond together in the same day? Will be using only public transit as well. Thanks again!
Really glad to hear we've inspired you to visit Happo Pond! That's the highest compliment 😊 Hmm that's a great question about doing both. It might not be possible. The lifts open at around 7:30am and close around 4:30pm so with hiking time and the time it takes on the gondola and lifts, you'd be cutting it quite fine I think. Here are links to the lift times in case it helps!
www.happo-one.jp/en/trekking/alpenline/
www.nsd-hakuba.jp/green/tsugaike/panoramaway.html
Roy and Aimee、ひさしぶり～！ Hakuba is beautiful as always! It's my second home town! (^^)/ 4:41 "winter" for me too!😁
Aah no you and Roy are beating me on the winter vote haha!
Thanks for the awesome videos!
Thank you for watching! 😊
Thank you for this great, fun video! I am staying two nights in the area but probably only time to do one of these hikes, the exact two I was trying to decide between... what do you think? I come from a mountainous area so I do have a chance to see great views and am intrigued by what looks like such a beautiful landscape to walk through at Tsugaike. Your opinion would be helpful!
Hi there! Thanks for watching! Ooh ok tough decision haha. Happo pond you have similar views for most of the way until you get to the pond at the end and then you have the spectacular mountain views. Tsugaike as you say has a beautiful landscape - there's less dramatic mountain views and you can't see into the valley below as much but there's perhaps more variation to enjoy. If you're not as worried about seeing mountain views then Tsugaike is a great pick 😊
Terrific videography and editing, Aimee! Videos a little longer (ca. 15 minutes) would be nice, too because there is a lot of scenery and information to share on these locations.
Thank you! Ok noted! When we go out to film next, we'll keep this in mind and get more footage 😊
This was fun. We need another animal sounds video though. That one was hilarious.
Haha glad you enjoyed it, that one was fun to make!
What month did you go there? Doesn’t look like it is cold up there? We plan to be there in the beginning of October. Will we have some snow, what do you reckon?
Hi there! We went at the beginning of October and there was no snow yet 😊 All we needed was a light jacket as it wasn’t too cold.
Hi guys! ほんとうに久しぶり! What a great video , all those beautiful and breathtaking views !
I’ve been to Hakuba twice in winter and now I definitely wanna go in Autumn 🍂 If you don’t mind , could you tell me a nice hotel to stay there? Because I went from Matsumoto for one day trip and it was exhausting 😅
Thank you Aimee and Roy for sharing such great moments of hiking ❤❤
It's so nice to see one of your comments again! Haha I bet it must've been exhausting coming from Matsumoto! The only place we can personally recommend is called Mojo Lodge; we stayed there while snowboarding. It's not a hotel but we had a bedroom with ensuite, which was really comfortable and the staff were amazing. This is the link goo.gl/maps/N7wV3UUC65BRGzvs9 😊
@@RoyandAimee oh thank you so much !! I will look forward for it the next time we visit Hakuba😉
Take care, stay safe ✨🙏🏼✨
nice video..I would like to know what is the date of this autumn color?
This was on October 1st and 2nd 2022 😊
Hello! Lovely video as usual. Could you recommend a wintery spot like this that you can bring a baby to?
Thank you! For wintery town vibes with easy access from Tokyo (so you don't have to take a billion buses with a baby 😅), we'd recommend Karuizawa, Aizuwakamatsu or a little further afield is Kakunodate in Akita. Hakuba and Yuzawa also both have direct access from Tokyo but are a little bit more geared towards ski sports.
The views are soooo beautiful and breathtaking!😍 I am planning to travel to Hakuba next year during winter. Is it safe to hike along these 2 areas?
Hey there! Those views are spectacular aren't they! Apparently both of these places turn into ski resorts during winter, so it's probably not a place where you can go winter hiking.
@@RoyandAimee Absolutely spectacular🥰 thank you for reverting!👍🏻
awesome video guys! do you think is it possible to enjoy Hakuba hiking without staying there for the night? like a day trip? or is it best to stay there? thank youuu
Hi there! Thanks so much for watching 😊 There are buses that run from Nagano Station to Hakuba that take just over an hour so if you wanted to do a day trip, it's possible.
Hello , what period you hike at tsugaike nature garden mid-oct ?
Hi there! It was the first weekend of October 😊
hello! nice vlog! :) may I ask when was this filmed? :)
Hello! Thanks for watching 😊 This was filmed at the start of October.
What month did you hike? Dayumnnn I'll schedule this for next year
This was at the start of October 😊 Hope you get to go! It’s been one of our favourite hikes.
@@RoyandAimee nice! i was actually planning to comeback this september but it got cancelled. I went to tateyama last may and now I want to see the japanese alps in autumn. Hopefully by next year haha! really love your videos 😍
What time of the year did you go?
Thanks for watching! This was filmed the first weekend of October, 2022.
This is lovely! What kind of cell phone did you film this with?
Thank you for the lovely comment! 😊 This one was filmed using a GoPro 10 and Panasonic Lumix S5.
Lovely video! The views look spectacular! :) May I ask a most silly question? Are the chairlifts really not that high? Terrified of heights (when sitting on things, not hiking), lol!
Not a silly question at all! From memory, all the chairlifts weren't high. The different gondolas did get quite high but you're completely encased in glass in those ones 😊
@@RoyandAimee thank you :) that's reassuring. The gondolas should be fine, but after riding a 4-5m highchairlift without a bar with a kiddo somewhere in Japan during winter season last year...😅
Waah could totally appreciate you wouldn't want to do that again! 😳
Is it possible day trip from Tokyo to hike Happo Ike?
It takes about 3.5 - 4 hours to get to Hakuba from Tokyo so probably the quickest time you could do it in is an overnight trip 😊
What day last year was this filmed?
Hi there! This was filmed the first weekend of October.
October?
Yes! The start of October 😊
which month is this??
The start of October 😊
Planning to propose to my girlfriend on the garden viewing deck. Wouldnt there be too much people? Hike is too long? Any challenges you think?
Wow! What a grand plan! Roy also proposed with a mountain backdrop, it's making us feel so nostalgic hearing about your plans 🥹
Looking back at the video we can't stop saying "OMG that's just a beautiful place to do it". The trip to there and back was probably 2-3 hours return, but in terms of "hiking" it was pretty chill, slight inclines and declines for a good workout, but nothing to make you feel like "God this is certainly a mountain!". Of course it depends on your levels of fitness and expectations, but I'd say anyone can do it and find it not too challenging and enjoyable.
If you want to avoid people, do NOT go on a weekend. This viewing deck will be packed with Japanese people (as you can see in the video - strong domestic tourism here). Going on a weekday (should) guarantee some time to get it without any people hopefully. However, because the retired elderly should be able to also do this hike, and the elderly here are quite active and love the mountains, I certainly can't guarantee long periods of no one being here even if you go on a weekday.
Perhaps if you're patient & take a good amount of food and set up for a picnic there for a few hours (maybe pretend to be taking a timelapse for an hour?) the patience might pay off. Best of luck!
@@RoyandAimee Thank you! btw what month did you go? Is it still autumn-y in first week november?
Naruhodo, naruhodo, happy mood to be out there.