Kamikochi
Kamikochi is a flat valley floor at 1,500 meters in Chubu Sangaku National Park.
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Kamikochi
SaveKamikochi is a flat valley floor at 1,500 meters in Chubu Sangaku National Park.
Private cars cannot pass the Kama Tunnel all year, so everyone arrives by shuttle bus or taxi and walks the riverside path.
MoreWhat kind of place
Taisho Pond, the pond at one end of the main walking trail, appeared in 1915 when Mount Yakedake erupted.
Later, in 1928, the valley was designated a national place of scenic beauty and natural monument, and the Chubu Sangaku National Park around it followed in 1934; today Kamikochi holds the rarer pair of titles, Special Place of Scenic Beauty and Special Natural Monument.
Now about 1.2 million people come each year, so keeping private cars out is the main measure against their exhaust fumes.
With kidsThe part that matters
The riverside path is flat, boardwalk and gravel underfoot. Along it, children stop at the water: a one-and-a-half-year-old dropped pebbles into Taisho Pond, a three-year-old would not leave the fish in Tashiro Pond.
Wild monkeys cross right beside the path, though feeding them is forbidden. Six minutes from the terminal, Kappa Bridge has a riverbed where children stack stones.
The walk itself is the attraction, and water is what holds young children. Even half an hour around Kappa Bridge is a full visit, so turn back whenever you like.
By age0-1 / 2-3 / 4-6
- Ages 0-1A one-year-old who walks can do this route: one spent it choosing stones and crossing the boardwalk bridges over and over. A baby who does not walk yet rides it in a carrier instead, as an eleven-month-old did with the parents taking turns.
- Ages 2-3At this age some children walk the whole bus terminal to Myojin Bridge loop unaided — a two-year-ten-month-old and a four-year-ten-month-old managed it, though their parents call it hard work, and small snacks and frequent stops were what kept it going. Bring a carrier anyway, and think twice before leaving the diapers behind: one three-year-old gave out past the Imperial Hotel turning and rode the rest of the way, a child just out of diapers asked for the toilet every fifteen minutes, and one family kept their two-year-ten-month-old in diapers and was glad of it.
- Ages 4-6Walking for its own sake wears thin at this age: a six-year-old who had lost interest revived with a sweet, then a shoulder ride and a word game. The stretch from Kappa Bridge toward Myojin is the dull part, short on scenery for children, and it turns fun again past Myojin Bridge, where boardwalks and open views begin.
By weatherRain, heat, cold
- Rainy dayThe whole walk is outdoors, and the only shelter sits around the bus terminal and in the hotel cafes. The Information Center next door to the terminal is heated and makes an easy rest stop; one family gave their one-year-old breakfast there.
- Hot dayAt 1,500 meters, Kamikochi averages 5 to 10 degrees Celsius cooler than central Matsumoto. An early-July walk left one family barely sweating.
- Cold dayMornings in early November run around 4 degrees, and shade feels far colder than sun, so thin layers you can take on and off work better than one thick coat. On a cold day the Kappa Bridge area alone is enough — one family with a one-year-old went no further — and on a cold October day the river can be too cold for a three-year-old to play in.
How was it with your kids?
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Family checks✓ easy for your family
- ElevatorElevator：not checked
- Stroller OKStroller friendly：with conditionsconditions
- RentalStroller rental：not checked
- NursingNursing space：with conditionsconditions
- ChangingDiaper changing table：with conditionsconditions
- Diaper binDiaper disposal bin：none
- Family WCFamily restroom：with conditionsconditions
- Own foodOutside food allowed：with conditionsconditions
- EnglishEnglish support：not checked
Tap a mark for details
* Other not checked (5)
Lost-child support, Kids' toilet seat & step stool, Official family-friendly certification, High chair, Best-fit ages (guide)
Green = we confirmed it. Gray = not checked yet. Gray with a line through = the place does not have it.
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Where it is
Address: Azumi Kamikochi, Matsumoto City, Nagano 390-1516.source
Before you go
- Kamikochi is closed to private cars all year, rental cars and motorcycles included, so you leave the car at Sawando on the Nagano side (800 yen a day) or Akandana on the Gifu side (600 yen a day) and ride a shuttle bus or taxi in, about 30 minutes either way.
