1-Day Tour from Nagano and Matsumoto Kamikochi & Matsumoto Castle
Description
Defined by its mountains and natural landscapes, Central Japan is the literal heartland of this beautiful country and a road less travelled by many international visitors. This engaging one-day tour takes you to Matsumoto Castle - one of the few remaining original castles in Japan and a registered National Treasure - before heading high into the grandeur of the North Alps and onto the protected alpine oasis of Kamikochi. Led by a locally-based guide and including lunch and direct transport to and from Kamikochi, this tour captures the essence of Central Japan by combining two of its most iconic destinations.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Your guide will lead you around the historic grounds of the castle while introducing you to its history, legends and secrets. Should you wish to, you can enter the castle itself and climb all the way to the top-floor of its six storeys or simply take the time to relax outside.
Stroll through the streets of Nawate-dori, also known as “Frog Street”, which is home to more than 50 shops, restaurants, and cafes most famous for selling all things frog-related.
Situated 1500 meters above sea level deep within the Chubu Sangaku National Park, Kamikochi is famous for its pristine natural state, beautiful rivers and ponds, lush forests, and dramatic mountain peaks rising to over 3000 meters. Your guide will lead you along a gentle walking trail starting at Taisho Pond and following the stunningly azure Azusa River, through mixed forest and onto to the parks famous Kappabashi (Kappa Bridge). Taking around 1.5 hours to complete the walk, you'll then have another 1.5 hours to yourself to grab a snack or coffee or walk a little further along the river. Set against the majestic backdrop of Mount Hodataka, Kamikochi never fails to thrill guests and is often listed as one of Japan’s best experiences.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
This tour offers three different pick up locations: 1. Hotel Kokusai 21 in Nagano City at 07:50 2. Nagano Station in front of the information board right across the bullet train exit gates at 08:15 3. Matsumoto Station At the West Exit of the station, in front of the taxi stand at 09:45. Be sure to look for the guide wearing a SNOW MONKEY RESORTS tour tag.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- This tour is scheduled to conclude at Matsumoto Station by 18:30 and return to Nagano Station by 20:00-20:15. However, we cannot guarantee the end time as traffic could cause delays. For guests booking onward tickets to other destinations, we recommend doing so for times of 19:00 or later from Matsumoto, and 20:45 or later from Nagano Station.
- All listed events, activities, and experiences are subject to availability. Please note that while certain tour options may appear bookable through our platforms, this does not guarantee that every experience can be carried out as scheduled in the tour itinerary. Many activities require direct confirmation with our partner venues, and availability may vary based on the date and other factors. Should any part of your ordered itinerary require adjustment or deviation from the original schedule, or if a specific experience is unavailable, we will contact you promptly to discuss suitable alternatives or amendments.
Reviews(119)
Endo was a great guide. He was very knowledgeable. The scenery was beautiful.
Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to leave us a review! We're delighted to hear that you enjoyed the beautiful scenery and that Endo helped make your experience a memorable one. We'll be sure to pass along your kind words to him! And thank you for choosing Snow Monkey Resorts! We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you back to Japan for another adventure in the future!
This experience was absolutely amazing!! My tour guide was Hiroshi; he was incredibly kind, knowledgeable, and mindful throughout the entire experience. The order of tour sites was preplanned however, Hiroshi informed me that he was modifying the order in which we were going to do the tour based on the day-of weather report. As a result, I had the most incredible experience at each site with weather to match. Hiroshi was so kind and his efforts did not go unnoticed. I was actually the only person that signed up for this tour on this date and I felt so safe with him. Hiroshi provided me with incredible recommendations for the free time I was given and for Nagano Prefecture in general. I could not be more grateful for Hiroshi and the way in which this tour was planned. The views were amazing, the transportation was fantastic, and I learned so much about the history of Nagano City and Matsumoto. Thank you, Hiroshi for an incredible day! I highly recommend this tour to all.
Thank you so much for taking the time to share such a wonderful review! We're delighted (but not surprised) to hear that you had such an incredible experience with Hiroshi. He is very passionate about creating memorable experiences for our guests, and we're so pleased that his knowledge, kindness, and thoughtful adjustments to the itinerary helped make the most of the day's grey weather. We'll be sure to pass your kind words on to Hiroshi as we are sure they will mean a great deal to him. Thank you for choosing Snow Monkey Resorts. We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you back to Japan for another adventure in the future!
Kei did an amazing job providing an informative and relaxing tour of Matsumoto castle and Kamikochi national park. She answered all of our many questions, and went out of her way to assist us with a slightly complicated bus ticket purchase since we went to our next destination directly from Kamikochi. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I wouldn’t hesitate to book another tour organized by Snow Monkeys and hopefully our next guide will be just as great as Kei was.
We want to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to write such a heartfelt review. We're delighted to hear that you had such an enjoyable experience with Kei. We know that she takes great pride in sharing the history and natural beauty of Matsumoto and Kamikochi, and we're very happy to hear that she was able to answer all your questions and assist with your onward travel arrangements. We made sure to pass your kind words along to Kei! We look forward to welcoming you on another Snow Monkey Resorts tour in the future, should you ever find your way back to Japan. We hope to see you again soon!
I highly recommend this experience! My guide, Kieron, was incredibly knowledgeable, made the tour tons of fun, and handled every detail seamlessly so I could just relax and enjoy the sights. For me, this tour was the perfect combination of culture and nature. Because of the distances between the locations, I never could have completed this itinerary on my own using public transportation.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review and recommendation! We're delighted to hear that you had such an enjoyable experience! It's especially rewarding to know that you were able to relax and enjoy the day while we took care of the logistics. We always strive to offer our guests not only an engaging tour but a comfortable one. That's why we're also pleased that the itinerary allowed you to visit places that would have been difficult to reach using public transportation. Thank you again for choosing to travel with us. We truly appreciate your kind words and hope to welcome you back on another tour in the future!
2nd point Picked up from Matsumoto station. The first point was Nagano. This, the high fee is due to transport. However, no discount for pick-up at Matsumoto. On the other hand, can sleep longer and return to Matsumoto earlier. Very friendly and helpful guide. He has good local knowledge. Make sure wear suitable shoes for hiking and wear suitable attire for the cool temperature.
Luka is a very considerate and helpful. The service of the company was wonderful. We had a wonderful time.
I'm happy to take a day bus tour of Matsumoto Castle and Kamikochi and charter it for weekdays. If I get another chance, I'd love to attend.
Kieron was great, thanks for the tour
We had a good time on this day trip. Kieron was a great guide and we enjoyed his insights, as well had some nice conversations. Kamikochi was the highlight of the trip, it is such an amazing spot and we had a lot of fun there! I would suggest to make the Matsumoto part of the trip shorter to accommodate a bit longer experience in Kamikochi, as the time spent there felt a bit short. Otherwise, the day trip was a great value for money and we can recommend it!
Our tour from Nagano was the 2 of us joined by another couple, so with our guide Taka it was only 5 of us in a comfortable van. I really appreciate the small sizes of the groups. Matsumoto Castle was beautiful but be prepared for lots of people and climbing up and down steep castle stairs. After time walking around Matsumoto City, bus to Kamakura. Lots of tunnels since it's in the mountains. Beautiful walk in Kamakura with gorgeous views and lots of monkeys to see. We then transferred to a different bus to continue to Takayama with a new guide, Harry. Harry was so friendly and gave many great tips and suggestions for Takayama and for the rest of our trip. Highly recommend!
