Kamikochi | Taisho Pond

May 19 | Evan | No Comments |

I already introduced you to the beautiful Myojin Pond in Kamikochi and now it is time to show you photos Taisho Pond. Like Myojin Pond, Taisho Pond is about an hour walk from Kappabashi, but in the opposite direction. So if you were to talk from Myojin Pond to Taisho Pond, it would take you about 2 hours to hike there. Of course, those walking times are not taking into account the numerous times you will want to stop along the way to take photos of the beautiful nature scenery or perhaps the wild animals like monkeys you could encounter along the way! In any case, back to Taisho Pond… I place I could have spent my entire stay as it is absolutely beautiful and every single photo seems to come out great. I would have loved to get get some photos with more clouds or fog, but really, Taisho Pond makes it hard to take a bad photo!

 One nice thing about Taisho Pond is that there is a bus stop there and you could even take a taxi from the bus terminal the pond, but you should walk at least one way, so you don’t miss some photo opportunities like this on the nature trail.  There is also a small gift shop and restaurant where the bus stops for Taisho Pond, which is as nice as place as any to relax with a cold beverage and enjoy the view.  If you couldn’t tell already, Taisho Pond is probably my favorite place in Kamikochi!  The only thing I don’t like about taking photos here was it was way to hard to pick my favorite photos to share!

Kamikochi | Myojin Pond

May 18 | Evan | No Comments |

Myojin Pond is about an hours walk from Kappabashi and the Kamikochi Bus Terminal. Starting from Kappabashi, you can walk along the right or the left side of the Azusa River to get to Myojin Pond with the right side being more of a path and the left side more of elevated wooden platform.  Photography wise, the left was more interesting for me, but there are photo opportunities just about everywhere in Kamikochi, so why not walk both sides. The bridge I included with these photos is very close to Myojin Pond, so I just through it in this gallery.  I went to Myojin Pond in the afternoon and the water was almost perfectly still and even more perfectly clear.  Not sure I’ve seen a pond or lake with water this clear…Besides the other ponds and rivers in the Kamikochi area of course!  There was a small entrance fee to get it, but it is certainly worth it!  I would have loved to try and come back early in the morning to get some fog or some different clouds, but my time in Kamikochi was limited to and I had more places to see!

 

Kamikochi | Kappabashi (Kappa Bridge)

May 17 | Evan | No Comments |

Kappabashi is an icon of Kamikochi and centrally located in the area.  It’s about a 10 minute walk or so from the Kamikochi Bus Terminal and an hour or so walk from either of the famous ponds, Myojin Pond or Taisho Pond.  Kappabashi, along with the bus terminal, are the most crowded areas as it is centrally located and there are a lot of places to stay close by along with the only restaurants/giftshops in Kamikochi.  Convenience wise, I would recommend staying close to this area, but if you are looking to avoid crowds, then stay someplace else….  It is also a very popular area for picnics and to have a drink as well as the site for the opening and closing festivals.   I was here around the middle of the day, so not the best light, but with my limited time, I have to be somewhere during the dreaded middle of the day light hours!  More of Kamikochi coming soon!

Kamikochi Japan | My new favorite place in Japan

May 16 | Evan | No Comments |

I’ve often said that Kyoto is my favorite place in Japan, and perhaps in the world, but last Fall I had the chance to visit Kamikochi for the first time and while I think Kyoto is still my overall favorite, Kamikochi took a small piece of my heart away from Kyoto!  Kamikochi offers picture perfect postcard views with it’s mountains and pristine lakes.   While you cannot drive around the area, hiking to most parts is relatively easy, either by walking path, gravel or elevated wooden paths.  Of course, for those looking for real hiking, you can use Kamikochi as a base to explore the nearby mountains that are part of Japanese Alps.

I walked most of both sides of the Azusa River from Myojin Pond to Taisho Pond, but along the nature path, there are places where it splits, so I couldn’t see everything… Especially because I only had time to stay 2 days and 1 night so I was rushing to see as much as possible.  I recommend staying at least 2, or even better, 3 nights to fully enjoy all the spectacular hiking and mountain scenery Kamikochi has to offer! Especially if you are visiting for photography reasons, you will want to spend as much time there as possible. There are too many photographic opportunities and spending one day walking around to explore the different pathways and views is great to decide where you want to take photos.

Kamikochi is located in the Japanese Alps and part of the Chubu Sangaku National Park. Kamikochi is a little isolated which means it isn’t accessed very easily and the few places to stay aren’t exactly cheap. Also, you can only visit Kam

ikochi from April 18th to November 15th so timing is limited as well. Private cars are not allowed to enter Kamikochi but instead must park close to the entrance gate. From the parking lot, you will need to take a bus. To access Kamikochi completely via public transportation, you can take a bus from Takayama to Hirayu Onsen and then another bus to Kamikochi. A more popular route is probably from Matsumoto Station, take a train to Shin-Shimashima and then a bus to Kamikochi. If you don’t speak Japanese, the trip isn’t exactly easy, but it is doable. The bus to Kamikochi will not stop at every stop, so if nobody else is getting off where you need to and you don’t press the bell and miss your stop, just get off at the Kamikochi Bus Terminal and you can find your way from there. That being said, depending on where you are staying, you may have a significant walk from the bus terminal!  Take a look at this map from the Official Kamikochi site to see the layout of everything.

To help keep Kamikochi beautiful and the wildlife in good shape, there are 5 rules of Kamikochi that you will see everywhere:  No collecting, no feeding, no littering (even should bring trash home with you), no bringing in (animals), no stepping into (off the paths).

I have lot’s of photos from Kamikochi to share and will be posting them soon to share about Myojin Pond, Kappabashi, Taisho Pond, photos from walking around and a few of my favorite photos of Kamikochi in black and white.  The worst part about visiting Kamikochi is having to decide which of the wonderful photos you want to share!

Older Entries Newer Entries