Plot

In 1902, 210 soldiers of the 5th Infantry Regiment of the Japanese Imperial Army set out on a 12 mile winter march around Mount Hakkoda to Tashiro Hot Spring. It should have been an easy approach to the hot spring at Tashiro. However, at a mere altitude of around 2,000 feet, the 5th Regiment met with a disaster that claimed the lives of 199 men. A number of factors combined to bring about the Hakkoda disaster.Typhoon-like low pressure systems, a local-climate zone prey to low temperatures and fierce blizzards: all of these elements combined as cogs in the wheels of fate. But can we simply say they were unlucky? Featured interviews with survivors tell the true story about what happened in the Mount Hakkoda.—Anonymous

In 1902, 210 soldiers of the 5th Infantry Regiment of the Japanese Imperial Army set out on a 12 mile (20km) winter march around Mount Hakkoda to Tashiro Hot Spring.

This is not an arduous mountain route. It should have been an easy approach to the hot spring at Tashiro. However, at a mere altitude of around 2,000 feet (600m), the 5th Regiment met with a disaster that claimed the lives of 199 men.

A number of factors combined to bring about the Hakkoda disaster.Typhoon-like low pressure systems, a local-climate zone prey to low temperatures and fierce blizzards: all of these elements combined as cogs in the wheels of fate. But can we simply say they were unlucky? Featured interviews with survivors tell the true story about what happened in the Mount Hakkoda.