Kamikochi
Trip Start
Apr 02, 2006
1
26
45
Trip End
May 17, 2008
Matsumoto, Chubu, Japan
Sunday, February 7, 2010
I got up at 5:45 in the morning of the day and I was the earliest riser in my dormitory room. So all the other guests in the room must have been disturbed by my alarm clock. Then I sneaked out of the room, heading for Takayama Green Hotel. The hotel was only 10 minute walk from my hostel, but the streets were half-frozen and too slippery to walk fast. When I got to the hotel, everyone was preparing gears in the hall. I met one of the leaders and paid 4000 yen as a participation fee including lunch and a ticket for the bath of the hotel and additional 1800 yen for rental snowshoes. The cost was not bad at all. At 6:40, we took a hotel bus to the entrance of Kama Tunnel, the starting point of trekking. On our way, I thought I should have attended a lecture for the snowshoe trekking held in Takayama Green Hotel on the night before, but I was touched by "the forest below zero" in Akigami Hot Spring at that time. So I read a guide leaflet for the tour on the bus, which I should have read beforehand. It said in red, " Don't wear a cotton shirt." Actually, I wore cotton shirt on the day and even on my way from my hostel to the hotel, I sweated much in the shirt. So I went to the restroom of Hirayu Hot Spring Parking Area, which was the only rest stop before Kamikochi, and took off the shirt in a rush. Then I was well-prepared.
At the entrance of Kama Tunnel, the gate was closed as scheduled, so we passed by through the side gate. The tunnel was as dark as night and I couldn't have seen anything without a flash light. To tell the truth, I didn't have a flash light, but it was not a problem, thanks to other trekkers having a flash light. At the exit of the tunnel, we made a line to walk along narrow trails. The scenery was beautiful from the very beginning and there were more trekkers than I had expected. By the Taisho Pond comfort station, we put on snowshoes. Interestingly, they were made of plastic, but strong enough to hold out through the long trekking. Honestly, snowshoe trekking was easier than I had thought, because I didn't need a very wide-based walk. Probably people who have short legs had to take a wider base, because the snowshoes are all in the same size. I walked without poles and took a picture, and sometimes I stepped on heavily piled snow and immersed to the bottom of it. We had a short break at Tashiro Pond and a one-hour lunch break near Kappabashi bridge, one of the most scenic spots of Kamikochi. All the tables there were snow-covered, so the first thing we had to do was to remove the snow pile. Then the party leaders made a path to the nearest restroom facility. Thanks to them, the facility was easily accessible, although I was lost. (Probably I was the only one who lost my way.) After the lunch break, we had a commemorative photo taken in front of the bridge. We left there at one, going back to Taisho Pond. From Taisho Pond, Mt. Yakedake can be vividly seen, although it had not been seen in the morning, because of the fog. We also got a clear sight of Hodaka Peaks on our way back to Kama Tunnel. We reached the gate of the tunnel at 15:50.
When we got back to Takayama Green Hotel, the staff gave all of us a free bath ticket. It was a really gratifying to me after the hard trekking. All in all, I had a great time in the trekking tour and I am thankful to all the staff and party members. Thank you.
Kamikochi in Early Summer Video
http://www.youtube.com/user/ChannelAGG#p/c/EBB20301BAA6B5A2/4/e1KnEQspp9A
I visite Kamikochi in winter, but the most popular season to visit there must be early summer. A lot of visitors enjoy hiking and camping in the season.
Kamikochi in Autumn Video
http://www.youtube.com/user/ChannelAGG#p/c/FEADEDAB5A14E8DC/4/bJbTdhGs3Vk
It is an idea to visit Kamikochi in autumn to view autumn leaves. Autumn leaves in Kamikochi reach the peak in mid-October.
Takayama Green Hotel Trekking Tour Blog (Japanese)
http://tgtour.hida-ch.com/e172779.html#comments
You may be able to enjoy some pictures from the tour I took.
Kamikochi Official Website & Sacred Highland of Kamikochi Website
http://www.kamikochi.or.jp/english/
http://www.kamikochi.org/
It's a must-see before you go there, including live image, map, lodge information, and much more.
Comments
Hey mate,
I'm travelling to Japan at the end of this year, and I'm planning on dropping into Takayama sometime in early December. I'm quite interested in doing this hike, and I'd like to know how you booked into it. I can't seem to find any information in the website you linked to... Otherwise, do you know if it would be okay for me to book the tour a few days before the hike itself?
I checked out the schedule of the same tour I took last February. The date of the next tour is the 6th of Februray, 2011 (only one day). I searched for another travel agency conducting a snowshoe trekking tour and found out ODSS, Outdoor Support Systems, which also operates a similar tour starting from the 10th of December, depending on the condition of snow. It may be possible to hike personally, because I saw a few parties of hikers without a guide there. However, I have heard there was an avalanche a couple of years ago, so if you are not used to snow-covered mountains, the hike is not recommendable.