We visited Kamikochi without a long hike during the summer in Japan. Here is what we thought of the Northern Japan Alps in Nagano.
During our stay in Nagano prefecture, to escape the summer heat in Japan. After visiting other places like Narai-Juku a day before, we randomly chose to visit Kamikochi, seeing that it has a lot of good reviews on Google Maps.
Quick Notice: You CANNOT drive your personal vehicle into Kamikochi. There is a dedicated parking spot and a bus that will take you up.
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What Kamikochi can look like after the rain
Dear Readers,
If you can see a clear view of the mountains, consider yourself lucky–well, not just for Kamikochi, but everywhere you visit. There are so many occasions in which we found ourselves somewhere when it was cloudy, or even raining, and Kamikochi today was no exception for us either.
For a first impression, it was certainly a little disappointing, only seeing half of the view you had hoped to see after driving all the way up the mountain. I am sure many of you understand the feeling.
Once those feelings fade away, though, that’s when you will realize that Kamikochi, even under bad visibility, is still a stunning location.
The Hotaka Mountain Range and the Azusa River in real life look more like a wall. To elaborate, it does not feel like we were looking at the slope of the mountain, but rather a towering wall with a river flowing through in a straight line, steeply down.
The Azusa River flowing through is slightly blue in color during the summer, not as blue as Lake Tekapo in New Zealand, but a more subtle shade of light blue. It blends in well with the surroundings and doesn’t stand out too much.
There is also an opening that allows you to go walking around on the riverside.
The Kappa Bridge crossing over the river was also very scenic, probably a part of many famous photos of Kamikochi.
Take a Hike along the trail in Kamikochi
The weather was lovely and was not at all hot, perfect for short sleeves. Hiking on the trail at Kamikochi is not hard; the path is well designed, and a good part of it is constructed with wood planks, making it very easy to walk.
Still, wearing a white sneaker to Kamikochi was not a wise decision, especially when it was raining. That was the only pair of shoes I brought on this trip, so there was not much of a choice for me.
Still, it was not too bad, though, so don’t let that deter you from coming here. Just be extra careful where you step.
The Clear Stream
The water flowing through Kamikochi is by far one of the clearest I have seen. In a way, it also reminds me of the water from the Soda Spring Waterfall on Tongariro Alpine Crossing, when we went hiking in New Zealand. A closer reference would be Pataruru Blue Spring. We did not expect to see this kind of scenery in Japan.
Underwater plants and small fish can be clearly seen, and it was flowing ever so slightly that it reflected its surroundings. Looking at it while being surrounded by nature brings calmness to our minds.
The path is surrounded by greenery, rocks, and old trees that were covered by moss. It was really summer. For those of you who might not have been to Japan in the summer, the trees and the countryside turned into what we would describe as one of the greenest places we have ever seen.
The Snow Monkeys
Japanese macaque, or snow monkeys, occupied a part of the trail in Kamikochi. The monkeys are not scared of humans. DO NOT touch them, though, no matter how cute and fluffy they look; it may be very tempting.
They are the locals of Kamikochi, and along the way, they will be walking on the path with you sometimes, even if it’s a narrow path; be sure to step aside for them to walk by you when that occurs, and they will just be on their way, like a normal Sunday in the park.
They are also baby monkeys playing around beside the trail, which was very cute. This is definitely one of the highlights of our trip to Kamikochi.
About the Hikes
We only did a half-hour hike through the way and decided to come back when the trail turned into dirt.
Wooden planks are laid down along some sections of the path so it is easy to walk. Some parts will be a single-lane walk, with another single pathway for people walking in the opposite direction. Make sure you walk on the correct side, keeping to the left, or be on the same side as the locals do, so as not to obstruct the flow of traffic.
There are many hikes you can take, and the easy ones are the Taisho pond and Myojin Bridge, which are 1-3 hour easy hikes. If you are up for it, there are also more challenging ones like Tokusawa (4 hours) and the harder Mount Yakedake Summit (up to 7.5 hours).
If you are interested in the longer hike in Kamikochi, a Bear Bell is a great thing to have. Most hikers we met along the path will have a bell attached to them; this creates a sound to tell the bear of your presence to avoid spooking them. There are signs and bear bells that warn you about bears and warn the bears about you along the way. The path is mostly flat and easy to walk.
Some small tips
- Walking sticks are also widely used. Whistle as well. The past year was full of reports about people getting attacked by a bear in Japan, so be careful.
- You can just walk with an umbrella during the rain; many people do that on easy routes at Kamikochi.
- Some Japanese people may say “Konichiwa” to you, which is basically hello. Simply repeat the phrase to them, nodding your head a little whilst smiling.
Our Thoughts on Kamikochi & summary of our visit!
We found that it is worth visiting even if you do not want to hike, or rather, take a lengthy walk along the trail, around the area.
After we walked around a little, seeing some monkeys, the clear water of the mountain streams, and took a walk down to the river beside Kappa bridge, we slowly realized that we had already long forgotten about the slightly unfortunate weather conditions.
Before we left, we stopped by some souvenir stores and ate some Japanese food and a cone of soft cream at the shop. With a calm mind and a satisfied stomach, we walked back to the bus stop and headed back to our car.
It is a very beautiful spot, worthy of its popularity. Given an opportunity, we would go back there and hike the whole trail and observe the full Beauty of the northern Japan Alps. For now, and for those who are not looking for a long hike or physically demanding activity, this was our short, relaxing visit to Kamikochi.
If you are interested in other places to go in summer, we recommend Shirakawa-go in the neighboring prefecture of Gifu, and while you are there, also visit Magome-juku post town in the same prefecture.
We hope you enjoy a relaxing trip to Kamikochi,
Travel Tegami