This year we're heading to a place which holds an awesome record in Japan, and getting there is half of the adventure.

Get ready as Life in Japan rolls through Japan's highest bus stop.

[Life in Japan Theme Song]

OK, this is it! Heading on a new adventure, here we go.

Every year I like to take a fall trip with some friends to explore parts of Japan I haven't been to yet.

With our move consuming all of our free time, it almost didn't happen this year.

Weeks of rain also kept us away from this adventure.

But as we got settled into our new home, the rain stopped, so we planned a unique one day trip.

In order to pull it off, we're getting up early and heading way outside of Tokyo.

The drive alone will take several hours,

but the scenery of the Japanese Alps promises to be spectacular along the way.

And the fall colors coming out!

Yes!

Whew!

We hope to summit the highest peak at Mt Norikura,

and to do that, we'll have to go through a unique point in Japan.

Oh, our first view of the peak!

There it is.

This trip almost didn't happen this year.

Our first priority has been to get settled into our new apartment.

A big thing just came through.

Yes!

My cabinet.

We've been spending every free moment of the last 2 months focused on our move.

But now that we are mostly settled in, we can use our free time for other things.

Having a lunch date!

Yeah!

Alright, I got my Cuban sandwich,

And Ruth got the Mexican rice— oh boy.

Yes, making sure the family is well adjusted has been our big priority.

Anna Cakes, did you have a good school day today?

Yea. Yea?

Are you liking your new school?

Mmm hmm, but I miss my friends.

Yea, you like your new school but you miss your friends.

Yeah, that makes sense.

Look at Mt Fuji's shadow in the sun.

How crazy is that?

Yes, when the family is doing well, life is going well!

Everyone's enjoying some kotatsu here?

Is it on? Uh huh.

Is it warm? Yeah.

Really?

Here honey, I'll hold it and you go try it.

Let's see! First time for me under kotatsu.

Oh!

I had my first time at my friend's house, they have a kotatsu, so I went under it.

My goodness!

It's so amazing.

How would you ever come out of this?

I know!

Never, never! It's exactly like a bath.

Never, never! It's like a bath and you don't get wet, huh?

Never... get out. Never get out.

[Singing] Never enough! Never! Never!

With the family doing well, it's time for this year's fall hike!

Here come our buses!

And we are ready to roll.

Are you ready for this, John?

Yea, we're ready. Let's do this.

How about Kazu san? Yes.

John, Kazu and I are no stranger to adventure in Japan.

The sun's shining down and look at this path here.

In Episode 80 of Life in Japan, we braved Japan's deepest gorge

and found ourselves on one of Japan's most beautiful and dangerous path through the mountains at Kurobe.

This challenging but amazing experience solidified our bond of friendship

and since then we've tried to make it out hiking every year.

[Announcement in Japanese]

We're on our way!

The buses wind up the Norikura Skyline, zig-zagging back and forth past beautiful foliage and ski slopes.

Working on the ski run, clearing it out. Wow.

The ride is not for the faint of heart.

Drop offs along the way remind you that you are climbing so far up into the mountains that you will reach a point that holds a record in Japan.

That's wild.

Soon you reach the tree line, and from there you can really start to appreciate the road you are traveling.

Look at how much we've climbed.

If the bus ride makes you hold your breath anxiously,

the views offer the one-two knockout punch by taking the rest of your breath away.

At the top, look at that!

Alright!

Cold!

We gotta get ready to do this!

We're at the highest bus stop in Japan

I was wondering!

And we're going over here

Mt Kengamine, the highest point in the area. 3,026m (9,927 ft)

Nice!

Rock 'n roll.

Nice bike Kazu. Did you bike up here?

And with that, we were off.

The forecast called for windy and cold conditions, so we did our best to prepare.

Still, we weren't quite sure just how bad it would be.

Would it be a light headwind, or were we risking getting blown off the mountain altogether

Windy, but satisfying view!

I'm not going to lie: it's windy and it's chilly.

But we're prepared!

There's the peak where we're headed...

Nothing quite like the feeling of being on top of the world.

And here you can see the road we came up.

How it just winds back and forth from way down below the tree line.

