[Held from April to July 2025] Take a bus from Nagoya! Refreshing Kamikochi day trip bus tour

One-day bus tour from Nagoya(April-July 2025)

■ Departure date (2025)

April 27th and 29th

Every Friday and Sunday in May and June

July : Every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday

■ Travel price (per person)

Adults and children (ages 6 and up): 9,900 yen

Infants (ages 2-5): 3,000 yen

What is included in the tour price: Bus fare, tolls, lunch box

Interpreter guide (English/Chinese) or tour guide using a translation device

■ Tour Schedule

Meet at Nagoya Station at 7:30 / Depart at 7:50

▼ (Bento lunch on the bus)

Kamikochi (stay for about 3 hours) ・Please choose to get off the outbound bus at either Taisho Pond or Kamikochi Bus Terminal. ・The return bus departs from Kamikochi Bus Terminal.

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Hida Souvenir Shop (Shopping)

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Return to Nagoya Station around 19:30

■ Gathering

8:30 a.m. Nagoya Station Taiko-dori Exit Shinkansen Exit Underground Mall "ESCA" Tour Bus Counter

■ Kamikochi's climate and clothing

April to May:

The temperature is still low and it is still cold to call it spring. Golden Week is around the end of March in Tokyo.

The basic rule is to wear winter clothes in layers. The sunlight will gradually become stronger, but depending on the weather it can feel very cold. It can be hot on a clear May day, so be sure to wear layers so you can take them off and put them on easily.

June -July:

The temperature depends on the weather. Even if the temperature is low, the sun is strong, so the perceived temperature during the day can vary greatly depending on the weather and sunlight.

Use different clothes for winter and spring. During the daytime when the weather is nice, the sun is strong and it feels warmer than the actual temperature.

From early June to mid-June, the weather is clear and sunny, and the rainy season begins in the middle of the month. This is the season when the most flowers bloom in Kamikochi. The types of flowers change with the Sakai of the rainy season.

■ Highlights of the tour

Taisho Pond

A calm water mirror that has stood the test of time for over 100 years

Taisho Pond appeared overnight due to the eruption of Mount Yake. The virgin forest was submerged, and it is said that initially the lake extended up to the area around Tashiro Bridge. Now, more than 100 years later, the area has shrunk to less than half, and the number of dead trees has decreased significantly. It is inevitable that the landscape will change little by little over time, but you can enjoy the scenery of each era.

On the other hand, large amounts of sand and gravel flowing from the upper reaches of the Azusa River and sediment flowing from the streams of Mount Yake every time it rains accumulate on the pond every year. There are concerns that if left to its own devices, Taisho Pond will eventually be filled up.

In order to protect this beautiful landscape and pass it on to future generations, dredging work is carried out in November, as the season draws to a close, to remove sediment that has been flowing into Taisho Pond.

Tashiro Pond

A miniature garden-like scene filled with silence and mystery

Tashiro Pond spreads across a gaping marshland in the middle of a virgin forest. It is a shallow pond formed by the damming of the water from Yaemonzawa and other places, creating a serene landscape reminiscent of a rice paddy area. Some people even say that Tashiro Pond is the best place to view the Hotaka mountain range.

The gently flowing Tashiro Pond, which is made up of spring water from the underground waters of Mt. Rokuhyaku and Mt. Kasumizawa, does not freeze over even in seasons when the temperature drops below freezing. The surrounding trees are covered in frost, creating a fantastical landscape.

From Taisho Pond, head upstream along the Azusa River and walk for about 20 minutes. Tashiro Pond and the marshland with its colonies of sedges are recommended viewing spots where you can feel the vastness of the Kamikochi sky.

Kappa Bridge

The symbol of Kamikochi

Kappa Bridge blends in with nature and is an indispensable presence in Kamikochi. From the bridge, you can see the Hotaka mountain range, Dakezawa, the cool, clear Azusa River, the Chouyan trees and larch trees along the Kawabe sparkling and swaying in the sunlight, and, looking back, Mount Yakedake with its occasional plumes of Mount Yake billowing. It is a great vantage point.

The area around Kappa Bridge is so crowded with tourists that it is called "Kamikochi Ginza."

There are various theories about the origin of the name Kappa Bridge, including that "once upon a time, there was a deep pool where kappa likely lived," and "in the days before bridges, people who crossed the river with clothes on their heads looked like kappa." The name became widely known after Kamikochi and Kappa Bridge were described in Ryunosuke Akutagawa's novel "Kappa."

There are many mysteries surrounding this bridge, such as when it was built and why it is called Kappa Bridge, but it has remained deeply etched in the hearts of people as a symbol of Kamikochi.

View of Mount Yake

Incense burner in the Northern Alps with smoke rising

Mount Yake (2,455m above sea level), located on the border between Nagano Prefecture and Gifu Prefecture , is an active volcano that still emits smoke. Volcanic activity, which is said to have begun about 30,000 years ago, has now calmed down and the eruption alert level is set to the minimum of 1.

Mt. Yakedake is a famous Mine selected as one of the 100 most famous mountains in Japan, and author Kyuya Fukada described it, with its beautiful mosaic pattern, as looking like a five-colored kimono.

The area around Taisho Pond, where you can get a good view of Mount Yake in its entirety, is a great spot for taking photos.

The poet Shimaki Akahiko and haiku poet Takahama Kyoshi have also written poems and verses about Mount Yake, making it one of the famous mountains beloved by many.

Simple Map