My entire month in Japan was wonderful and traveling through the Japanese Alps was another highlight. The Alps are a beautiful region, with mountains over 3000 meters high. But it’s not just about nature, there are a lot of cultural activities as well! Like the Kenruko-en garden in Kanazawa, the traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses in Shirakawa-go and the Hida Folk Village in Takayama (read more about these places below).
The Japanese Alps: itinerary
I spent 6 days in the Japanese Alps and visited Kanazawa, Shirakawa-go, Takayama, Kamikochi and Matsumoto. All the highlights and our accommodations are marked in the map below.
Kanazawa highlights
A must visit in Kanazawa is the famous Kenruko-en Garden (¥310 per person). It’s a beautiful garden and though we aren’t that much into plants, we enjoyed strolling around the ponds and the immaculately kept lanes.
How to get to Kanazawa from Kyoto
At Kyoto station we bought a ticket for the local train to Kanazawa (¥4000 per person). There is also a Shinkansen from Kyoto to Kanazawa. The Shinkansen takes only 2 hours, the local option takes 4 hours. If you’re short on time and don’t mind paying double the price we paid for the local train, the Shinkansen is a great option.
Anyway, we took the local train to Kanazawa, meaning we had to change at Tsuruga. On the platform we found a tiny shop selling soup, perfect for lunch.
Where to stay in Kanazawa
We stayed at the APA Hotel Katamachi for 1 night. I searched for quite a while and this was one of the cheapest options I found.
What I liked
+ The hotel was nice, clean and quiet.
+ The hotel staff was friendly and the check-in very smooth.
+ Close to the bus stop to Kanazawa JR Station.
What I didn’t like
– It smelled a bit like cigarettes in the bathroom (even though we had a smoke-free room).
Accommodation information
• Agoda rating: 7,1 | Booking rating: 6,8
• Price paid for a night: €40/$45.
Shirakawa-go highlights
We hiked up to the viewpoint, strolled around the quaint little streets and along the small rice fields of Shirakawa-go village.
How to get to Shirakawa-go from Kanazawa
From our hotel we took the bus to Kanazawa station, there we managed to buy tickets to Shirakawa-go costing ¥1850 per person. Yes, travel in this part of Japan is expensive! Nevertheless, it’s a beautiful trip to Shirakawa-go, green forest and snowy mountains in the backdrop!
Note: the first 2 buses leaving to Shirakawa-go from Kanazawa bus station were fully booked. If you want to be sure of your departure time (or if you are traveling in high season) it may be wise to buy tickets the day before.
At Shirakawa-go bus station, We stored our bags at the tourist information center so we didn’t have to carry them around when exploring the village. Costs: ¥1000 for 2 big backpacks (there are also ¥600 lockers but these were all taken).
Takayama highlights
The historic center of Takayama is lovely, the streets are lined with wonderful wooden houses and tiny craft shops.
There were also a lot of great things to eat in Takayama, you can read more in this post.
How to get to Takayama from Shirakawa-go
The buses to Takayama leave just outside the Shirakawa-go tourist information center. You can buy a ticket at the tourist information center in Shirakawa-go or at Kanazawa bus station, the bus costs ¥2470 per person.
Where to stay in Takayama
We stayed at Hida Takayama Guesthouse Gekka for 1 night. It was not in the center of Takayama, but within walking distance from the bus station.
What I liked
+ Nice guesthouse with good facilities (tea kettle, Wi-Fi and clean bathroom).
+ The rooms were spacious (both the communal living room as well as our bedroom) and the Japanese futons we slept on were comfortable.
+ The owners were friendly and helpful.
What I didn’t like
– It was rather noisy, the walls are very thin and you hear pretty much every word your neighbor says.
– There were only 3 rooms occupied during our stay but the shower and toilet were continuously in use already. There is no other place to wash your hands than in the shower and in the morning it gets pretty busy. I felt €50 a night was a little expensive considering the shared facilities.
Accommodation information
• Agoda rating: 7,8 | Booking rating: 7,5
• Price paid for a night: €50/$55.
Kamikochi highlights
Kamikochi is a wonderful place that truly stole my heart… How could it not with these amazing views! We spent 3 days in Kamikochi, you can read my post about hiking and camping in Kamikochi here.
How to travel from Takayama to Kamikochi
From Takayama we traveled to Hirayu Onsen by bus, at Hirayu Onsen we changed to another bus taking us to Kamikochi. More information can be found here.
We booked our bus ticket at the bus station in Takayama, only a couple of hours before our departure. The price for a ticket is ¥2600 per person.
Where to stay in Kamikochi
We stayed at the Konashi-daira campsite for 3 nights.
What I liked
+ The campsite in Kamikochi was also the best managed campsite we stayed at during our 1 month trip around Japan. + There was a campsite manager who spoke English (a first), a restaurant where we could have breakfast, lunch and dinner (a first as well) and an onsen. I could have stayed in Kamikochi for months…What I didn’t like
– Absolutely nothing, the only downside was having to leave?.
Campsite information
• Check the website for more information.
• Price paid for a night: €13/$14,50.
Matsumoto highlights
One cannot visit Matsumoto and not go to famous Matsumoto Castle (¥610 per person). Of the four Japanese castles I visited during my trip, Matsumoto is my favorite!
A really cool thing about Matsumoto Castle is the secret floor, which is hidden between the levels. The secret 3rd floor doesn’t have any windows, so from the outside it looks like Matsumoto Castle only has five stories, but secretly there are six! The purpose of the secret floor is to mislead the enemy about the number of soldiers inside the castle.
How to get to Matsumoto from Kamikochi
From Kamikochi bus station we took a bus to Shinshimashima train station where we changed to a tiny train taking us to Matsumoto. More information can be found here.
We booked the combined bus-train ticket a day before our departure, you can do so at Kamikochi bus station. The price for a ticket is ¥2450 per person.
The end of our trip around Japan…
From Matsumoto we traveled back to Tokyo to catch our flight home. If you have more time, I recommend to visit Nagano or Mount Fuji. I couldn’t fit it into our itinerary for this trip, perhaps in the future I’ll have another chance…
You can download the map of my 6-day itinerary around the Japanese Alps below. And if you want to read more about Japan, check out my other Japan posts!Also read: ay at the Jigokudani snow monkey park
Looking for more travel planning resources? Check out the Phenomenal Globe Travel Planning Library and my Travel Resource page!
Hi Lotte, What a cool post, I never really thought of Japan having Alps or camp sites for that matter! The scenery looks incredible and like there is a ton to explore. Are there any multi day hiking opportunities bringing some of these sites together?
Great adventures to be had everywhere!
Emily
Author
Thanks Emily! It was a surprise for me too when I started researching Japan last year. I desperately wanted to visit Kamikochi but the accommodation in the valley is very pricy. Enter camping;-). There are multi day hikes but these were not open yet when we visited. Some of the trails have mountain huts, for others you’ll need your own gear. I bought the Lonely Planet Hiking in Japan chapter of the Alps which details everything you need to know:-).
Can you rent camping gear? Was it a pain lugging it around?
Author
Hi Amber,
I’m actually now quite sure if it’s possible to rent camping gear. In Kamikochi there were tents you could rent, these were already set up on the campsite. You can check the camping website (http://www.nihonalpskankou.com/common/pdf/EnglishGuide.pdf). We have relatively lightweight camp gear, but of course things add up and carrying your own equipment adds several kilos to your luggage total.
Hope this helps!
Lotte