Tsugaike Kogen is a beautiful highland area in Otari Village, Nagano Prefecture, spreading across the eastern foothills of Mount Hakuba-Norikura in the Northern Alps. Rising from approximately 800 meters to 2,000 meters above sea level, this vast mountain landscape offers a different experience in every season.
The upper reaches of the highland lie within Chubu-Sangaku National Park and are especially famous for Tsugaike Nature Park, a precious high-altitude wetland surrounded by alpine scenery. At the foot of the mountains, Tsugaike Kogen Ski Resort provides extensive winter recreation.
From summer trekking among alpine flowers and wetlands to skiing through deep winter snow, Tsugaike Kogen has developed into a mountain resort where visitors can enjoy the natural beauty of the Japanese Alps throughout the year.
Tsugaike Kogen extends across several local areas, including Hara, also known as Oya-no-Hara, Matsuzawa, and Kawachi. The southern part reaches the Matsuzawa area of the Himekawa River system, while the northern side extends toward the Oyazawa area. To the east, the highland reaches the settlements around Hakuba-Oike Station along National Route 148.
The name Tsugaike comes from a pond located in the highland. Higher up are some of the area’s most remarkable natural landscapes, including Tsugaike Nature Park, sometimes known as Kami-no-Tanbo, or the “God’s Rice Field,” as well as the wetlands and alpine environment of Tenguppara.
Tsugaike Kogen was also an important location along the historic Chikuni Kaido, known as the Salt Road. During the early modern period, this mountain route was used to transport salt from Itoigawa toward the inland areas around Shiojiri.
Traces of this history remain throughout the region. Stone Buddhist images, historic lodging facilities, and the former ushikata-juku, where the handlers of pack cattle stayed, provide glimpses into the difficult journeys once made through these mountains.
Today, walking sections of the Salt Road offers a unique way to experience Tsugaike, combining mountain scenery with the history of transportation and trade in rural Japan.
Until around the 1950s, the Oya-no-Hara area of Tsugaike Kogen was shared communal land used by residents of nearby settlements including Kawachi, Matsuzawa, Kutsukake, and Chikuni.
The highland supported a traditional mountain economy, with pastures, forests, farmland, and fields of thatching grass used for maintaining traditional roofs. Agriculture and forestry formed the foundation of everyday life.
The character of the area changed dramatically in the 1960s when Tsugaike Kogen Ski Resort was opened. Resort development accelerated, and guesthouses and pensions began appearing one after another.
The former agricultural and forestry landscape gradually evolved into a major tourist destination, while the surrounding natural environment continued to provide the foundation for outdoor recreation.
The distinctive terrace-like terrain of Oya-no-Hara is covered with volcanic deposits originating from the Hakuba-Norikura Volcano. Shortly after World War II, parts of this area began to be developed as a new settlement.
The soil was originally relatively poor and characterized by reddish earth. Through gradual improvement and development, however, the landscape was transformed into the resort area visitors see today, attracting travelers for skiing, trekking, and mountain recreation.
At approximately 1,900 meters above sea level, Tsugaike Nature Park preserves a remarkable high-altitude wetland covering about 100 hectares. It is one of the area’s most important natural attractions and provides an opportunity to experience alpine ecosystems without undertaking a technical mountain climb.
A network of wooden boardwalks stretches for approximately 5.5 kilometers through the park. Visitors can walk through wetlands, forests, and alpine meadows while observing the plants and scenery that change with the seasons.
The visitor center provides information and exhibits about the natural environment, helping travelers understand the unique ecology of the highland landscape. Admission to the nature park is required.
Kinugasaso is a perennial plant native to Japan and one of the characteristic flowers of Tsugaike Nature Park. From June through August, it produces a single white flower approximately 6 to 7 centimeters in diameter.
Its elegant flowers are particularly impressive in early summer, when the snow has retreated and the alpine landscape bursts into life. Later in the season, it develops distinctive dark purple-black fruit.
