A day trip to Kamikochi from Takayama

1 June 2016

After hiking parts of the Old Nakasendo Highway and crossing the Japanese Alps, a hike in the beautiful valley of Kamikochi is inevitably part of our plan. Kamikochi is a roughly 15 kilometers long plateau in the Azusa river valley, about 1500 meters above sea level. It is surrounded by tall mountains, including Nishihotakadake (2909 m), Okuhotakadake (3190 m), Maehotakadake (3090 m) and the active volcano Yakedake (2455 m).

Kamikochi can be accessed via Matsumoto or Takayama as a day trip. From Takayama, we bought the round trip return bus tickets for the journey from Takayama Bus Station to Kamikochi via a change of bus at the onsen town of Hirayu-onsen. We would be staying at Hirayu-onsen for the night and return to Takayama the next day. The Nohi bus from Takayama to Hirayu-onsen departs every 30 minutes and we got into the Hirayu-onsen bus station early in the morning.

Our accommodation for the night was the Hirayu-no-mori, a hot spring resort located within a few minutes walk from the bus station. After dropping off our overnight bags at the resort, we took the Nohi bus to Kamikochi with only what we need for the hike.

Kamikochi is one of the starting points for serious hikers to trek to the peaks of the Japanese Alps. For us, we would be hiking the easy trails along Azusa River from Taisho Pond to Myojin Bridge and then back to the Kappa Bridge. The Kamikochi bus terminal is located near the Kappa Bridge. It is a mostly flat terrain and requires no hiking experience and only a few hours of time.

We alighted at Taisho Pond bus stop and start our hike from there to bus terminal area. With this, there was no need to backtrack down the same path. Quite a few visitors alighted with us but most stayed on the bus to alight at the bus terminal.

Area map from the Kamikochi official website.

The hiking trail from the Taisho Pond to the Kappa Bridge offered some of the most breath-taking sceneries in Kamikochi.  We took our time to walk this stretch, stopping often to admire the views, wild flowers, and snapped photos.

Mirror-like Taisho Pond.

Taisho Pond (Taishoike) was formed in 1915, when an eruption of the nearby volcano Yakedake in 1962 dammed the Azusa River.

Decayed trees could be seen standing in the pond.

 

A short distance away from the Taisho Pond, there was a clearing where we could see the Mount Yakedake.  This 2455 meter high volcano is still active. We left the trail to explore the river bank. Some of the nicest scenery were seen at the banks of the river. The water of the river was crystal clear and fast flowing. Just amazingly beautiful.

 

Mount Yakedake.

 

One of the dead trees on the Azusa River, near the Taisho Pond.

Crystal clear Azusa River .

 

On the trail to the Tashiro Pond.

The trail to Tashiro Pond was through forested area, occasionally on wooden boardwalk over crystal clear streams. Tashiro Pond, one of Kamikochi's most scenic spots, is a small pond surrounded by marshland. 

Wetlands on the approach to Tashiro Pond.

Tashiro Pond - This was a good place to stop for a rest and a snack. Out came my Snicker bars again to sustain us till lunchtime.

Looking at the little fishes.

In 1915, the depth of Tashiro Pond was about 5 m. Rain from the mountains seen in the background fed the pond as subsoil water, bringing sediments and also decaying plants filled the pond, converting to a area of wetlands. Amazing colours.

This is also a good place for bird-watchers. We did not spot the birds but could hear them chirping overhead.

Trail to Kappa-bashi Bridge with lush greenery of late spring.

One of the few hotels in Kamikochi.

 

The trail to the Kappa Bashi Bridge followed the river, offering fantastic views of the Alps over the crystal clear water of the river.  At places, the river current was strong and we could hear the faint sound of the raging waters. Weather was perfect in spring. Nice and cool and no perspirations whatsoever despite walking many kilo-meters.

 

Kappa-bashi Bridge with the Hokata Mountains in the background.

 

Kappa-bashi Bridge is an iconic symbol of Kamikochi. It was built initially as a drawbridge but rebuilt in 1910 as a suspension bridge without any handrails!  The present bridge built in 1997 is the 5th generation.  

 

View of the Azusa River and Mount Yakedake seen from the Kappa bridge.

 

Several hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops were located around the bridge.  Most visitors tend to congregate at this area, since the Kappa Bridge area offers a good spot for souvenir photos.

This was a perfect place for a lunch break before continuing the hike to the Myojin Bridge. We chose the restaurant located on the second floor of the building at the bus terminal. Tasty and reasonably priced lunch were served at the Kamikochi Diner.

After lunch, we continued on the trail from the Kappa Bridge to the Myojin Bridge, without crossing the river. We passed a campsite but not many campers were seen.

The trail was mostly through green forest and most times, we could not get views of the river and mountains. Hence, not as scenic as the trail from the Taisho Pond to the Kappa Bridge. 

Forest trail to the Myojin Bridge.

Interesting interlocking tree.

