Is there much to do up there in summer ? Anywhere to go road biking, or trail running that is easy to get to ? Are the restaurants, etc. still open ? Appreciate any feedback. Tks

i know there's rafting & mountain biking.

Thanks for that. Specifically wondering if that route 406 is a nice ride on the road bike, or whether too much traffic or too steep, etc. Thanks.

I want to go climbing. They must have that in Hakuba...

there is a sh-tload to do in hakuba in the summers. it's the main place for mountaineering in japan w/ hundreds of alpine hiking routes... there are tons of huts in the hakuba backcountry or you can bring a tent or multi-day routes. there is downhill mtn biking (they drive u up in a truck) at Sanosaka and a bunch more x-country trails (obviously trail running works there too). there are water jumps at Goryu (super fun). there are a few paragliding ops. there is whitewater rafting and canyoning and rock climbing.

i have seen a good few crowds on the 148 towards omachi, and i'm sure people ride the 406, but personally i would think the 406 is way too windy and gnarly and there is a lot of blind corners. maybe that's ur thing though...

did 3 days hike in hakuba last august.

=>daisekkei

There are also amazing BBQs at the CRACKuba house!

(StillNoProgress called Goryu's water ramps "super fun" when in reality he was pissing blood after a reverse superman landing flat to back off the big kicker)

yeah that part wasn't "super fun"

It sounded "super fun" until I imagined myself actually doing it......

Anyway, thanks for the feedback.

It is super fun. StillNoProgress didn't signal the guy at the bottom to turn on the bubbles when he dropped in. Bubbles break the surface tension of the water and make such landings a lot less painful

i usually make my own bubbles.

There's loads to do in summer in Hakuba, absolutely loads. Its also much cooler than the Pacific side of Japan, which is a big big plus. Its not actually the "main region for mountaineering", coz that is the Yarigatake/Hotaka/Kamikochi area. That place gets crazy busy with punters. I wouldn't go there myself when the crowds are there. Most are there for the name value only.

Mountains+summer=very changeable weather, but you might get lucky. It was glorious nonstop for over two weeks last year in August, but that was after very little sun in July. There was talk at the time of the rice crop all failing.

406 is quite nice and doesn't see much traffic. It rises to a great viewpoint just before a tiny tunnel, though its usually hazy in summer. After that, it flattens out, but goes along a cliff with the blind corners mentioned above. If you're careful, it then opens up a bit through Kinasa where you can stop for an onsen and soba or nice oyaki. Its then up and down and twisty again into Togakushi. Its great over there. The road from Togakushi down into Nagano is also a wild one down a long and very steep snow tunnel with sharp bends. Its like a massive red cage and must have cost a fortune to build.

For road biking, the obvious advice is to avoid the tunnels on 147/8. In summer, you see idiots cycling through the tunnels all the time. With the Aokiko ones, a ten-second detour gives you the old 147 past the lake or the nice twisty road behind the lake. Its almost as if they don't want to see the scenery or breathe the fresh air. Even bigger idiots ride crawl uphill through the tunnels from Itoigawa into Hakuba. Those tunnels especially are narrow, long and very dark inside, but since its a main road, the traffic moves at main road speed.

Tks Mr W. Will take a spin up the 406 I reckon.

I went to a bouldering wall in Ebisu on Tuesday to see if I could actually manage any climbing. Now it feels as if all the tendons in my forearms have been replaced with razorwire. Fun though.

keep doing it... it will get easier... there's a bouldering wall in alps gym in hakuba btw... actually pretty tough. great for a rainy day.

Oh I'm definitely going to keep at it. I loved the fact that when I couldn't do one of the routes and asked for help, the guy who worked there, who looks like he should run some cartoon porn shop in akihabira, nailed it in about 5 seconds - all while wearing these giant plastic sandals that meant he didn't get any grip with his feet at all.

The 147 148 is great if you stay along the lakes.
the 406 is great plus there are a few other roads
to explore. Mtn biking is coming along with lots of trails
most of which you have to climb yourself. This means that the
trails down are very free of people.

Although not the center of the alpine routes it is a close 2nd to 3rd.
You can walk to Toyama or billy goat to tateyama.

The lakes are worth the trip themselves!

Then you can shell out for canyoning, rafting(not the best), parasailing etc.

I know people that go wakeboarding and waterskiing there near cortina - there are loads of tennis courts there- its a good place for sure

I dont know of a lake near cortina but wakeboarding can be done on
kizaAoikiko. Acrosssnowboard shops does it.

Went for a ride today up route 406 to the look out tunnel (done that a few times actually). Today however, I decided to keep going and went down the other side. For road bikers it is a thrilling ride (also a good climb going up). I didn't want to go all the way to Nagano so I went off to find a river road (Ogawagawa) that goes back to Route 33. It was a bit tough at first as there was a lot of gravel. I went in too far to turn back so kept going. Was some steep climbs in there...steeper than the climb up 406 but not impossible) Once I found road again ( 1 to 2kms of gravel) it was one of the nicest rides I've ever done in my life winding down a narrow road with no cars with some of the nicest scenery not viewable from just about anywhere else. This road would even be tough for a car to get too from 406. From Hakuba to Ogagawagawa back to Hakuba (loop) was exactly 50km.
If you do go through the tunnels on route 31/33 make sure you have flashing red lights and walk or ride on the side foot walks (very narrow). I took some detours around some tunnels along the old unused roads and they were very hard climbs as well.

Over the next few days (weather permitting) I will ride to the Japan Sea (Itoigawa) which is exactly 50kms from where I am in Hakuba. 100kms round trip.

How is the road going up there? I see a lot of tunnels on this route as well... Is it do-able?

Besides cycling, hiking, camping, fishing, swimming, bbqing... a trip out to Kurobe dam is nice too... More to do up here in summer than winter.