| Kamikōchi (上 高地(ja)) | |
 | |
| Information | |
| Country |  Japan |
|---|---|
| Region | Chūbu |
| Location | |
 36 ° 14 ′ 49 ″ N 137 ° 38 ′ 0 ″ E | |
| https://www.kamikochi.org/, https://www.kamikochi.org/cn/, https://www.kamikochi.org/tw/, https://www.kamikochi.org/ko/ Official site | |
The valley of Kamikōchi is a popular destination in Japan for tourists looking for beautiful mountain scenery and hiking trails. It is a plateau that runs along the Azusa river on 15 km in the national park of Chubu-Sangaku, in the Japanese Alps of the prefecture of Nagano. The valley opens in April and closes on November 15 every year. It is closed in winter.
Understand
The valley is particularly beautiful in mid-October during its kōyō (fall foliage). It is particularly popular on weekends in mid-October, when its trees are in kōyō, and summer (July-August). If you hate crowds choose another destination or come on weekdays (or go to the high peaks, most tourists concentrate around the Kappabashi).
To go
Access to the valley is only by bus or taxi. You can therefore either park at the entrance to the valley and then take a bus, or opt for the coach or a train-bus combination.
- Alpico Kōtsu (ア ル ピ コ 交通) – Allows you to reach Kamikōchi by coach directly from several cities, and also by a train-bus combination. Coaches and buses stop at several places in the valley: Taisho Ike, Teikoku Hotel, Kamikōchi Bus Station.
By train
Alpico operates the Kamikōchi railway line which runs from Matsumoto to the Shin-shimashima (500 JPY, 30 min). From there you can take a bus. For this complete journey, count 2 h and 2 450 JPY/4 550 JPY one way / round trip (half the price for children); tickets available at Matsumoto station. Trip every hour or so. Japan Rail Pass not supported.
By bus
Alpico coaches provide direct access to Kamikōchi:
- since the Tokyo station
to go 22 h 40 - 5 h 20 ; return 15 h 30 - 22 h 30. – Depart from Tokyo station, Yaesu south exit. - since the Shinjuku station to go 7 h 15 - 12 h Where 22 h 25 - 5 h 20 ; return 15 h - 19 h 42 Where 16 h 15 - 20 h 57.
- since Osaka to go 23 h - 5 h 30 ; return 14 h 20 - 20 h 46. – Depart from Osaka Umeda, Shin-Osaka and Kyoto Station (at 1 h from Osaka).
- since Nagano 3 h: to go 8 h 10 - 11 h 05 ; return 15 h 30 - 18 h 15. – In Nagano, depart at the Metropolitan Hotel and at Nagano Station East Exit.
- From Matsumoto Bus Station to go 5 h 30 - 7 h 05 Where 10 h 15 - 12 h ; return 16 h - 17 h 35 Where 16 h 45 - 18 h 20.
to go By car
If you are by car you will need to stop at a car park at the entrance to the valley (500 JPY) and take the bus (1 000 JPY, 20-30 min journey) or taxi (4 000 JPY) to access Kamikochi.
To see
In the valley
- Kamikochi Nature trail – It is a hiking trail that circles the plateau in a few hours, passing through the various sites of interest of Kamikochi (Taisho-ike, kappa-bashi, ...). The path is good and starts from Taisho-ike. No difficulty in this hike which is done on flat only.
- Taishō-ike (大 正 池) – It is a pond in the southern part of kamikochi which was formed in 1915 by an eruption of the Yakedake, a nearby volcano still active today. Dead trees emerge from the waters of the pond, which offers some of the valley's most beautiful views of the nearby peaks.
- Tashiro-ike (田 代 池) – A smaller pond northeast of Taisho surrounded by marshes.
- 1 Kappa-bashi (河 童 橋) – A suspension bridge symbol of the valley, north of the two ponds described above which crosses theAzusa-gawa. If you are there early enough in the morning (between 5 h and 6 h 30), you might see the monkeys making their daily crossing from one side of the bridge to the other.
Around the valley
The mountains that encircle Kamikochi belong to the Japanese Alps and are among the highest in Japan. Many hiking trails allow you to reach the summits and it is possible to make treks of several days to go from summit to summit. But beware, it can be very cold there even in summer and some slopes can be very steep. Ask at the Tourist Information Center before starting an ascent.
- 2 Mount Yake (焼 岳 yake-dake) – It is a still active volcano in the south of the valley, smaller than its neighbors, it peaks at 2 455 m. It is listed in the "100 best mountains in Japan". It is quite possible to climb it during the opening period of the valley without great difficulty. The ascent takes 3 h around and is done on 900 m of height difference. The path starts from the west side of the river, south of Tashiro-bashi but north of Taisho-ike, it sinks into a dense and flat forest for a few hundred meters before starting to climb seriously.
A few warnings however: there may be a bit of snow at the top in April or November, people with vertigo may have difficulty in some passages and do not get too close to chimneys which give off toxic volcanic gases.
The people of Kamikochi
Besides the people of the local village you can certainly spot wild animals in Kamikochi (as long as you get away from the crowds). Especially Japanese macaques, which are usually not very shy (if you get up early enough in the morning, before the tourists arrive, you may be able to see them crossing the Kappa-bashi).
It is very rare to meet bears there.
Do
- Hiking – Hike and enjoy the greenery and the mountain air. It has one of the most spectacular mountain landscapes in Japan. There are several routes available (mostly flat) starting from the tourist office (where the buses drop you off). You can tailor your route according to the time you have available here.
- Kamikochi Nature trail (上 高地 自然 研究 路 kamikochi shizen-kenkyū-ro) – It is a hiking trail that circles the plateau in a few hours, passing through the various sites of interest of Kamikochi (Taisho-ike, kappa-bashi…). The path is good and starts from Taisho-ike. No difficulty in this hike which is done on flat only.
To buy
Popular Kamikōchi souvenirs are usually locally made food or sweets or other local products like various jams, apple cheesecake, and soba cakes.
Eat
Kamikōchi is best known for its sweets, and therefore Kamikōchi ice cream and cheesecakes are popular. Since Kamikōchi is a famous place for hiking and nature, there is little choice of restaurants, most of which can be found on one side of the Kappabashi Bridge. There are many articles dedicated to the latter.
Have a drink / Go out
Housing
There are several hiking huts along the river, most with eating areas and a camp with tent pitches. A more expensive option is to book in advance at one of the ryokan and onsen in the surrounding area. Bus connections run from the site up to 4-5 h.
Around
Buses going to Takayama Where Matsumoto leave at the latest at 15 h. Alternatively, you can spend the night in one of the surrounding Oku-Hida Onsen villages and enjoy the hot baths after a long day of hiking. The last bus to Hyrayu Onsen Village departs from Kamikōchi Bus Station at 17 h and costs around 1 000 JPY the go.
