You can arrive at this amazingly beautiful place after just a 3-hour drive from Tokyo. Get off the Chuo-highway at Matsumoto and visit Castle Matsumoto, also called Black Castle too. It was Lotus flower season and their were white swans in the moat.
You have to park your car at the Sawando parking area, and everyone has to take a bus or taxi to Kamikoch. It's great fun to row a boat at Taisho Pond where the water is clear and as cold as ice water. The Hodaka mountains view is so breathtakingly beautiful walking along the Azusa river side…
From Kappa-bashi, after a 2-hour trek, you suddenly reach a very mysteriously beautiful pond called Myojin Pond. Shirahone Onsen (hot spring) has an outdoor public bath where you can relax your tired feet and soul. You might enjoy a star-filled night sky if you are lucky.
