Discovering the Japanese Alps
I had planned to spend three days in the Japanese Alps to end 2022 on a high note! Beforehand, I booked a bus ticket on the Alpico website, which offers express services to Nagano prefecture. The terminal is located at the southern exit of Shinjuku station and the journey to Matsumoto takes around 3h30. I find the bus solution more economical and it limits transfers. I arrive at the bus station and simply cross the road to JR Matsumoto station.
Once there, it’s not easy to find your way at first glance to my destination, Norikura Kogen Tourist Center. A friendly Japanese woman comes to my aid and points out the ticket machine where I can buy a local train ticket and then a bus ticket to the hostel I’ve booked. It’s the Kamikochi line (blue line and train), indicated on track 7.
Once I’ve bought my ticket, I’ve got a bit of time to pop into Matsumoto Castle. Closed to visitors over the New Year, the exterior is well worth a look !
Back at JR station, I catch the train to Shinshimashima. The journey takes about 30 minutes.
From there, the Keio bus line takes me forty minutes to the Norikura Kogen Tourist Center. The whole journey from Tokyo takes a little time, but the place is magnificent! The snow and cold are here, and the snowshoe hike I’ve planned for the next day looks promising !
After settling into the cosy Raicho inn, I take advantage of the onsen with its milky, sulfur-rich water, reputed to be good for the health. Entering a bath at over forty degrees under a snowy sky at night with temperatures below zero is something to be experienced! Once relaxed, I prepare myself a meal in the communal kitchen. The atmosphere is young and friendly !
It’s shaping up to be a windy night, with gusts of wind seeping into every nook and cranny, making the timber frame hiss and the wooden building rattle. The wind seems to cling to everything it can.
I tell myself, warm under the comforter of my futon, that winter in Nagano reigns supreme.
The next day is milder and I set off for a hike in the late morning. I had booked breakfast and a pair of snowshoes the evening before. The onsen, two indoors and one outdoors, are also bookable and can be enjoyed alone or with the family. The route is charming, and I meet very few hikers. The trail is very well marked. However, the snow cover is very thick off the path. A few sportsmen climb the Zengoro waterfall, which is frozen over in winter.
In several places, metal bars were placed to permit to hikkers to warn the bears of their presence. A few animals have left tracks in the snow. I come across some familiar tits and jays.
I hike to Ichinose via the Ichidome and Azami ponds. I find the place particularly grandiose. The nature house is closed for the winter, but it’s worth noting that dry toilets are always open to the public. The landscape is varied and the views far-reaching. It’s totally quiet and I’d stay there for hours. I imagine the landscape in summer must be just as magical in color.
On the way back, on the last few meters before the inn, I climb up to the Mitaitaki viewpoint to contemplate the waterfall from above.
The next day, a sunny day invites me to set off again for Ichinose, just over a kilometer from the hostel. My bus leaves in the afternoon and I enjoy a little more silence before returning to the hustle and bustle of Tokyo.
My love of nature led me to notice a few curiosities along the way.
Chionea, male and female. I was surprised to see insects walking on snow, but they have the particularity of tolerating very low temperatures.
But what are these fur balls on their perched tree? A group of macaques I was able to observe. They are relatively discreet, but seemed unperturbed by my presence, sheltered in the branches.
Mister Fox seeks Mister Rabbit
