Japan is a very mountainous country - and hiking and staying at mountain huts is a popular pastime among the Japanese. Staying in a shared room full of futon with 40 local hikers (or more!) is an incredible cultural experience.

Even high altitude huts in snowy areas try to be open by late April for Golden Week and will stay open through November for those coming to view autumn colours. Lower altitude huts and those in areas where it doesn’t snow much may well be open year-round.

Expect to pay ¥8,000 to10,000 per night per person, including dinner & breakfast - there’s not a lot of competition up here! You’ll get a futon in a shared room, plus an early dinner (think 5pm) and an early breakfast (think 5am)!

Pick a sleeping spot near the door if you tend to need to go to the toilet during the night.

Remember, you’re in the ‘land of the rising sun’ and many hikers get up early to watch the sun rise. The down side of being near the door is that people will be clambering over you from the early hours.