Weekend GuideWEEKEND GUIDE

SpotNagano · Matsumoto CityVOL.0 · 2026-W43

Kamikochi - final weeks of the 2026 season

Leave the car at Sawando and ride the bus through the Kama Tunnel into the valley.

By the APEX DRIVE editors (based on official sources)Published Last checked

Kamikochi is closed to private cars all year. Coming from Matsumoto, park at Sawando (about 2,000 spaces in all, 800 yen a day for a car) and switch to the shuttle bus (1,600 yen one way) or a taxi. Beyond the Kama Tunnel, only buses, taxis and a few other vehicles may go.

Get off the bus at Taisho Pond, formed when the June 1915 eruption of Mount Yake dammed the river; it mirrors Yakedake and the Hotaka range. A boardwalk through wetland and forest leads to Kappa Bridge in about an hour. The current bridge, finished in 1997, is the fifth suspension bridge on the site, with the Hotaka peaks and Takesawa in view from the deck and Yakedake behind you. The larches around the bus terminal and Konashidaira were first planted in the spring of 1914, with planting continuing for about ten years from 1915.

Lodges close one after another, from Myojinkan after the night of October 31 to the last ones after the night of November 14, and the season ends with the closing ceremony on November 15.

Highlights HIGHLIGHTS

  1. 01

    Sawando parking

    Transfer point from Matsumoto: about 2,000 spaces, 800 yen/day; shuttle bus 1,600 yen one way.

    Source：Kamikochi Tourism Ryokan Association kamikochi.or.jp
  2. 02

    Taisho Pond

    Formed when the 1915 Mount Yake eruption dammed the stream; it mirrors Yakedake and the Hotaka range.

    Source：Japan Tourism Agency mlit.go.jp
  3. 03

    Boardwalk to Kappa Bridge

    About an hour each way on a boardwalk through wetland and forest.

    Source：Japan Tourism Agency mlit.go.jp
  4. 04

    Kappa Bridge

    The fifth-generation suspension bridge (1997): the Hotaka peaks and Takesawa from the deck, Yakedake behind.

    Source：Kamikochi Tourism Ryokan Association kamikochi.or.jp
  5. 05

    Planted larches

    Planting began near today's bus terminal in spring 1914 and continued around Konashidaira for about ten years from 1915.

    Source：Kamikochi Tourism Ryokan Association kamikochi.or.jp

Sources and official information SOURCES

Written by the APEX DRIVE editors from facts in the official sources above (not a copy of the official text).Last checked: . Details may change. Please check the official page before you go.

Also nearby

  • Michi-no-EkiMichi-no-Eki Fuketsu no Sato

Nagano this weekend

In seasonAutumn larches at Mishaka PondA pond built to fight crop failure that became the setting for Higashiyama Kaii's painting "Midori Hibiku." In seasonSeven-color Giant Maple, Omine PlateauA tree that was once cut to a stump, spreading its branches again at the plateau gate. In seasonAutumn colors at Takai Bridge, Matsukawa GorgeUpstream from the red Takai Bridge: a waterfall you can walk behind, and the 180 m Yataki Falls

Details were checked on Oct 18, 2026, 18:00 JST against official sources. Events may be cancelled or changed due to weather. Follow on-site guidance for parking and traffic restrictions.