From Takayama/Hirayu Onsen to Kamikochi | 濃飛バス公式サイト

Kamikochi regulates my car all year to protect the beautiful natural environment and succeed to the next generation.
Please use a bus or taxi from Hirayu Onsen on the Gifu Prefecture side.
When coming by a car, you can get on the bus without transferring from the akandana parking (600 yen per car)

　Kamikochi is located on the upland area at the altitude of 1,500 m surrounded by the Northern Alps mountains and is one of the best mountain resorts in Japan. The magnificent Hotaka mountain range, clean and clear Azusa river, fantastic Taisho-ike pond and mystic Myojin-ike pond attract people to visit this area for all four seasons. From Kappabashi Bridge, a symbol of Kamikochi, you can view the picturesque landscape of the Hotaka Mountain Range. Enjoy leisurely strolling in the primeval forest filled with plenty of negative ions.
　About 90 minutes from Takayama via Hirayu Onsen and 30 minutes from Hirayu Onsen by shuttle bus. It is a popular sightseeing spot where you can fully enjoy marvelous sights of the Northern Alps.

Timetable
Bus Fare
Tourists spots

Access Map

Wide area map（Click to enlarge）
Enlarged map

Timetable

←　Flick the screen to the left or right　→

Takayama Nohi Bus CenterHirayu Onsen

←　Flick the screen to the left or right　→

0	Takayama Nohi Bus Center
H32	Honokidaira
HO37	Hirayu Onsen

6:00	7:00	7:40	7:50	8:40	9:40	10:10	10:40	11:40	12:40	12:50	13:40	13:50	14:40	14:50	15:40	16:40	16:50	17:40	18:40
★6:38	7:43	8:23	↓	9:23	10:23	↓	11:23	12:23	13:23	↓	14:23	↓	15:23	↓	16:23	17:23	↓	18:23	↓
6:53	7:58	8:38	8:40	9:38	10:38	11:00	11:38	12:38	1338	13:40	14:38	14:40	15:38	15:40	16:38	17:38	17:40	18:38	19:35

Please change buses at Hirayu Onsen(HO37) if you come from Takayama by bus.
★...Drop off only
The 6:00 bus from Takayama to Hirayu Onsen operates from July 16 to August 28

Akandana ParkingHirayu OnsenKamikochi

■April.17~October.31, 2022 and Sat,Sun,National holidays between November.1~15,2022

k51	Akandana Parking
HO37	Hirayu Onsen
K26	Nakanoyu
K28	Taisyoike
K29	Teikoku Hotel
K30	Kamikochi

○4:50	▲5:20	○5:50	6:20	← The bus runs every 30 minutes →	16:20	16:50
○5:00	▲5:30	○6:00	6:30	← The bus runs every 30 minutes →	16:30	17:00
○5:10	▲5:40	○6:10	6:40	← The bus runs every 30 minutes →	16:40	17:10
○5:16	▲5:46	○6:16	6:46	← The bus runs every 30 minutes →	16:46	17:16
○5:21	▲5:51	○6:21	6:51	← The bus runs every 30 minutes →	16:51	17:21
○5:25	▲5:55	○6:25	6:55	← The bus runs every 30 minutes →	16:55	17:25

○…Operation on April.29~May.8, July.16~August.28
▲…Operation on April.29~May.8, July.16~August.28, Sat,Sun,National holidays between May.14~ July.10 and September.3~October.23

■November.1~15 weekdays,2022

k51	Akandana Parking
HO37	Hirayu Onsen
K26	Nakanoyu
K28	Taisyoike
K29	Teikoku Hotel
K30	Kamikochi

6:50	7:50	8:50	9:50	← The bus runs every 60 minutes →	14:50	15:50
7:00	8:00	9:00	10:00	← The bus runs every 60 minutes →	15:00	16:00
7:10	8:10	9:10	10:10	← The bus runs every 60 minutes →	15:10	16:10
7:16	8:16	9:16	10:16	← The bus runs every 60 minutes →	15:16	16:16
7:21	8:21	9:21	10:21	← The bus runs every 60 minutes →	15:21	16:21
7:25	8:25	9:25	10:25	← The bus runs every 60 minutes →	15:25	16:25

