kamikochi & takayama

we left Matsumoto with parting gifts of origami cranes from our hosts and got on a train bound for Kamikochi National Park, high up in the alps. we left the brightly-coloured tour groups behind when we set out on a trail up Yakedake Mountain, a route described by the pamphlet as "popular with non-Japanese hikers".

after walking uphill through the forest for about an hour and a half, we finally had to turn back when the snow became too treacherous. but on the way back down, we heard a kind of yelping screech as a large animal jumped off of the path ahead of us. it stopped a couple of meters away to watch us calmly - it looked like a cross between a deer, a pig, and a tapir, and it moved kind of like a goat. eventually, it turned and continued downhill, crashing through the undergrowth; we followed each other a little further down the path until it hopped away on the hillside.

turns out, it was a Japanese serow or kamoshika: a "goat-antelope" described by the park's official website as "a prized sighting for any alpine traveler." we also saw a monkey (from the bus window), a cool lizard, and a sign saying to watch out for black bears.

despite the altitude, it was a hot day. we chugged mountain spring water and caught a bus headed for Takayama, where we had a room booked in another ryokan. this town is beautiful but also very touristy, so we mostly just wandered around before getting burgers for dinner at "Center4 Hamburgers" [sic].

Kamikochi

 

 

sunset over Takayama