Mt. Naeba

Mt. Naeba (苗場山, 2,145 m) straddles Yuzawa and Tsunan in Niigata Prefecture and Sakae Village in Nagano Prefecture, inside Joshin’etsu-kogen National Park. It is famous for the raised bog on its summit plateau, one of the largest in Japan — around 4 km² of pools and marsh — and is one of the 100 Famous Mountains of Japan (selected by Kyuya Fukada).

The summit is a vast wetland known as the “garden in the sky“, superb for skunk cabbage in June, cottongrass and nikko-kisuge in July, and the golden autumn grasses in September. The most popular way up, the Haraikawa route on the Yuzawa side, passes the Wada-goya hut at the 5th station and is graded intermediate ★★★ at about 7 hours. The Koakazawa route on the Nagano side, from Akiyama-go, has a shorter approach.

*Timetable last checked: May 22, 2026

1. [Outbound] Echigo-Yuzawa Station → Haraikawa trailhead (taxi / car)

The Haraikawa trailhead (1,200 m), the start of the Haraikawa route up Mt. Naeba, has no bus service, so it is taxi or your own car. From the east exit of Echigo-Yuzawa Station a taxi takes about 25 minutes and costs roughly ¥8,600 one way, which works out cheaper shared between several people. By car it is about 18 km and 30 minutes from Yuzawa IC on the Kan-etsu Expressway, with free parking at the Haraikawa trailhead for about 150 vehicles. From the car park it is about 30 minutes on foot along a forest road to the trailhead itself.

Access at a glance :
Echigo-Yuzawa Station east exit → Haraikawa trailhead : taxi, about 25 minutes, roughly ¥8,600 one way
Yuzawa IC → Haraikawa trailhead : by car, about 18 km and 30 minutes, parking for 150 vehicles
Haraikawa trailhead car park → trailhead : about 30 minutes on foot along the forest road
※ An alternative: Echigo-Yuzawa Station east exit → Minami Echigo Kotsu bus → Kagura-Mitsumata → Tashiro Station → ropeway (seasonal)

Note : There is no scheduled bus to the Haraikawa trailhead, so booking a taxi is the practical answer. Going via the Kagura ski area, straight to Wada-goya, is only possible in limited periods outside the winter ski season.

Reference : Autumn colours on the Haraikawa route from Wada-goya
Inquiries : Yuzawa Taxi ☎025-784-2025

2. [Return] Haraikawa trailhead → Echigo-Yuzawa Station (taxi / car)

After the descent, it is again about 25 minutes and roughly ¥8,600 by taxi from the Haraikawa trailhead to Echigo-Yuzawa Station, or about 30 minutes by car. Since it is hard to predict exactly when you will be down, booking the taxi ahead is recommended — you can hail one at the rank outside Echigo-Yuzawa Station on the day, but in the busy season a reservation is essential. Remember you also have the 30-minute forest-road walk back to the car park, so allow plenty of margin in your descent timing.

Access at a glance :
Haraikawa trailhead → car park : about 30 minutes on foot along the forest road
Haraikawa trailhead (or car park) → Echigo-Yuzawa Station east exit : taxi, about 25 minutes, roughly ¥8,600 / by car, about 18 km and 30 minutes

A bath afterwards : you can bathe at hot springs around Echigo-Yuzawa Station such as “Edo no Yado Fukumoto” or the Yuzawa Grand Hotel, or more simply at “Ponshukan Yukemuri-dokoro” inside the station (¥800, famous for its sake bath).

Reference : Wada-goya official site
Inquiries : Yuzawa Taxi ☎025-784-2025 / Echigo-Yuzawa Onsen Tourism Association ☎025-785-5505

3. Wada-goya, the Koakazawa route and suggested plans

About Mt. Naeba
A standalone peak (2,145 m) straddling Yuzawa Town and Tsunan Town in Niigata Prefecture and Sakae Village in Nagano Prefecture, inside Joshin’etsu-kogen National Park. Across its summit lies one of the largest raised bogs in Japan, some 4 km² holding around 800 pools, and it is known as the “garden in the sky“. The name Naeba, meaning rice-seedling bed, is said to come from the pools that look like flooded seedling paddies. The Kagura ski area in winter and the Mt. Naeba Nature Experience Centre, the emergency hut on the summit, underpin the tourist and climbing infrastructure. Selected by Kyuya Fukada for the 100 Famous Mountains of Japan.

The two main routes

• Haraikawa route (Yuzawa side) (intermediate, about 7 hours, the most popular): Haraikawa trailhead → Wada-goya → Kagura-ga-mine → summit and back, by way of the Kagura ski area
• Koakazawa route (Sakae Village, Akiyama-go side) (intermediate, about 6 hours): from Akiyama-go, a sustained climb but a short approach

Huts and hot springs
– Wada-goya (5th station, Haraikawa route, ☎025-789-3055): accommodation on Saturdays and the eve of holidays only; known for its kenchin udon; a good base for the climb, run by Prince Hotels
– Mt. Naeba Nature Experience Centre (the summit emergency hut, free, bring your own bedding): in the middle of the summit wetland, sleeps about 100, with a toilet and water (from the wetland pools, to be boiled)
– Echigo-Yuzawa Onsen: many options around the station, including “Ponshukan Yukemuri-dokoro” inside it, ¥800 (sake bath)
– Akayu Onsen “Yamaguchi-kan”: south of the summit, a remote hot spring

Season and flowers: June to October. June: skunk cabbage; July: cottongrass and nikko-kisuge; August: Tateyama-rindo and Hakusan-kozakura; September: the golden autumn grasses, when the whole summit wetland turns gold. Snow lingers around Kagura-ga-mine until early June.

Points to note
– Never step off the trail among the summit pools and marsh: stay on the boardwalk, for the sake of the vegetation
– Few water sources: only before Wada-goya and on the summit plateau, so carry at least 2 litres
– No direct bus to the Haraikawa trailhead: book a taxi
– Bears are sighted here: carry a bell

Emergency and general contacts

• Yuzawa Town Office, tourism and commerce section (Haraikawa side): ☎025-784-3457 / Echigo-Yuzawa Onsen Tourism Association: ☎025-785-5505
• Sakae Village Office (Koakazawa and Akiyama-go side): ☎0269-87-3111
• Yuzawa Police Station (climbing plans, mountain rescue): ☎025-784-0110
• Wada-goya (lodging and inquiries): ☎025-789-3055 / Yuzawa Taxi: ☎025-784-2025

Suggested plans

• Day hike on the Haraikawa route (intermediate, for strong walkers): Tokyo Station 6:08 → Echigo-Yuzawa Station 7:22 → taxi → Haraikawa trailhead 8:30 → Wada-goya 9:00 → summit 12:30 → descend → Haraikawa trailhead 16:00 → taxi → Echigo-Yuzawa Station 16:30 → a bath at Ponshukan in the station → home
• Two days with a night at the summit hut (recommended): Day 1, Echigo-Yuzawa → Haraikawa trailhead → summit wetland → night at the Mt. Naeba emergency hut (bring bedding; sunset and stars). Day 2, a wander around the wetland at first light → descend → a hot-spring bath in Echigo-Yuzawa. In September, when the grasses turn gold, a night on the summit plateau is magnificent

Reference : Echigo-Yuzawa tourism guide: Wada-goya ｜ Mt. Naeba: Haraikawa route guide

Photo by jdolan78 (Flickr)