- The bus out of Kamikochi toward Shin-Shimashima and Matsumoto has to be reserved (the old numbered waiting tickets are gone), and so does every direct bus from Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka; the last bus leaves the bus terminal around 6 p.m., a time the official site asks you to confirm when you book.
- The valley is shut from November 16 until mid-April — shops and hotels close and no transport runs beyond the Kama Tunnel — with the valley opening on April 17 (the grand opening ceremony is April 27) and closing on November 15.
- There are almost no trash cans anywhere in Kamikochi, so everything you bring goes home with you; one family carried a toddler's used diapers the whole way back.
- There is no bank or ATM in Kamikochi or at Sawando, and most public toilets are paid for by dropping a tip in a box, around 100 yen by one visitor's reckoning, so bring cash even though many places take cards.
- The loop from Kappa Bridge to Myojin Pond runs over gravel, boardwalk and steps and is close to impossible with a stroller, and toilets are plentiful around Kappa Bridge but sparse beyond it — pack a spare change of clothes, or just keep a newly potty-trained toddler in diapers for the day, if you are walking that far; the Information Center beside the bus terminal lends baby carriers.
- Places that serve food close around 3 p.m., and there is no shop or vending machine along the path between Taisho Pond and Kappa Bridge, so carry water and snacks.
Sources and evidence (41)
- The Kamikochi Information Center beside the bus terminal has a multipurpose room you can use for nursing; open 8:00–17:00, late April to November 15.source
- The Kamikochi Visitor Center near Kappa Bridge, on the left bank of the Azusa River, has a diaper changing space.source
- The same Visitor Center near Kappa Bridge, on the left bank of the Azusa River, has a family restroom.source
- One family pushed a one-year-old from Taisho Pond to Kappa Bridge, folding the stroller on the stony parts; gravel is rough and boardwalk is easy.source
- The loop from Kappa Bridge to Myojin Pond has gravel, boardwalk and steps, and is close to impossible with a stroller.source
- Kamikochi is an outdoor place: the point is walking the boardwalk and gravel trails, in rain as well as in sun.source
- Almost no trash cans of any kind are set up anywhere in Kamikochi; every visitor carries their own trash out.source
- Trash goes home with you as a matter of course, used diapers included, because there are no bins.source
- You may eat food you brought on the trails and at the riverbed; all trash goes home with you.source
- The official English FAQ says some places inside Kamikochi offer a special children's menu, without naming which ones.source
- Transfer parking costs 800 yen a day at Sawando and 600 yen at Akandana; once the date changes you pay for two days.source
- The Sawando shuttle is 1,600 yen one way and 3,000 yen return, half price for elementary schoolers; the Akandana side is 1,500 and 2,800 yen.source
- The Nakanoyu gate at the entrance is shut at night: it is open until 19:00 in spring and autumn, until 20:00 in July and August.source
- The season runs from the April 27 opening ceremony to November 15; the English site gives April 17, with a grand opening on April 27.source
- From November 16 until mid-April the valley is closed, facilities shut, and no transport runs beyond the Kama Tunnel.source
- Outside the season every facility closes, apart from a few lodgings that open only over the New Year holiday.source
- Buses from Kamikochi toward Shin-Shimashima and Matsumoto are reservation-only; the old numbered waiting tickets were abolished from 2020.source
- Direct buses from Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka require full advance reservation on every service.source
- Private cars are restricted all year: you park at Sawando or Akandana and change to a shuttle bus or taxi.source
- The shuttle from Sawando parking to the bus terminal takes about 30 minutes and leaves roughly every 30 minutes.source
- Private cars, rental cars and motorcycles alike cannot pass the Kama Tunnel at any time of year.source
- Akandana parking to Kamikochi takes about 30 minutes; Takayama IC to Akandana parking is about 45 minutes by car.source
- Address: Azumi Kamikochi, Matsumoto City, Nagano 390-1516.source
- Private vehicles, rental cars and motorcycles included, are prohibited beyond the Kama Tunnel.source
- The official English site warns in capital letters that you have to reserve your bus from Kamikochi to Shin-Shimashima or Matsumoto.source
