Thank you for reading the post. For the Chubu portion of our trip, we are staying at a Ryokan at Okuhida Onsen for two evenings. For our only full day in Chubu, I was wondering if the following itinerary is possible or advisable:
Day in Chubu
– from Okuhida Onsen, go to Kamikochi in early morning, arrive at 8 am.
– arrive at Shirakawago, lunch at Irori at 2 pm.
– explore Shirakawago.
I have two main questions:
1. Is it viable to see Kamikochi in this period of time? Would we be in a rush?
2. We are planning to rent a car. I know that cars can’t enter Kamikochi. Is driving to the entrance and then walking to Taisho pond and other locations viable? Or is it better to take the bus up and walk from the bus terminal?
Thanks in advance!
3 comments
Hello!
I’ve been to Kamikochi a few times. I do not recommend doing both of these the same day! Kamikochi is very beautiful and I do recommend going (especially if you’re going during autumn).
You’re correct, no cars can enter. You must take a bus to enter Kamikochi since there isn’t any (good) acess from the parking lots. If I remember correctly, the bus ride from the public parking lot to the top (where you can hike from) is close to an hour. The hike to the lake might take anywhere from 2-4 hours (depending on endurance and crowds) round-trip. Then, the bus down is going to take about the same amount of time (if not longer) and usually driving out is a bit crowded as well.
Driving to Shirakawa will take about 2 hours once you get off the mountain. That’s a lot of driving/traveling in one day. And, you’ll probably be very tired after Kamikochi. So, theoretically, you could visit Kamikochi during the time frame you suggested, but it’s a very taxing schedule.
If you’re looking for lunch spots, there are plenty in Kamikochi! Curry and rice (with an onsen egg) is my favorite lunch item there and it can be found near the top of the hike. There are also a few different places to get apple soft serve ice cream (and other apple products) around the area. Apples are famous in Nagano, so it’s a special treat!
After Kamikochi, if you’re not too tired, I would recommend visiting Matsumoto. It’s a very cool city! You can visit Matsumoto castle (I love having a picnic on the castle grounds) or the art museum. Also, there are quite a few places open late in the city if you want late night food/drinks.
No. You can not do Kamikochi and Shirakawa Go in one day.
There are no parking lots from whence you can walk into Kamikochi. You have to take a shuttle bus, and all of them run only around twice an hour. You need to drive from your ryokan to Hirayu and park there to take the shuttle. When going back you will again need to take a shuttle bus to Hirayu. There is no place to stop near the entrance of Kamikochi, let alone park.
I really like Matsumoto. I think trying to do Matsumoto and Kamikochi in one day is going to be very challenging. In that case you would want to park in Sawando Parking, take their shuttle into the park and then take their shuttle out before driving to Matsumoto.
Have you thought about Hida no Sato in Takayama?
People have already answered your main question, let me just say few more things:
– if you are travelling as a family (or any group 3-4 ppl), consider taking taxi from the parking lot, you don’t need to wait (the buses are not that frequent… and might get full if you don’t buy ticket in advance, in which case you lose flexibility to stay longer and enjoy views where you like them) and it will be similar price. Taxi price is about 3500 to Taisho lake or 4200 to the bus station, bus ticket is 1000 per person I think.
– people mention the “round trip hike”, but I personally recommend getting of at Taisho lake, walking along the river to the bus station (where you can get snack/lunch) and then do the loop. The extra part between Taisho lake and bus station is very nice and lot of ppl skip it so it’s not so crowded. It takes extra 60-80 minutes.
– I find Shirakawago very underwhelming as it’s so packed with tourists every time. Visiting Takayama and Hida no Sato will be much more enjoyable experience in my opinion.