Hiking in Kamikochi

The arrival of the beautiful seasons offers travelers a wide choice of sightseeings to visit which are inaccessible in winter. For spectacular sceneries into the mountains, what better than the Japanese Alps and its beautiful valleys. One of the greatest is the Kamikochi valley located west of the city of Matsumoto. From Matsumoto, you will take the train to Shin-shimashima, then a bus will take you to Kamikochi. (in about 1h30)

This valley is surrounded by high mountains as Mount Oku-Hokotadake which rises to a height of 3,190 meters. One of the most famous in the history of the region is Mount Yakedake, a volcano whose ancient eruptions have transformed the landscape as the appearance of the natural site of Taisho Pond, beautiful lake surrounded by forests and even snowy peaks in spring. For centuries in Japan, these  high mountains are sacred places, and close to the deities. Once, the walk was a spiritual quest and you could still find old hidden beautiful shrines. In September (around 26-27) the festival "Ofune Matsuri" welcome many visitors. During this festival, Shinto priests are dressed in traditional clothes and sail on small boats on the Azusa River to commemorate the old fishing populations who lived in these valleys.

One of the best hikes in this is to reach the  "Taisho Pond" along the river. This is a eight kilometers hike through magnificent pine forests and beautiful meadows surrounded by high peak mountains. You will finally end the hike walking along the river until you reach the lake. With the arrival of autumn, the leaves of trees turn yellow and the contrast with the light blue color of the lake reflecting the mountains is fantastic.

From Kamikochi, you can also take the road north towards  “Myojin pond” also renowned for its beauty. During your walk, you may come across Japanese macaques climbing in the trees, (It should be  avoid to take pictures too close to the monkeys and respect the natural environment).

When you will return to the center of Kamikochi, take a rest in  the onsen (hot volcanic springs) and walk near the kappa bridge, a beautiful  wood suspension bridge from which you have a breathtaking view on the valley. You will find not far away from it, some very nice restaurants with beautiful mountain views. It will offer you all kinds of dishes, such as Kare (meat recipe and vegetable curry), tonkatsu (breaded pork), or also a real washoku, Japanese dish (usually fish) including rice, miso soup, and what it calls tsukemono, small crunchy vegetables with a vinegary taste. You will also find ramen, soba (buckwheat noodles) and if you want to enjoy a lunch near to the river  during your walk, think about getting a delicious "bento" that is very easy to carry around.