Helvetia Hütte

Hokkaido | Sapporo - Minami Ward

Historical Figures & Locations

A mountain cabin situated at 550 meters above sea-level in Hokkaido carries a deep historical connection between Japan and Switzerland.

Into the wild

Would anyone ever imagine finding anything related to Switzerland in a remote area of Hokkaido Prefecture? Well, simply drive one hour west of Sapporo, and in a dense forest of white birch close to the Jozankei Lakeline, not far from the Asaridake, Yoichidake, and Shiraidake mountains, you will actually find a mountain cabin with quite a bit of Swiss history: the Helvetia Hütte.

A property of Hokkaido University administered by the Academic Alpine Club of Hokkaido (AACH), this romantic hut has a capacity of 12 people and can be rented by students for summer or winter weekend getaways. Aside from carrying Switzerland’s old Latin name, the cabin displays typical Swiss red and white pattern on its shutters and on its doors, on the top of which is proudly hanging an edelweiss sculpture. But what is exactly the nature of the link between the Helvatia Hütte and Switzerland? To answer that question, let us go back in time to the early Showa period.

Extra-curricular activities

From 1923 to 1932, a young professor from Pfäffikon (canton of Zürich), Arnold Gubler (1897-1983), moved to Japan to hold a teaching position at the University of Sapporo. He and his wife Madeleine being ski enthusiasts and bit homesick, Hokkaido turned out an ideal place to practice their very Swiss hobby. They thus rapidly found themselves organizing the very first ski tours in the region of Sapporo, and indirectly contributing to the rapid development of winter tourism in the area.

In 1927, for the sake of comfort and practicality, Gubler therefore decided to build a wooden mountain hut with the help of Swiss architect Max Hinder (1887-1963) and his friend Professor Haruo Yamasaki (1886-1961). The following year, Hinder would also build another similar hut for His Imperial Highness Prince Chichibu (who had a passion for winter sports): the Soranuma Hut. Both buildings hosted numerous hikers and mountain explorers, and Swiss and Japanese people alike shared memorable moments within their walls.

From Hütte to History

Two years after Gubler’s return to Switzerland, in 1934, the hut was donated to Hokkaido University. To honor the Swiss professor, the building was officially named “Helvetia Hütte”. Since then, the Hokkaido University has deployed a lot of efforts and resources to ensure the preservation of this historic heritage (complete refurbishing in 1985), and winter sports have become one of the primary draws of Hokkaido to many foreigners and domestic tourists.

Moreover, in 2012, Bernhard Gubler, son of Arnold, was invited to Japan to celebrate the 85th anniversary of the Hütte and his father’s legacy in company of dozens of members of the Academic Alpine Club of Hokkaido. New friendship were formed, and highly-exhaustive historical reports on the Hütte and Max Hinder were published by the AACH, thus bringing Switzerland and Hokkaido a step closer to mutual understanding.