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Visiting Kamikochi: Witness the Beauty of Japan’s Northern Alps

Kamikochi is one of Japan’s most beautiful places.

Honestly, it took my breath away. I was lucky enough to visit in mid-autumn, when the golds and oranges of the leaves framed the beautiful snow capped mountains. After ten years of travelling I would place it in the top three most stunning locations I have ever visited. I plan to do many more, of course, including one day the Inca trail and Machu Pichu, and Everest base camp. After doing them, I imagine it will be difficult to budge Kamikochi from my top 3-5 locations. Maybe one day I will update this article with my decision…

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Climbing Yake-dake: A Stunning Volcano Hike Above Kamikochi

Explore / Anthony Guy

I climbed Yake-dake in October 2023. It was my first active volcano summit (followed a year later by Aso, which I’ve written about here) and it remains one of the most memorable hikes I’ve done in Japan. (I’m worried that I say this often. Doesn’t make it any less true…)

It is also a hike I would only recommend to people who already have some mountain experience.

Yake-dake (Burning Mountain) is one of Japan’s 100 Famous Mountains (Hyakumeizan) and sits at 2,455 metres above Kamikochi, the alpine valley in the Northern Japan Alps. It is one of the most active volcanoes in central Honshu. The trail to the summit is steep, exposed in sections, and includes a boulder scramble near the top. There are also a number of ladders if you are climbing from the Kamikochi side. These are removed in October, due to the risk of snow on the trail, so if you are doing the hike later in the year (like I was) you will have to start from one of the three remaining routes.

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Visiting Nikko: Why It Deserves More Than a Day Trip

Explore / Anthony Guy

Nikko is the perfect day trip from Tokyo.

This is the common consensus among most online travel sites when talking about visiting Nikko. Train up in the morning, visit a few of the shrines, take a photo of the bridge and then possibly grab some food before hopping back onto the train and making it back to Tokyo for the evening.

I mean, it absolutely is doable. It just isn’t how I’d recommend doing it, and not how I did it on my first visit.

Why is that? I hear you ask.

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Visiting Aso Caldera: The Unexpected Highlight of My Japan Trip

Explore / Anthony Guy

Not every trip goes to plan.

Now I’m fairly loose when I plan my Japan trips. I will normally set two or three things that I am committed to doing/seeing, then wing the rest once I land. I find this enables me to really soak in the country, instead of rushing around trying to squeeze every last sight in. It doesn’t work for everyone, but it does for me.

For this particular trip, visiting Aso Caldera was not on my to do list.

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Visit Kumamoto: The City that Keeps Pulling You Back

Explore / Anthony Guy

I’ve been to Kumamoto twice so far, and seen plenty the city has to offer. It’s actually the city I’ve spent the most time in outside of Tokyo. (With Hiroshima close behind.) I’ve spent plenty of time exploring the city and surrounding area, and despite having literally hundreds of other locations I aim to visit for future trips, I’d still visit Kumamoto again tomorrow.

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