Advice wanted for nature/scenery/mountains/hiking near Takayama

3 comments

1. Mid April is winter in the mountains but too late for snow monkeys.
   Unless you rent a car it’s hard to get around, shirakawago is easy to reach by public transport

2. Unless you have serious mountain hiking gear and winter hiking experience that’s still too early for hiking in the Alps. The mountains will still be snow covered and trails may be quite icy.

   Kamikochi should open on April 17. You could take a bus here from Takayama, spend the night, and hike or snowshoe around the flatter day-use paths. Check their official website for tips on April there. You could do it as a day trip or spend the night in the park.

   – [Kamikochi Official Site](https://www.kamikochi.org)
   – [Kamikochi in April](https://www.kamikouchi.info/en/guide/spring.html)

   Or, take bus to Norikura and stay there 2 nights. Do Kamikochi as a day trip from Norikura (it’s just outside the park on the east side and take a snowshoe hike to a frozen waterfall. We stayed at Guesthouse Raicho and they have a winter snowshoe hike option in winter. We were there in summer through. I don’t think you can get to all the waterfalls we saw in winter but the one closest to Guesthouse Raicho is accessible in winter.

   – [Trip Report: Long Weekend in Matsumoto and Norikura](https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/piyive/summer_weekend_in_matsumoto_and_waterfalls_in/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)

   After staying in Kamikochi or Norikura, take bus to Matsumoto, see one if 12 remaining original construction castles, and then [take a limited express train back to Tokyo.](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e6053.html) Or do the trip in reverse, starting in Tokyo > Matsumoto > Norikura and/or Kamikochi > Takayama > onwards to next destination.

   Another option is from Takayama to train to Toyama and then take the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route across to Matsumoto, stay 1 night there, see castle then limited express train back to Tokyo (or do trip in reverse). It skips open on April 15. The Alpine Route can be done in a day but it’s a long day so starting in the morning on one dude and ending in evening on the other side.

   – [JapanGuide: Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route](https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7550.html)
   – [Official Site: Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route](https://www.alpen-route.com/en/)

3. I’m not sure why you think you would be wearing a swim suit or even need one if you are going to an onsen. Nearly all onsen are naked. I know a few of the mixed gender onsen allow some sort of coverup, but there are very few of them and the only true “bathing suit onsen” is Yunessun in Hakone which is fun… but also super cheezy and not what I think of when I think of an onsen. It is also the only one I know of that lets you wear your own suit from home, and again it’s fun but cheezy.

   Awanoyu in Shirahone allows women to wrap themselves in special towels to use the mixed gender baths, but you’re still not wearing a bathing suit. Takaragawa in Gunman-ken also has mixed gender bathing and requires you to wear a special bathing towel which they provide (no personal swimsuits.) The other mixed gender places I know of are all naked like most onsen.

   I found Shirakawa Go very touristy and I went more than a decade ago. I’ve not been in a rush to go back.

   Have you thought about scrapping the Alps and going to Wakayama-ken and doing parts of the Kumano Kudo instead? That area should be clear of snow in mid-April and also has onsen you can visit.