[Kamikochi Highlights] Kamikochi Tours and Travel

Kamikochi For tours and travel, visit Club Tourism! Our tour guides and staff will support you. Since there are restrictions on private cars, we recommend that you take a tour (trip) by bus or train to Kamikochi, a representative scenic spot in Shinshu located at an altitude of 1,500 meters. Searching and booking tours is easy.

Introduction to the mountains of Kamikochi
What to see in Kamikochi
Customer Photo Gallery

[Breathtaking views!!] Introducing the mountains of Kamikochi

What to see in Kamikochi

Kamikochi is characterized by its easy-to-walk paths. Although there are some ups and downs, the path is mostly flat, making it perfect for a leisurely stroll. It takes about an hour to reach Taisho Pond after getting off the bus at the bus terminal. If you have three hours from Taisho Pond, you can extend your journey to Myojin Pond, stopping off at places like Tashiro Pond along the way. Why not spend a soothing moment walking while enjoying a close-up view of the majestic Hotaka Mountains, viewing the delicate wildflowers, and listening to the chirps of wild birds?

Recommended walking courses

[1 hour course]

● Bus terminal → Kappa Bridge → Right bank of the Azusa River → Weston Monument → Tashiro Bridge → Left bank of the Azusa River → Bus terminal

[2 hour course]

● Bus terminal → Kappa Bridge → Left bank of the Azusa River → Myojin Pond → Right bank of the Azusa River → Kappa Bridge → Bus terminal
● Bus terminal → Tashiro Bridge → Nature trail → Taisho Pond (round trip)

[4-hour course]

● Bus terminal → Kappa Bridge → Myojin Junction → Tokusawa → Shinmura Bridge → Azusa River right bank forest road → Myojin Pond → Kappa Bridge

[Special walking course guide: 4-hour course]

● Bus terminal → Kappa Bridge → Nature School → Myojin Bridge → Myojin Pond → Kappa Bridge → Weston Monument → Tashiro Bridge → Nature Study Trail → Round trip to Taisho Pond → Bus terminal

[5 hour course]

● Bus terminal → Kappa Bridge → Myojin → Tokusawa → Shinmura Bridge → Azusa River right bank forest road → Myojin Pond → Kappa Bridge → Weston Monument → Tashiro Bridge → Bus terminal

Myojin Pond

<Photos provided by>
Shinshu Nagano Prefecture Tourism Association

Myojin Pond is gourd-shaped and has two ponds, the first and second. The ponds are the Shinto sanctuary of the Hotaka shrine's inner shrine, located by the ponds, and are crystal clear with subterranean water from Mt. Myojin in front of them.
*There is a 300 yen per person entrance fee.

Tokusawa

Known as Oku Kamitaka, this scenic spot features steep, snow-capped peaks that create an alpine-like landscape. Until the early Showa era, the area was a pasture, so the surrounding land was open grassland.

Taisho Pond

<Photos provided by>
Shinshu Nagano Prefecture Tourism Association

Taisho Pond was formed when Mt. Yakedake erupted in the 4th year of the Taisho era and was dammed. The scenery of Hotaka mountain range, Mt. Yakedake, and dead trees reflected on the lake's surface is a symbolic sight of Kamikochi.

Tashiro Pond

Tashiro Pond stands alone in the marshland that spreads among the virgin forest. You can even see char on the crystal clear water.

Kappa Bridge

Kappa Bridge, spanning the clear river, is the symbol of Kamitaka.Originally built during the Taisho era, it has been rebuilt several times and is now known as Godai. This bold suspension bridge, built amidst the great outdoors, blends in with the majestic mountain scenery.

Tashiro Bridge

Both bridges, completed in November 1998, are made entirely from larch and cypress wood grown in Nagano Prefecture. They were designed with careful attention to the surrounding landscape.
Tashiro Bridge length: 22 meters Width: 5.5 meters

Myojin Bridge

Myojin is home to the entrance to Tokumoto Pass, which was once the main route from Matsumoto to Kamikochi, and for this reason is known as the area Kamikochi that was opened up the earliest.
It has been used since ancient times, and although it is now a quiet mountain pass, in the past, climbers such as W. Weston, and in the Taisho and Showa periods, writers such as Ryunosuke Akutagawa and Kotaro Takamura walked along it to reach the shrine at the top.
The Myojin-dake rock peaks tower in front of you, creating a completely different impression from the view from Kappa Bridge.
Its harsh appearance really gives you a sense of the honorific Myojin-dake deserves to be called Hotaka.