Day 33 Kamikōchi: Taking the Quiet Trail

Our day began with a stop at the French bakery, which made finding the train a little more stressful than intended. We ended up on the wrong platform before someone kindly redirected us. Fortunately, we made our connection and arrived at Taishō Pond just before noon.

Kamikōchi’s scenery was beautiful: clear water, forest beginning to show its autumn colours, and steep mountain ridges beneath the clouds. Taishō Pond itself was created in 1915 when an eruption of Mount Yakedake blocked the Azusa River—a peaceful-looking place with a dramatic beginning.

The main walking route, however, was overrun with people. We wanted more exercise anyway, so we took the first mountain trail we came across, heading toward Nishiho Hut. Once we started climbing, there was nobody!

The easy valley walk became a proper uphill hike, with roots, rocks, wooden steps and ladders through the forest. Openings between the trees gave us views across the valley to the mountains opposite. We turned around partway up rather than continuing to the hut, leaving time to enjoy the river and get back for our bus.

Along the way we noticed vivid orange mushrooms, beautifully textured bark and bear bells beside the walking path. We also watched monkeys playing
in the forest, Our final tally was 6 miles, 1,555 feet of climbing and just over four hours—a satisfying combination of scenery, exercise and solitude.

Today’s curiosity also took us into how Matsumoto’s colourful temari balls are made: thread wound into a round base, then carefully embroidered with geometric patterns. The evening brought more planning for tomorrow’s Nakasendō walk, with the final decision left until morning.

Back in Matsumoto, we bought paper plates and made our own dinner: salmon cooked in the microwave, with Cindy steaming broccoli in our coffee cups. Hotel-room cooking is becoming quite a skill!Read more