Japan Alps 日本アルプ

Japan is known to be very mountainous, and we couldn't possibly storm through it without checking out one of its most common landscapes. Our route was complete with a couple of days layover in the North Alps, making the town of Matsumoto our base. It turned out to be pretty easy to get in and out of there, and we were able to access the mountains with a train/ bus system and a rental car. 

On our first day the weather just happened to be spot on, making it an ideal hiking day. We headed out of Matsumoto with a regional train that took us to the starting point of the bus that further took us  up to the national park and Kamikōchi. The thing is, private vehicles cannot access the last stretch of this road, so either way you need to get on that bus eventually. 

Having spent so much time in the European Alps, we tend to have certain expectations when it comes to mountains. I guess it is to say, we form some sort of connection between mountains and solitude. Well, as the bus dropped us off in Kamikōchi, we could kiss that feeling of solitude goodbye. No word even remotely similar could describe this place. We were obviously in a very popular place, filled with Japanese tourist mixed with hikers. But really no wonder, because this little spot up in the national park (1500m) is so easily accessible and offers really effortless yet scenic walks along the highlands and the Azusa river. The further from the starting point we got, the less people we encountered but at the same time we kinda lost the sense of the right direction and ended up just walking along the river. We were quite disappointed by the 'flat' trail we walked on, but that was really just our bad...and after chatting up with few hikers we got the impression that many of the hikes are multi-day ones. Well, at the end of it, we were outdoors and the views were nonetheless pretty: The crystal clear river, snowy mountaintops and lime green trees. A really magnificent spring scenario. 

Two observations that really took us by surprise on that trail were that first, there were monkeys on our way and second, all the Japanese hikers had the latest everything on them. I mean, it's usual that when you go for a hike you take your camera with you, but we're talking about the professional full frame DSLRs with the ridiculously expensive lenses. And the general hiking gear included everything from brand new backpacks to the most hardcore ice axes (not sure these old people all went that high up!). Definitely a new scope of walking equipment. Aside from that, it was actually cool to get a fill-up on beverages in those mountain cottages that had extensive vending machines right in front of them - try to find that in the French Alps! ;)

KAMIKŌCHI 上高地 

SHIRAHONE HOT SPRINGS  白骨温泉

The next day the weather took a bad turn and instead of getting up the mountain on a bus, we got a rental car and drove up the mountain to this remote onsen (Japanese hot spring). As huge fans of hot springs in general (and knowing how big part of local culture these are), this was certainly on our list of things to experience while in Japan. And what's really a better way to spend a gloomy day than lounge in a hot pool, relax and be surrounded by pristine nature?

We already knew that there's a rather strict dress code (read: no swimwear) for these bathes, but we weren't quite sure how it would all work out. Out of curiosity, we bought the tickets, entered and got undressed. It actually was quite a cold day up in the altitude and we had this little dressing room with a hot fan, and as soon as we got out of our clothes, we moved to this little hidden entry where we could slowly walk into the milky blue, warm water. Such an Iceland déjà vu. The interesting thing about this onsen was that it's a mixed-gender bath*, so naturally we felt a bit...what's the word...awkward at first. But as soon as I was convinced that no one can actually see through that water, I started to relax and enjoy the experience. After half an hour, I felt like I've always done this. This wasn't weird at all. Well, frankly, I draw the line to this outdoor pool and didn't even try the indoor pools as I wanted to keep the naked confrontations to the minimal. After all, I had just extended my comfort zone like five minutes ago. Back being dressed and heading to the car, the rain started to fall and the nice and warm (or hot) feeling of that velvety water was only a distant memory. So now I understood the beauty of these hot springs, but I'd still take the Icelandic style over the Japanese one! ;) 

Pro: Totally lost in the middle of nature and the authentic feel.

Con: Can't wear a swimsuit and cannot take pictures, hence the strict etiquette (read more in the tips & links section down below).

At first we were a bit sceptical about renting a car (left-hand traffic and no one speaks English at the car rental), but it turned out to be the bliss of that rainy day giving us all the freedom to get around not only the mountain roads, but the valley around Matsumoto as well. We even looked up this wine road (yea that sounds a tad random!) and went to check out one of its wineries. A full-on tasting, a cave visit and some small bottles to bring home as souvenirs...not too bad considering it was not at all on the agenda.  

WINE ROAD