I was hoping to see some wildlife such as the Japanese macaque but none was encountered. Some bears warning signs were seen but it was highly unlikely to see bears unless very early in the morning and late in the evening.

After about an hour’s hike, we arrived at the Myojin Bridge.

Myojin Bridge – another suspension bridge but not as famous as the Kappa Bridge.

We crossed over the Myojin Bridge and came to the Myojin Pond with a small shrine. To access Myojin Pond, a fee is required. We decided to give this a miss  and head back to the Kappa Bridge as it was quite late in the afternoon and we did not want to miss the last bus.

Giving a little donations and saying a prayer at the shrine.

 

The trail from Myojin Bridge to the Kappa Bridge was more interesting. Some parts were over marshland and requires walking on wooden board walk.

 

Took a long exposure shot of a small stream using my Canon G5X without tripod.

 

As we got closer to the Kappa Bridge, we came to the Takezawa Marsh, one of the more scenic areas of Kamikochi.

Wild azaleas were in bloom and there were also nice views of the mountains reflected in the marshes.

 

At Takezawa Marsh with mirror like marshes.

 

From the Taksezawa Marsh, it was a 5 to 10 minutes walk to get back to the Kappa Bridge area. Nice views of the Hokata Mountain range could be seen here and we rested here for a while before proceeding to the bus terminal.

 

Hokata Mountain range could be seen near Kappa Bridge area.

From Kamikochi, we took the late evening bus to Hirayu-Onsen. Hirayu is the oldest and largest of Okuhida's onsen towns. Its hot spring waters are said to cure neuralgia, sensitivity to cold and skin disease.  Hence, it made sense to spend the night at Hirayu-no-mori and enjoy hot spring baths after a day of hiking in Kamikochi.

More about my stay at Hirayu-no-mori in the next post.

Another good place to stay while visiting Kamikochi is Takayama. The Nohi bus from Hirayu-onsen to Takayama Station departs every 30 minutes and the journey takes an hour.

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A stay at Hirayu no Mori, a hot spring resort at Hirayu-onsen

1 June 2016

Hirayu-onsen is one of the five towns in Okuhida famous for the natural hot springs. It is also the transportation hub for the region with great access to Takayama, Kamikochi and Matsumoto.  After spending the day hiking at Kamikochi, a night’s stay at the town of Hirayu-onsen made perfect sense before going back to Takayama.

There were a few hot spring resorts or ryokans to choose from. Hirayu no Mori was selected for its closeness to the bus station and also because of its English language website that made reservations easy for international visitors. It was also a resort that offered private bathing facilities, in addition to the shared, gender segregated open air baths or rotenburos. 

Hirayu no Mori is located just across the Hirayu bus station. There is a prominent tall lamp with hot spring footbath below that marks the approach to its entrance.

Tall lamp at entrance of Hirayu no Mori.

Hot spring foot bath at the bottom. The footbath contained hot spring water and is free for public to use.

 

Hirayu no Mori featured 16 open-air baths, large retro baths, a lounge in a Gassho-style house, a restaurant, a hotel and cottages in a 50,000 ㎡ wide site. The hot spring baths are opened to public as well (for 500 Yen) but there are periods where the spa is only accessible by hotel guests.

There are 4 types of guest rooms. The basic rooms are Japanese and Western style of rooms without lavatories. We were booked into a room (Room 214) at the new wing which features attached lavatory but no attached bath.

During check-in, we were given a floor plan of the resort, briefed on its facilities and timings for our meals. With that, we negotiated the maze-like passageways to get to our rooms, located on the second floor of the new wing and furthest away from the entrance.  

 

The resort offers both indoor and outdoor baths. 7500 liters of natural thermal water flowed through its 16 baths every minute and the faint smell of sulphur and hydrogen sulphide were detectable if one has a good sense of smell. It did not bothered me too much and after a while, the smell got tuned out from my senses.

Japanese bathing etiquette is something we need to learn before using the public and private baths. The resort actually provided a reminder of this at the back of the resort map.

1. Remove all clothes underwear at the dressing room before entering bathing area. Baskets on shelves are typically provided.

2. Sit on the provided stool and thoroughly wash and rinse oneself. Soap and shampoo provided. Make sure all dirt and soap are washed off before dipping into the hot tub. Do not stand when doing pre-bath wash and rinse so as not to splash water on others and into the tub.

3. No soap, towels or washcloths are allowed in the tub.

4. Can do another rinse after using the tub.

5. Dry oneself thoroughly before returning to the dressing room.

From the above, it is obvious that bathing naked with strangers of the same sex would be expected in a shared, gender segregated baths.  Some folks may be shy about this but for guys who had served in the armed forces, bathing naked with strangers or comrades is no big deal.

What I like about Hirayu no Mori is that they have two semi-open hot spring baths that can be used privately without any extra charge. We just need to go at a time when it is unoccupied, lock the door behind us and we are free to use the bath privately. It is not a good idea to soak too long in the hot tub, so typically each couple or family would take about 45 minutes to 60 minutes per use. This was the bath that we chose to use prior to our dinner.

