Kamikochi in White
Most would come in summer, when the valley is filled with vibrant green, or in autumn, when the leaves turn fiery red and gold. Few witness what it becomes in the dead of winter. The skies weren’t clear, and the sun never came out. Tough luck, or so I thought. Looking back at the photos, the snowfall and the overcast skies made for a more otherworldly experience—quiet, muted, and frozen in time—exactly what I didn’t know I was hoping for.
I had a long break from work at the end of the year, so I needed to plan a hike somewhere—anywhere with snow. Preferably somewhere I could use man’s secret weapon against sinking into deep snow: snowshoes. Kamikochi fit the bill perfectly. I had been there plenty of times before, but never in winter, and I knew it was closed from November to April every year due to heavy snow. After scouring the internet, I found that it was still possible to enter the park—if you started walking from Kama Tunnel (釜トンネル).
No big deal. I mean, it’s just walking on pavement in the dark, right?
The tunnel walk
I wasn’t daunted by the idea of walking through the tunnel, and being there only confirmed it. I enjoyed the dark, quiet walk, with only the sound of my footsteps—and the lonely jingle of another hiker’s bear bell—breaking the silence.
I passed through two tunnels. The first was the Kama Tunnel, lit faintly all the way through, so I never had to use my headlamp. The second was the Kamikochi Tunnel (上高地トンネル). It was pitch black.
Guess which one was more fun to walk through?
Out the tunnel, into snow
The snow started to pick up shortly after I came out of the tunnel. My first thought was, I can never trust mountain forecasts. I’d only been expecting partly cloudy skies and a light dusting of snow. Instead, the snow came down hard, and the wind cut straight through my fleece.
Should I turn back?
Nah. I put on a beanie, pulled on a second layer of windproof gloves, zipped up my down jacket, and finally strapped on my snowshoes once the snow got deep enough to make walking in boots uncomfortable.
Parts of the trail along the Azusa River were closed, which was a bit of a letdown, so I ended up taking the road normally used by vehicles to get to Kappabashi (河童橋). It would’ve been completely dull if not for the falling snow.
Surprisingly, I found the bus terminal near the bridge to be quite charming. It was wide, completely covered in snow, and utterly empty—no vehicles, no people. Who knew a bus terminal could look like that?
The empty bridge
Kappabashi was completely empty—without the usual hordes of tourists taking selfies. I took off my snowshoes since the bridge itself wasn’t covered in snow and attempted to cross to the other side, but closure signs stopped me from going any further. The wind was picking up fast, and I had a return bus to catch, so I turned back.
On the way back, I stopped by Taisho Pond (大正池), and it was easily the most beautiful sight I had seen all day: still water, mountain reflections, complete silence, and snow falling. I was in awe. I couldn’t stop smiling. That was exactly the feeling I had come for.
The route
I did a total of about 16 kilometers, starting from Kama Tunnel up to Kappabashi, and back. It’s a fairly long hike, but most of it was flat with only around 400 meters of elevation gain.
The GPS signal cuts out inside the tunnels, so you’ll notice straight lines in the track around those sections.
It took me 6 hours to complete the whole route. That includes frequent stops for photos and filming.
You can download this GPX track I saved on Coros.
Getting there
I was staying in Matsumoto, so all I had to do was wake up early and catch the first bus. This is the exact bus schedule I followed on the day:
| 07:40 | Matsumoto Bus Terminal |
| … 1 hr 18 mins by bus | |
| 08:58 | Nakanoyu Gate - 中の湯ゲート |
| … hike | |
| 16:05 | Nakanoyu Gate - 中の湯ゲート |
| … 1 hr 18 mins by bus | |
| 17:23 | Matsumoto Bus Terminal |
Reserving the bus
You’ll need to book a seat on the bus well in advance.
I was originally planning to go on the 30th of December, but when I tried to book a few days prior, the earliest bus was already booked out—so I had to settle for the 31st instead.
You can book your seat online here: https://www.highwaybus.com/gp/inbound/inbPlanList?lineId=265&onStationCd=253
Select Matsumoto Bus Terminal under Departing from and Nakanoyu(Winter) under Arriving at.
Got questions?
No comments here, but I’m happy to answer questions via Instagram DM.
