A hearty hello to all of our loyal readers far and wide!
The day that we've all been waiting for is finally here. Earlier today, buses and taxis began transporting the first groups of visitors through the Kama Tunnel and into Kamikochi, ushering in the 2025 season.
As many of you no doubt know, today marks the beginning of what is called the "pre-opening." During this time, visitors are free to travel to Kamikochi by conventional means, but many businesses and services are not yet up and running.
Many of our readers have inquired about which hiking trails are available at this time. Thanks to the hard-working guides and bloggers at Five Sense, we can answer this question with a helpful, illustrated map:
For the benefit of those who don't read Japanese, here's the breakdown in English. It's largely unchanged from the update that we posted a few days ago:
Taisho Pond to Tashiro Bridge: Closed due to large amounts of residual snow.
Tashiro Bridge to Kappa Bridge (left bank): Some snow on trails. Hike with caution.
Tashiro Bridge to Kappa Bridge (left bank by road): Closed for snow removal.
Tashiro Bridge to Kappa Bridge (right bank): Snow removal completed. Open!
Kappa Bridge to Myojin (left bank): Snow removal complete. Open!
Kappa Bridge to Myojin (right bank): Closed for snow removal.
Myojin to Tokusawa: Some snow on the trails. Hike with caution.
That concludes today's brief trail update. Thanks again to Five Sense for sharing the info and images used in today's post. You guys are the best!
Join us again this weekend as we recap the first few days in Kamikochi. An exciting season lies ahead!
Source of Information:
Nature Guide Five Sense, Kamikochi blog: https://fivesense.guide/blog/today/140403/
