James’ 8 hints for Oze:

things to do and avoid
in Oze National ParkHINT😊

Oze has a wide rangeof hiking and trekking
courses for hikers of alllevels. However, even the most popular short course: the approximately 6 km(roundtrip) course from the Hatomachitoge Pass to Yamanohana Visitor Center
is more than a 2 hour walk and the return trip involves a gradual but steady
uphill climb over boardwalks and steps. Even families with small children use
this course, so it is definitely accessible to almost everyone. However, if you arenot a regular exerciser, you might want to do a week or two of regular walks(Ideally including some hills or inclines) to prepare yourself. Some of thehiking courses are quite physically demanding and require considerable stamina and core strength. To be on the safe side, plan
your route in advance and get advice from a local guideif possible.

1HINT

3

Hit the gym!

HINT

2

An annual ritual of winter Japanese TV is reporting on inadequately dressed
tourists being stranded on Mt Fuji. Visitors tend to forget that Mt. Fuji (Altitude3776m) is a mountain due to its easy accessibility from Tokyo and amusementpark atmosphere. If you intend to hike in the Oze mountains make sure that you
are prepared. While you should consult the relevant Oze websites for detailed
advice, some general recommendations are:1) Dress appropriately. Good hiking shoes are important and you should also
bring clothes that allow you to respond to sudden weather events and rapid
temperature changes.
2) Carry some emergency food. The chances of becoming stranded in Oze arelow, but just in case you want to have some dried snacks, protein bars, etc. totide you over if you need to spend a night in the mountains, for example.

Leave nothing behind
HINT

Oze’s mountain lodges are surprisThe ultimate goal of all visitors to Oze is to depart without leaving
ingly comfortable, so it is easy to forany footprint. Unlike the famous 2003 Vegas ad, ‘What comes
get that their primary role is to serve
to Oze leaves Oze!’. To protect Oze’s natural environment,
as places of rest and refuge for mountain visitors. If you require first-class hotel accommodations,pollution from outside materials is strictly regulated.
stay home! Apparently, it is common wisdom among experienced hikers and climbers that in orderThis means you should assume that you will carry
to prevent pollution of the natural environment, the use of chemical-based toiletries such as soaps andout everything you brought with you when you
shampoos should be avoided. The reason is that anything you pour down the drain will ultimately end
leave the park. There are no trash cans orup as effluent flowing into the park. Normally, no hand washing soap is provided in the lodges, but a special
waste boxes, so plastic bags, food wraptemporary exception has been made in response to Covid - 19. Hand sanitizing gels are also a good way to keeppings and packages, tissues etc., must
your hands clean.
all be carried out of the park with
3 other quick points regarding Oze mountain lodges:
you when you leave. Thus, at1) Be on time. The mountain lodges have skeleton staffs that work under difficult
the very minimum, you willconditions. When they say dinner starts at 17:00 they mean it! Being even 5 minutes
probably need to bring alate for dinner or breakfast will throw off everyone’s schedule.
large plastic bag that2) Bring a mobile battery. There is no place to charge your smartphones or other electronic
is dedicated for
devices, and if you leave your smartphone turned on you will find that the battery tends to run
storing yourdown faster than normal due to the poor reception in the mountains. If you want to guarantee that
discarded
you will be able to surf the net or check your email before turning in, bring a mobile battery.
items.
3) Bring a portable light or flashlight. For example, if the lodges inform you that there will be ‘lights out at
21:00’, they aren’t joking! The electrical generating ability of the lodges is severely limited, so they enforce
a strict lights out policy to save energy. At night a mountain becomes pitch black, so you won’t be able to see anything in your room without some kind of light!

4Oze National Park (Oze), a Ramsar site is a funand easily accessible ecotourism destination,
but it is also a natural environment with somerugged features. Oze is also a protected place,meaning that some activities are prohibited.
This article offers 8 hints for enjoying Oze to thefullest while avoiding potential pitfalls or prohibited activities.

Roughing it😊

😊

James McGill

A mountain is a mountain!

MapHINT

5100 Yen Toilet Fees

In order to support the park infrastructure, visitors are asked to pay a 100 Yen‘tip’ whenever they use one of the Oze public toilets located at the various visitor centers and rest stops. The toilets are quite clean and well-maintained, so100 Yen (A little more than 1 USD) is a small price to pay. Also, if you are planning a long hike, it is probably a good idea to check the locations of thepublic toilets on your route. You also might want to limit
your consumption of coffee or tea as they
have a diuretic effect.

HINT

7

For further information, please click the sites below:
https://www.env.go.jp/en/nature/nps/park/oze/index.html
https://www.oze-fnd.or.jp/en/
https://pwwj.org/eaters-of-the-mizubasho-oze/James’ 8 hints for Oze: things to do and avoid in Oze National Park
Published by INTEM Consulting, Inc., February 2021
©2021 INTEM Consulting, Inc.
Designed by Abe Ayano Design Office / Printed by Towa Inc.
INTEM Consulting, Inc.
Saito Building 5F 7-5-3 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160-0023, Japan
Phone: +81-3-5389-7055 https://intemjapan.co.jp/en/
This pamphlet was produced as a part of subsidized project by the Ministry of the Environment, Japan.
Printed on recycle paper‘Don’t feed the animals’

Although the chance to view animals in their naturalenvironment is one of the biggest attractions of ecotourism, how to maintain the proper distance is a tricky issue.
Oze has 2 types of large animals: Asian Black Bears and Sika Deer.
Of course, directly feeding bears in Oze would be out-of-the question.
It would be dangerous for you and instill bad habits in the bears. Luckily, thebears in Oze tend to be reclusive, so they will avoid you if you make enoughnoise to advertise your presence. If you are lucky enough to spot an Asian Black
Bear, make sure it is from a considerable distance! As for deer, you will seldom see them during the daytime. However, you don’t want to leave any foodwastes that might attract them at night.

😊

HINT

6

Keep off the grass!

The boardwalks (and steps) running
through Oze offer trekkers a safe paththrough the park and also protect plants
and grasses from being trampled. Youmight be tempted to ‘stray from the path’in order to get a better angle for a scenic
shot or a closeup of a beautiful flower,
but please stay on the boardwalk. If you
have to leave the boardwalk becauseof gaps or unsafe sections, getback on it as soon as
you safely can.

HINT

8Consider hiring a guide

The boardwalks and visitor centers make it easy for individuals, groups, or evenfamilies with small children to take unguided tours of the park. However, there
are lots of good reasons to utilize the services of a guide:1) Safety. As I mentioned in Hint 1,
some hiking trails are quite physicallydemanding. They could be potentially
dangerous for inexperienced hikers orclimbers.
2) An enhanced Oze experience. Wetlands and their surroundings often seem
deceptively simple. Sometimes you think
you are just grazing at vast fields of grasses or reeds with small ponds or lakes
sprinkled throughout. However, wetlands are often highly complex ecosystems
with rich biodiversity. Oze is a vast network of marshes, forest, mountains andrivers. Having someone who can explain to you all the various parts and how
they interrelate makes a huge difference. Your guide can also explain Oze’s
unique history and why it is one of the most important natural conservation
areas in Japan.
3) Trail coffee and snacks. After you have been trekking for hours, having yourguide announce an unexpected stop in front of Lake Ozenuma and pull a pot of
hot coffee out of his/her backpack is a really pleasant surprise (Okay: I know I
spoiled it, but act surprised anyway… ) !

😊