Oni-shiogama is another notable alpine plant found in the region. Growing approximately 40 to 100 centimeters tall, it produces pale reddish-purple flowers from August through September.
The plant is widely distributed in deep mountain wetlands on the Sea of Japan side of Japan, making Tsugaike Nature Park an especially interesting place to encounter this distinctive species.
Otari Village is one of the colder areas of Nagano Prefecture, and the substantial difference in elevation across Tsugaike Kogen creates noticeable variations in temperature.
At the central part of the Oya-no-Hara plateau, at approximately 830 meters, records from 1990 show an average temperature of -5.2°C in February and 18.3°C in July. Even in summer, the highland offers a refreshing escape from hotter lowland areas.
The cool climate also contributes to the area’s distinctive seasonal character. Snow-covered winters give way to fresh greenery, colorful alpine flowers, and eventually brilliant autumn foliage.
Tsugaike Kogen is not only a destination for nature lovers. Archaeological discoveries show that people have lived in and around the area since ancient times.
As many as 17 archaeological sites have been identified across the highland, including the Hayashigashira Site, which dates to the Early Jomon period. Excavated artifacts are preserved mainly at the Otari Village Folk Museum.
The sites are distributed across areas including Oya-no-Hara, Kutsukake, Maruyama, and Kiriyama. Together, they provide valuable evidence of how people lived in and interacted with this mountainous environment thousands of years ago.
Summer is an ideal season for exploring the highland on foot. The trails around Tsugaike Nature Park lead through wetlands, forests, and alpine meadows, with seasonal flowers adding color to the landscape.
The combination of relatively cool temperatures, mountain scenery, and abundant vegetation makes Tsugaike a rewarding destination for travelers who want to experience the Northern Alps at a relaxed pace.
As temperatures fall, the landscape changes dramatically. The forests and alpine vegetation turn shades of red, orange, and gold, creating a striking contrast with the surrounding mountain peaks.
In winter, Tsugaike Kogen becomes one of the major snow destinations of the Hakuba and Otari area. The extensive Tsugaike Kogen Ski Resort provides a completely different way to experience the same mountain landscape, with deep snow and expansive slopes attracting winter sports enthusiasts.
Travelers interested in history can combine their visit with a trek along the Chikuni Kaido, or Salt Road. A walking route from the Otari Village Folk Museum to the Matsuzawa entrance of Tsugaike Kogen covers approximately 6.8 kilometers and takes around three hours on foot.
The route offers a particularly rewarding combination of history and nature. Rather than simply visiting a museum or viewing mountain scenery from a resort, travelers can walk through the same broad landscape that once formed part of an important transportation route.
Local buses and village-operated buses connect Tsugaike Kogen with JR Hakuba Station and Minami-Otari Station. Long-distance highway buses also provide direct access from major urban areas.
Highway bus services operate from the Tokyo metropolitan area, including routes from Shinjuku, while services from Osaka and Kyoto also provide access to the Hakuba and Otari region.
By car, Tsugaike Kogen is approximately 90 minutes from the Azumino Interchange via National Routes 147 and 148. From the Itoigawa Interchange on the Hokuriku Expressway, the journey takes approximately 50 minutes.
Parking facilities are available, making Tsugaike Kogen convenient for travelers exploring the Northern Alps by car.
Tsugaike Kogen is a destination where spectacular alpine scenery and human history exist side by side. Its high-altitude wetlands, seasonal flowers, forests, and snow-covered mountains offer an ever-changing natural landscape, while the historic Salt Road and Jomon archaeological sites reveal how people have interacted with this region for thousands of years.
In summer, visitors can walk among alpine flowers and explore the wetlands of Tsugaike Nature Park. Autumn brings brilliant foliage, while winter transforms the highland into a major ski destination. The cool climate and dramatic changes in elevation make each season distinctly different.
For travelers exploring the Hakuba and Northern Alps region, Tsugaike Kogen offers much more than a mountain resort. It is a place where alpine nature, outdoor adventure, traditional mountain life, and the history of Japan’s historic Salt Road come together, creating a memorable experience in every season.