Kamikōchi Guide: Kappa Bridge, Alpine Walks and Japanese to Use

Why Kamikōchi is the gateway to the Northern Alps

The Japanese Alps are the spine of central Honshu, and Kamikōchi is the one place where anyone can walk right into the heart of the northern range without climbing. The valley floor is level, the trails are boardwalks and gravel paths, and the view from Kappa Bridge takes in Okuhotaka-dake, at 3,190 metres the third highest mountain in Japan.

It was made famous abroad by Walter Weston, an English missionary who climbed in these mountains in the 1890s and wrote about them, and a bronze relief of him beside the river is the focus of the Weston Festival held there each year. Today Kamikōchi is a protected part of Chūbu Sangaku National Park, which is why cars are banned, bins are almost non-existent and the valley closes completely in winter.

For a Japanese learner it is an easy, friendly place to practise. Almost every conversation is about time: how long to the next pond, when the last bus leaves, what time the hotel serves dinner.

Getting there: buses from Matsumoto and Takayama

From Matsumoto, take the Matsumoto Dentetsu Kamikōchi Line, a small private railway run by Alpico, to Shin-Shimashima Station, about thirty minutes, and change to a bus for about an hour up the gorge to the Kamikōchi Bus Terminal. There is also a direct bus, the National Park Liner, from Matsumoto Bus Terminal next to the JR station. Seats on the Matsumoto routes must be reserved, including the return trip, and JR passes are not valid on these private services.

From Takayama, take a Nōhi bus to Hirayu Onsen, about an hour, and change to a shuttle bus for the last twenty-five minutes. In summer, direct buses also run from Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka and Kyoto on selected days. Drivers park at Sawando or Hirayu and ride the shuttle.

The last bus out leaves the valley around six in the evening, earlier in some seasons. Confirm the time when you arrive and plan your walk backwards from it.

The classic walk: Taishō Pond, Kappa Bridge and Myōjin

The standard day visit follows the river upstream. Ask the bus to drop you at Taishō-ike, walk about an hour past Tashiro Pond and through woodland and marsh to the bus terminal and Kappa Bridge, then continue about an hour further on either bank to Myōjin, and come back on the other side. Fit walkers can add Tokusawa, roughly another hour upstream, the last flat stop before the trails climb into the mountains.

The paths are easy, but distances add up. The full walk from Taishō Pond to Myōjin and back to the terminal takes most of a day with stops, so start early.

• Taishō-ike (大正池): a lake formed in 1915 when mudflows from Yakedake dammed the Azusa River; dead trees still stand in the water.
• Tashiro-ike (田代池): a shallow, marshy pond, often misty on autumn mornings.
• Kappabashi (河童橋): the wooden suspension bridge by the bus terminal, with hotels, cafés and the classic Hotaka view.
• Weston relief: a bronze relief of Walter Weston set in a rock near the river, a short walk from Kappa Bridge.
• Myōjin-ike (明神池): a pair of calm, clear ponds within the grounds of Hotaka Jinja Okumiya, the inner shrine of Hotaka Shrine, which asks for a small entry fee.
• Myōjinbashi (明神橋): the bridge to the shrine, with a view of the rocky peak of Myōjin-dake.
• Tokusawa (徳沢): a meadow with a campsite and lodge, known for its old elm trees.

Words on the trail signs

Trail signs in Kamikōchi give a place name, an arrow and a time or distance, usually in both Japanese and English. The Japanese names use a handful of kanji: 池, ike, pond, 橋, hashi or bashi, bridge, and 川, kawa or gawa, river.

The one sign to take seriously is 熊出没注意, kuma shutsubotsu chūi. Kuma is bear, shutsubotsu means appearing, and chūi is caution. If a trail is closed because of a bear, you will see 通行止め, tsūkōdome, road closed.

Japanese on the trail and in the valley

Kamikōchi has an information centre at the bus terminal and a visitor centre near Kappa Bridge, where staff give out maps, trail conditions and the latest bear sightings. Shops sell bear bells, kuma-suzu, and rain gear. There are no ATMs or convenience stores in the valley; most places accept cards, but carry some cash for small purchases and toilet donations.

The phrases below cover the questions you will actually ask: how far, which side of the river, where to buy things and whether a trail is open.

Etiquette, safety and timing

Kamikōchi is a special protection zone of a national park, and its rules are stricter than in most tourist spots. They are simple to follow once you know them.

• Take all rubbish away with you: there are virtually no bins in the valley.
• Stay on the trails and boardwalks, and do not pick plants or feed the monkeys and ducks.
• Pets are not allowed in Kamikōchi.
• Carry a bear bell, and avoid walking alone early in the morning or late in the evening.
• Bring rain gear and a warm layer; at 1,500 metres it is cooler than Matsumoto, and mornings in October can be near freezing.
• Go early on weekends in the autumn colours of October, when buses and paths are busiest.
• Heavy rain can close the road into the valley. Check the official site on the morning you travel.

Practise the trail questions before you go

The key conversation in Kamikōchi joins two questions: how long is the walk, and will I be back in time? Ma ni au, to be in time, is the verb to know; ma ni aimasu ka means will I make it?

Practise the four lines below until you can say them from memory. Then rehearse with a partner who answers back: in Unihongo, choose the Directions topic and ask your AI Sensei to play the information centre staff, changing the destination to Tokusawa or Taishō Pond each time.

Official information

Season dates, bus timetables and reservation rules, trail closures and bear information are published on the official Kamikōchi website. Check the access page when you plan and the news page on the morning you go.

• Kamikōchi official website
• Kamikōchi official website: getting there by public transport
• Kamikōchi official website: FAQ