(会津駒ヶ岳) Aizu-komagatake Hike

Definitely hoping to do this one.

Budget: JPY12,530 (~USD117)

• JPY5950. Yuttari Aizu Pass.
• JPY1790. Bus, Aizukogen-Ozeguchi Station to Komagatake-tozanguchi Bus Stop
• JPY3000. Mountain hut.
• JPY1790. Bus, Komagatake-tozanguchi Bus Stop to Aizukogen-Ozeguchi Station

Hike Date / Difficulty (Elevation: 2,133m / 6,998ft)

• Not yet hiked.
• Difficulty:
• Route below is around 13.6kilometers, with an elevation change of ▲1443m/ ▽1443m
• PDF Map Link (route below)

When to Go
Anytime during the year, but choose your route carefully for winter.
For those wanting to stay at the hut, they are only open from July 1 to November 2, 2020 (normally they open end of April). If they are closed in winter, maybe wild camping?

Special Notes

• Weather check is in this link (Japanese).
• Buy the Yuttari Aizu pass. This JPY5950 ticket (4days) covers a roundtrip ticket with Tobu Nikko Line from anywhere between Asakusa Station and Aizu-Tajima Station, and your target station is in between: Aizukogen-Ozeguchi Station (会津高原尾瀬口駅). Unfortunately, you’ll have to go to Asakusa Station as the pass cannot be bought online.
• Trailheads. There are three possible trailheads:
• Komagatake-tozanguchi (駒ヶ岳登山口). 
• Train, Tokyo to Aizukogen-Ozeguchi Station. 
• Bus, Aizukogen-Ozeguchi station to Komagatake-tozanguchi. 
• Bus schedule , there are 9:40am, 12:20pm, 2:10pm, and 5:40 buses, and it’ll take 1 hour 8 minutes, and JPY1790 one way. Going back from this stop, buses are 6:02am, 09:12am, 1:22pm, and 4:22pm.
• Kirinte (キリンテ). The same bus that comes to Komagatake-tozanguchi passes through here, I think, but at JPY1820.
• Miike (御池). This blog says that this trail should not be attempted during winter due to snow crevices and lack of markings. Right now (June 2020), it doesn’t seem like this is accessible via bus as the company that provides it no longer offers that route, at least based on their website. Here’s a PDF map link for this route.
• According to other blogs, there are direct bus options with Tobu, but I couldn’t find them as of June 2020. So that might be assessed on an annual basis.
• For this itinerary, the hike starts and ends from Komagatake-tozanguchi (駒ヶ岳登山口).
• Mountain huts. 
• Paid. Komanogoya (駒ノ小屋), which has no food, so bring your own. It also has a capacity of 28people, so reservation really is needed (call 080-2024-5375 from 6am to 7:20pm). It is JPY3,000 a night, and they do provide beddings. 
• Free. None.
• Camping. Camping is NOT allowed anywhere in the mountain.

Itinerary
Saturday

• 08:00am. Train, Asakusa Station (Tobu Line) in Tokyo to Aizukogen-Ozeguchi Station. If you are willing to pay the limited express premium (about JPY500), you can start the trip at 9am and be there at 11:59am.
• 11:18am. Arrival at Aizukogen-Ozeguchi Station.
• 12:20pm. Bus, Aizukogen-Ozeguchi Station to Komagatake-tozanguchi Bus Stop (駒ヶ岳登山口).
• 01:28pm. Arrival at trailhead. Start hike.
• 05:00pm. ETA: Mountain hut.

Sunday

• 03:00am. Wake up, breakfast.
• 03:30am. Start hiking.
• 05:35am. ETA: Mt. Chuumon (中門岳)
• 09:12am. Bus going back to Aizukogen-Ozeguchi Station.