- The last bus from Kamikochi Bus Terminal leaves around 6 p.m., and the site asks you to confirm it.source
- Through the winter all shops, hotels and other facilities are closed.source
- The Information Center lends baby carriers, and wheelchairs, to visitors.source
- Most public toilets run on tips paid into a box by the door; at the bus terminal you hand it to an attendant.source
- There is no bank and no bank ATM in Kamikochi, and the post office cannot pay out savings either.source
- Many facilities in Kamikochi do accept credit cards.source
- Buses from Kamikochi to Shin-Shimashima Station dropped the old numbered waiting tickets and became reservation-only, so the return trip needs a booking.source
- The Kamikochi Information Center stands next door to the bus terminal.source
- Toilets are plentiful around Kappa Bridge, but there are fewer of them toward Myojin.source
- One visitor's record suggests giving about 100 yen each time you use a public toilet.source
- There is no shop and no vending machine along the path between Taisho Pond and Kappa Bridge, so carry drinks and snacks.source
- One family carried a one-and-a-half-year-old's used diapers all the way home, since nothing can be thrown away on site.source
- Places that serve food close at around 3 p.m., which is tied to how early the last bus leaves.source
- There is no ATM at Sawando or in the Kamikochi area; inside Kamikochi most facilities take credit cards.source
- One family's three-year-old, just out of diapers, asked for the toilet every fifteen minutes, didn't always make it in time, and used up the spare clothes they had brought; the parents wished they had used a diaper that day.source
- Another family kept their two-year-ten-month-old in diapers for the day and were glad they had.source
Basics
- Fee：The Sawando shuttle is 1,600 yen one way and 3,000 yen return, half price for elementary schoolers; the Akandana side is 1,500 and 2,800 yen.source
- Hours：The Nakanoyu gate at the entrance is shut at night: it is open until 19:00 in spring and autumn, until 20:00 in July and August.source
- Booking：Buses from Kamikochi toward Shin-Shimashima and Matsumoto are reservation-only; the old numbered waiting tickets were abolished from 2020.sourceOfficial booking site ↗
Once you've decided
evidence & sources (8)
- db.go-nagano.net: Diaper changing table, Family restroom
- hiyoko-trip.jugem.jp: Stroller friendly
- note.com: Outside food allowed
- Official: Nursing space
- Official: Indoor / outdoor
- Official: Diaper disposal bin
- kamikochi.org: Kids' menu
- Official: main site
| Nursing space | Yes | The Kamikochi Information Center beside the bus terminal has a multipurpose room you can use for nursing; open 8:00–17:00, late April to November 15. | Web-checked | checked Sep ’26 | kamikochi.or.jp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diaper changing table | Yes | The Kamikochi Visitor Center near Kappa Bridge, on the left bank of the Azusa River, has a diaper changing space. | Web-checked | checked Oct ’24 | db.go-nagano.net |
| Family restroom | Yes | The same Visitor Center near Kappa Bridge, on the left bank of the Azusa River, has a family restroom. | Web-checked | checked Oct ’24 | db.go-nagano.net |
| Stroller friendly | Yes | One family pushed a one-year-old from Taisho Pond to Kappa Bridge, folding the stroller on the stony parts; gravel is rough and boardwalk is easy. | Web-checked | checked Sep ’10 | hiyoko-trip.jugem.jp |
| Lost-child supportExtra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| Indoor / outdoor | Outdoor | Kamikochi is an outdoor place: the point is walking the boardwalk and gravel trails, in rain as well as in sun. | Web-checked | checked Sep ’26 | kamikochi.or.jp |
| Diaper disposal bin | No | Almost no trash cans of any kind are set up anywhere in Kamikochi; every visitor carries their own trash out. | Web-checked | checked Sep ’26 | kamikochi.or.jp |
| Kids' toilet seat & step stool | Not checked yet | ||||
| Elevator | Not checked yet | ||||
| English support | Not checked yet | ||||
| Outside food allowed | Yes | You may eat food you brought on the trails and at the riverbed; all trash goes home with you. | Web-checked | checked Jun ’25 | note.com |
| Official family-friendly certificationExtra info — guide only | Not checked yet | ||||
| High chair | Not checked yet | ||||
| Kids' menu | Yes | The official English FAQ says some places inside Kamikochi offer a special children's menu, without naming which ones. | Web-checked | checked Sep ’26 | kamikochi.org |
| Best-fit ages (guide)Extra info — guide only | Not checked yet |
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