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(126)
A wonderful experience with our guide Shawn and driver Ikeda. This tour was really nice to discover both the Matsumoto city and specially the incredible castle. Hiking in Kamikochi was also a really good moment and we had the chance to see wild ( nice) monkeys . Thanks again Shawn !
Nice tour guide with great hospitality. The view of Kamikochi is perfect. A very worth going tour.
Thank you so much for leaving a review! We are so glad you enjoyed the tour and had a great experience with our guide. The scenery in Kamikochi is truly breathtaking, and we are happy to hear that it lived up to expectations for you. Knowing that you found the day so worthwhile means a lot to our entire team. Thank you again for joining us, and we hope to welcome you back to Japan again in the future!
Nice trip and good tour guide 😀
Thank you for sharing your feedback with us! We are delighted to hear that you had a nice trip and enjoyed your time with our guide. It was a pleasure having you on the tour, and we hope you took home some wonderful memories of Kamikochi and Matsumoto Castle. We hope to see you again on your next journey through Japan!
Kevin took us to these varied locations without any stress. Highly recommended!!!‘
Vielen Dank für das tolle Feedback! Es freut uns riesig, dass euch die abwechslungsreiche Tour in der kleinen Gruppe so gut gefallen hat. Ein stressfreies und entspanntes Erlebnis ist uns besonders wichtig, daher leiten wir euer großes Lob sehr gerne an Kevin weiter. Er wird sich bestimmt riesig darüber freuen! Vielen Dank für die Empfehlung, und wir hoffen, euch ganz bald wieder auf einer unserer Touren begrüßen zu dürfen!
Great tour and our guide Kevin made it interesting, kept the tour moving, was the right mix of personal and professional and we really loved our time today. If you’ve got a day in Nagano, do this tour.
Thank you so much for the fantastic review and strong recommendation! We are delighted to hear you enjoyed the mix of history and nature, and that Kevin helped make the day so memorable. Striking that right balance between professional service and a personal, welcoming touch is something we always strive for, so hearing that Kevin hit the mark means a lot to us. Thank you again for spending your day in Nagano with us, and we hope to see you on another Japan adventure soon!
The tour was very well organised, including lovely sights and beautiful nature. