Kamikōchi

Introducing Kamikōchi

Some 50km from Matsumoto and straddling the rushing Azusa-gawa, Kamikōchi is the park’s biggest drawcard. It offers some of Japan’s most spectacular scenery and a variety of hiking trails from which to see it.

In the late 19th century, foreigners ‘discovered’ this mountainous region and coined the term ‘Japan Alps’. A British missionary, Reverend Walter Weston, toiled from peak to peak and sparked Japanese interest in mountaineering as a sport. He is now honoured with a festival (first Sunday in June, the official opening of the hiking season), and Kamikōchi has become a base for strollers, hikers and climbers. It’s a pleasure just to meander Kamikōchi’s riverside paths lined with sasa grasses.

Kamikōchi is closed from mid-November to late April, and in peak times (late July to late August, and during the foliage season in October) it is busier than Shinjuku station. Arrive early in the day, especially during the foliage season of late September to October. June to mid-July is the rainy season, making outdoor pursuits depressingly soggy. It’s perfectly feasible to visit Kamikōchi as a day trip, but you’ll miss out on the pleasures of staying in the mountains and taking uncrowded early-morning or late-afternoon walks.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009