Look at the cyclist going down.

As you get hiking, you settle into a rhythm and adjust to breathing in the thin mountain air.

Climbing takes extra work when you're up this high, and it reminds me of when we climbed Mt Fuji years ago.

Look at this view here!

Oh yea! Man!

We're getting there. We're getting there.

Our view to the front is not as great when you're climbing.

See it looks a lot like just climbing on the moon.

A lot like Mt Fuji. But when we get the top, it's going to be awesome!

With the temperature just above freezing and the wind gusting up to 50 kilometers and hour,

we're glad that we're working hard to get to the top, because it helps keep us warm and even appreciate the day.

What a beautiful day here.

It's going good. Coming up the rock face here.

We've come a good, long ways.

And we have quite a bit to go still.

But we're getting close.

Hello

Last year we also did a fall hiking trip, and on it we ended seeing some of the most incredible views of Mt Fuji I've ever seen.

Flying the drone there was epic, and the footage looks like something from a movie.

But with today's wind, there will be no drone flying.

If you put a drone up in this, you won't get it back.

It's really windy, everyone's got their gloves out!

Awesome, isn't it?

This is what looked like snow from the bottom.

I think so.

It's unreal. Look, there's no wind.

That little valley there is a wind tunnel.

We are getting close to the top and you can tell.

There we are, right there!

It's right up there!

A little more

I will say, this is a little more interesting than Mt Fuji.

For the climb part at least.

What is this?

Oh do they have coffee?!

This is about to be a 360 degree view soon, huh?

That's right.

Yes!

We did it!

We climbed it!

Wow!

Coffee time!

OK we made it to the top! Here's Kazu!

And John, and some new friends we made here at the top that took our picture...

My name is Mao

Mao? Yea.

My name is Yumi

Yumi. Mao san and Yumi san.

OK Kazu's got, brought the stove...

We're going to heat up some water and have us some... Chicken!

Some chicken?! Some coffee.

And chicken.

It's not easy to make time for trips like this, but getting out into Japan's back country is a rewarding experience I always enjoy.

And doing it with good friends is truly great.

We just enjoyed some coffee here at the top, some Paz Coffee!

We climbed it!

I sound very foreign.

Cold!

Look at this. It's just awesome view as far as you can see in any direction.

Except for this direction, so let's go over there and see what it's like.

This is the top, top, top.

This is the windy side, huh? Holy cow!

Yes! Yes!

How long did that take to come up did you say John? An hour and ten?

An hour and twenty?

It was an hour and twenty something.

And now going down.

I am very glad I brought my poles, let me tell you what.

Whew! Beautiful!

So John said we climbed about 400 meters. And it felt like it on these craggy rocks.

If you've ever climbed a decent mountain, you know that your work isn't done once you reach the top.

The ascent can tire you out, but the decent can make you sore.

Some of these places along here are so shielded from the wind that you'd hardly know there was any wind.

Hello

I love all the different colors of rocks.

Black and red and brown

And you had the white up on top.

Some greenage has appeared again.

Once we were back to the bus station, it was time to grab our ride back down to our car.

But the day's fun was hardly done just yet.

For it's on the way down that you get the best appreciation for the road that takes you to Japan's highest bus stop.

Look at the road, it hangs off over the mountain.

This is a windy, windy thing.

There's where we were — all the way up there.

An hour later, and we were back to our car again with a very important destination in our GPS.

Ready to go!

Alright, we're ready to go! Where are we going, Kazu?

Shirahone Onsen!

Yes!

It's the right way to finish the day.

Wow, look at those trees! Wow.

That is a good mix... That is

Red and yellow...

Kazu matches all the trees.

Look at that, yes!

Wow!

It's great, isn't it? So pretty.

The day trip got me excited again for life in Japan and all the adventures we have in front of us,

whether they're far away or right at home.

Kotatsu for the win.

Look at this. What is it?

It's for Evie.

Are we just waking up? Oh my goodness!

Oh cover up! Oh hide, hide!

Joshua, come to the kotatsu!

Oh, get under the Kotatsu! It's so nice and warm!

Go down to that far end.

Whoa, what's it like Dude?

Is it nice?

Yeah.