KamikochiHirayu OnsenAkandana Parking

■April.17~October.31, 2022 and Sat,Sun,National holidays between November.1~15,2022

K30	Kamikochi
K29	Teikoku Hotel
K28	Taisyoike
K26	Nakanoyu
HO37	Hirayu Onsen
k51	Akandana Parking

7:00	7:30	8:00	8:30	← The bus runs every 30 minutes →	17:00	17:30
7:02	7:32	8:02	8:32	← The bus runs every 30 minutes →	17:02	17:32
7:07	7:37	8:07	8:37	← The bus runs every 30 minutes →	17:07	17:37
7:13	7:43	8:13	8:43	← The bus runs every 30 minutes →	17:13	17:43
7:25	7:55	8:25	8:55	← The bus runs every 30 minutes →	17:25	17:55
7:35	8:05	8:35	9:05	← The bus runs every 30 minutes →	17:35	18:05

■November.1~15 weekdays,2022

K30	Kamikochi
K29	Teikoku Hotel
K28	Taisyoike
K26	Nakanoyu
HO37	Hirayu Onsen
k51	Akandana Parking

8:00	9:00	10:00	11:00	← The bus runs every 60 minutes →	16:00	17:00
8:02	9:02	10:02	11:02	← The bus runs every 60 minutes →	16:02	17:02
8:07	9:07	10:07	11:07	← The bus runs every 60 minutes →	16:07	17:07
8:13	9:13	10:13	11:13	← The bus runs every 60 minutes →	16:13	17:13
8:25	9:25	10:25	11:25	← The bus runs every 60 minutes →	16:25	17:25
8:30	9:30	10:30	11:30	← The bus runs every 60 minutes →	16:30	17:30

Hirayu OnsenTakayama Nohi Bus Center

←　Flick the screen to the left or right　→

HO37	Hirayu Onsen
H32	Honokidaira
0	Takayama Nohi Bus Center

6:55	7:35	8:30	9:25	9:30	10:00	10:30	11:30	11:30	12:30	12:40	13:30	14:30	14:40	15:30	15:40	16:30	17:30	18:40
↓	7:51	8:46	↓	9:46	10:16	10:46	↓	11:46	12:46	↓	13:46	14:46	↓	15:46	↓	16:46	17:46	↓
7:51	8:36	9:31	10:15	10:31	11:01	11:31	12:20	12:31	13:31	13:30	14:31	15:31	15:30	16:31	16:30	17:31	18:31	19:30

Bus Fare

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【Fare for oneway yen】Children's(6-12) fare are half price


Hirayu Onsen

Nakanoyu	Taishoike	Teikoku Hotel	Kamikochi Bus Terminal
570	910	1,110	1,180

【Fare for round trip yen】Adults 2,090 yen　Children 1,050 yen（Hirayu Onsen～Kamikochi）
※The round trip ticket is valid for 7 days.

Takayama～Hirayu Onsen～Kamikochi Round trip set ticket	You can go and back once between Takayama and Kamikochi via Hirayu Onsen with this ticket. Valid for 7 days.	Adults 5,130 yen Children 2,570 yen
Takayama～Hirayu Onsen～Kamikochi Oneway set Ticket	This includes oneway ticket from Takayama to Hirayu Onsen, and from Hirayu Onsen to Kamikochi.	Adults 2,650 yen Children 1,330 yen
Gero～Takayama～Hirayu Onsen～Kamikochi Oneway set Ticket	This includes oneway ticket from Gero to Takayama, from Takayama to Hirayu Onsen and from Hirayu Onsen to Kamikochi.	Adults 3,160 yen Children 1,580 yen

