Kamikochi
Good to know
- Best time to go
- July–August for alpine flowers; October for autumn color; valley is closed November–April
- Budget
- $$
- Accessibility
- limited
- Coordinates
- Open in maps
An alpine valley in the Northern Japan Alps at approximately 1,500 meters elevation, accessible only by bus or foot as private vehicles are excluded from the road. The Azusa River flows through broad glacially formed flats backed by the dramatic peaks of Yakedake and Hotaka, with the Kappa Bridge as the central photographic reference point framing the mountains above the turquoise water. The valley served as the birthplace of Japanese alpinism following the first ascents recorded by Reverend Walter Weston in the 1890s.
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