Strip naked and put all clothes and towels in the baskets provided at the dressing room.

 Sit on the provided stool and thoroughly wash and rinse oneself. Soap and shampoo provided. Make sure all dirt and soap are washed off before dipping into the hot tub.

Semi-open private hot spring bath that can be used privately. 

The large circular bathtub is lined with wood and sunk into the concrete floor. The natural thermal spring water flowing continuously through the tub was steaming HOT!  Minerals in the spring water made the water cloudy and it is supposed to be good for the skin. But the same minerals in the water may not be good for metals. We remembered to remove all metallic jewellery before entering the water.  Entering the water needs to be done slowly, feet first, to let the body acclimatise to the hot water.

Half of the tub was inside the room and half of it was outside the building, hence this was considered a semi-open hot bath. We could slide open the wooden panel and go outdoor where the water was slightly cooler and we could get a view of a small garden. The fence prevented us from looking out and others from looking in. So, not much of a view.

It was nice to soak in the hot water to soothe the muscles in our over-worked legs. When it got too hot, just need to get out of the water, sit at the side to cool down in the cool outdoor air before taking another dip in the hot spring water. Almost heavenly. Unfortunately, the room was not sound proof and we could hear a family with a small kid using the tub next door. 

After our bath and soak, we changed into the yukatas provided in our bedroom and have dinner at the Donguri dining hall.

Dinner spread at the Hirayuno-mori.

The dinner included a grilled and salted Ayu river fish, salads, miso soup, rice, pickles, sashimi, soba noodles and slices of Hida beef and vegetables to be cooked on a table-top stove.  Quite a belly filling spread but after having tasted the A5 grade Hida beef at Takayama, the beef dish was sort of normal. Obviously, the resort would not be serving the highest grade beef unless we pay extra for it. We had the option to upgrade our meal, add more beef but it would be better to save the yen for a good yakiniku restaurant back in Takayama.

The next day, I woke up at about 5 AM. In rural Japan, it is early to bed and early to rise. While my partner was still sound asleep, I decided to try the public bath which features open air baths (rotenburo) before breakfast.  The public bath is shared and gender separated. As seen in the floor plan, there are several outdoor pools, with views of the garden and surrounding mountains. The baths are opened to public but only accessible by hotel guests before 8 AM.

As per the bathing etiquette, I washed in the bathing area and went to the outdoor pools. Several other men were already in the open air bath area. The bath had several outdoor pools located on a big sloping garden. It was not crowded in the early morning and I had a pool mostly to myself.  I moved from pool to pool, trying each out. The water was generally cloudy with pieces of white sediments and yellowish sulphur salts on the outlets. The water in the outdoor pools were not as hot as the water in the private bath. Some pools, nearer to the source, were slightly hotter and I finally settled on one that has hot thermal water coming out from a bamboo pipe but it was not the pool with the hottest water. The square pool just outside the bathing room was the hottest and seems to be favourite of the locals.

Rotenburo at Hirayu no Mori – Photo from the hotel.

Compared to the indoor or semi-open onsen, experiencing the rotenburo or outdoor onsen was a totally different experience. I think a visitor to Japan should try this at least once. There is a likelihood that once would never be enough once you have experienced it. It is about connecting with nature. Soaking oneself in natural hot spring waters and enjoying the fresh air, sunshine and landscape surrounding the pool.

It was a clear day and I sat wondering what it would be like if I had came last night after dinner.  With a clear sky, I supposed I probably could have seen millions of stars while soaking in the warm water.  

Although meal plans were optional in Hirayu no Mori, we had booked our accommodation with breakfast and dinner included. The Japanese breakfast was served in the same dining room and it included the usual items plus Hoba miso (miso paste grilled on a magnolia leaf), onsen tamago (onsen egg), grilled salmon, tofu and fermented mushrooms on grated radish.

Breakfast served at the Hirayuno-mori.

My travelling companions, another couple, left immediately after breakfast as they were travelling to Kyoto and had a train to catch at the Takayama Station. We stayed around in the resort till a little later, as we would be staying one more night in Takayama and was in no hurry. Hirayu no Mori is actually an hour away by bus from Takayama. Frequent buses, at about 30 minutes interval, runs between Takayama Station and Hirayu-onsen Bus Terminal.

Hirayu no Mori is located just behind the tall trees in the opposite side of the bus park

The Hirayu Bus Terminal is located just minutes walk from the resort. We checked out the souvenir shop and explored the bus station building while waiting for the next bus to take us to Takayama. There was a public bathhouse on the upper floor of the bus station building and a free foot bath just outside the ground floor souvenir shop.

Footbath at the Hirayu-onsen Bus Station. One could get a cup of hot coffee and soak the feet at the same time here.

 

We chanced upon the largest Sarubobo doll inside.  We saw a lot more of these dolls in Takayama. Maybe I will buy one when I returned to Takayama.

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