Tourists spots

Taisho-ike Pond

On the morning of June 6, 1915, Mt. Yake erupted. American geologist Sydney Powers wrote: “Explosions hurled out rocks, ashes, mud, steam, and smoke with a tremendous reverberation of sounds. Ashes fell at Kami-kochi and a large mass of mud and boulders slid down the steep slope into the valley below, damming the stream.” From such violent beginnings, crystal-clear Taishō Pond was born. The sight of Mt. Yake and the Hotaka Mountain Range reflected in its pristine waters is one of the iconic views of Kamikōchi. A boardwalk leads to the pond from Kappa Bridge, making it easily accessible from the resort area. The route passes through wetlands and forest, and the trip takes approximately one hour each way. It is an excellent way to see the valley’s wildlife, which includes over 70 species of birds. Despite Dr. Powers’ observation that “the stream is rapidly wearing down the obstructing [volcanic] debris, and in relatively few years only a marsh will remain,” over a century later Taishō Pond not only survives, but also serves an important role in renewable energy generation. At the west end of the lake, an intake pipe funnels water to the Kasumizawa Power Station near Sawando, which supplies hydroelectric power to the region.
Kappa Bridge

Kappa Bridge is a wooden suspension bridge that spans the Azusa River at the heart of Kamikōchi. Crowded with visitors throughout the season, the bridge offers a perfect vantage point that frames Mt. Myōjin (2,931 m) and Mt. Oku-Hotaka (3,190 m) between forested valley walls. Beneath Kappa Bridge, river stones and fish are easily visible through the cold, clear current of the Azusa. The first Kappa Bridge was a drawbridge, but it was rebuilt in 1910. Kappa Bridge appears in Akutagawa Ryūnosuke’s 1927 novella Kappa, which draws a detailed picture of Kamikōchi at that time. The novella’s central character, a psychiatric patient, narrates his tale of entering the land of kappa—water imps known for their mischievous and sometimes sinister nature. The narrator concludes that their society is preferable to that of humans. Today, kappa are understood to be fictional, but still fondly regarded in Japanese culture. The green-skinned, human-like creatures have webbed feet and hands, turtle-like shells on their backs, and a bowl-like depression on their heads that is full of water. Folk wisdom instructs that upon meeting a kappa, one should bow politely, because when the kappa bows in return, the water will spill from its head and render it powerless. In some regions, cucumbers are said to be their favorite food—the origin of the Japanese name for sushi rolls with cucumber filling, kappa maki. There are several theories regarding why the bridge is named after this mythical creature. One suggests that kappa (or similar aquatic creatures) once lived in a deep pool nearby; another says that the bridge was actually built over such a pool. A third theory speculates that before the bridge was built, people fording the river with their clothes on their heads resembled kappa.
Weston Memorial Plaque

Reverend Walter Weston (1861–1940) was a Church of England missionary and alpinist who arrived in Japan in 1888, working first in Kumamoto and Kobe, and later in Yokohama. He spent 15 years in Japan and developed a keen interest in its landscapes, traditions, people, culture, and above all, its mountains. Weston is remembered as “the father of mountaineering in Japan” and memorialized by a plaque set in a rock face on the north side of the Azusa River, a 20-minute walk from Kappa Bridge. Erected by the Japan Alpine Club in 1937, it celebrates Weston’s life and success in giving universal currency to the name “Japanese Alps.” Before he arrived in Japan, the Cambridge-educated Weston had climbed extensively in the Swiss Alps. He brought his passion here to the Japanese Alps, which he explored over a four-year period with local guide and friend Kamijō Kamonji (1847–1917), a hunter and mountaineer. Weston loved the local peaks, which he described as possessing “a grandeur and a wildness” that he seldom found in Japan. He scaled Mt. Yari in 1892, as well many others. In 1896, after returning to England, he published Mountaineering and Exploring in the Japanese Alps, which introduced the region to the English-speaking world. In Japan, Reverend Weston’s greatest legacy lies in introducing the concept of mountaineering for pleasure rather than for economic purposes or spiritual practice. It was a novel idea at the time, and his forays to the peaks were sometimes met with confusion. In Mountaineering and Exploring, Weston describes the initial reactions of the local people: “[T]hey began to ply me with questions. ‘Have you come to search for silver mines?’ ‘No, then it must be crystals?’ That I was simply climbing for pleasure I found it very hard to persuade them.” Weston went on to become the first honorary member of the Japan Alpine Club in 1906, and in 1939 received the Order of the Sacred Treasure (fourth class) from Emperor Hirohito. Even now, the legacies of Weston and Kamijō Kamonji endure in Kamikōchi. The Kamonjigoya Hut near Myōjin Pond is still run by Kamonji’s fourth-generation descendant, and the Weston Festival is held on the first Sunday in June. The rock in which the Weston Memorial is embedded has recently drawn the interest of geologists, who believe it to be the world’s youngest example of granodiorite, a type of igneous rock.
Mt. Yakedake

2,455m
　Mt. Yakedake is the only active volcano in Northern Alps, located on the border between Gifu Prefecture and Nagano Prefecture. It is designated as one of the 100 famous mountains in Japan for its beautiful fuming figure and reflection on Taisho-ike Pond. An old crater and several small craters are on the mountaintop and it is also popular for climbing.
Tashiro-ike Pond

Tashiro Pond is one of Kamikōchi’s most picturesque spots, located approximately midway on the hiking trail between Kappa Bridge and Taishō Pond. What it lacks in size is made up for by the wild splendor of the surrounding marsh, where many of the valley’s birds and flowering plants can be spotted. In good weather, its clear waters reflect nearby Mt. Roppyaku and Mt. Kasumizawa. The pond is fed by rainwater absorbed on the surrounding peaks and carried downhill as groundwater. The water carries considerable sediment, which settles in the pond and is slowly reducing its size. In 1915 the pond was 5 meters deep, but today it is much shallower. Aquatic plants, which die and settle on the pond bed, are also helping to turn Tashiro from a simple pond to a thriving wetland. In the summer months, the area around the pond abounds with unusual plants. Look for the golden flowers of a daylily known as zenteika, and for the reddish-orange sprays of Japanese azalea (rengetsutsuji). Among the many birds found here are the Japanese robin (komadori), red-flanked bluetail (ruribitaki), great spotted woodpecker (akagera), and narcissus flycatcher (kibitaki). Japanese macaques often wander down from the slopes above and can be spotted foraging on plants along the hiking trails. In autumn, the needles of Japanese larch trees around the pond turn brilliant gold, making Tashiro Pond a popular spot for photographers. The best time to view the autumn foliage is near the end of October. In winter, the most determined photographers set out at dawn, hiking along the snowy trail to capture frost-covered trees lit by the sun and reflected in the water like glistening crystal pillars.
Myojin-ike Pond

This gourd-shaped pond lies within the precincts of Hotaka Shrine’s inner shrine (okunomiya), at the northern end of Kamikōchi. It is also called “Mirror Pond” (Kagami Ike) in reference to its pure waters and reflective surface, and “Pond of the Gods” (Kami Ike), which relates to the area’s role in Shinto mythology. According to legend, when the world was still young, Hotakami no Mikoto—son of the sea god Watatsumi and uncle to Japan’s legendary first ruler, Emperor Jinmu (r. 660–585 BCE)—descended from heaven and landed on the peak of Mt. Oku-Hotaka. A shrine was built for Hotakami on the mountain, and he has long been regarded as a protector of the region and guardian of the Japanese Alps. Myōjin Pond, isolated and pristine, lies at the foot of Mt. Oku-Hotaka’s ridgeline and has likewise acquired divine associations. Each year on October 8, the Myōjin Pond Boat Festival (Myōjin Ike Ofune Matsuri) is held on the water. Priests and shrine maidens (miko) dressed in brightly colored Heian-period (794–1185) robes board two festival boats, one with a prow shaped like a dragon’s head, the other like a mythical bird. The boats circle the pond in a solemn progress accompanied by the music of a “dragon flute” (ryūteki) and other traditional instruments. Afterward, rites are held at the shrine to honor the spirits of those who have lost their lives in the mountains. Myōjin Pond is fed by underground springs. It remains remarkably clear, with fish clearly visible beneath the surface. Visitors can also view the festival boats moored at a small dock beside the path that leads around the pond.

Other bus tour

Seasonal

Shinhotaka Ropeway&Kamikochi 1Day Bus Tour

Adult 6,800 yen～

This is a perfect sightseeing bus tour for travelers who would like to explore and experience
the two most popular tourist attractions in Northern Japan Alps, Kamikochi and Shinhotaka in just one day.
Fees for the Shinhotaka Ropeway and lunch at Alps Kaido Hirayu are included in the tour, and it is such an easy access to Kamikochi.

See other bus tours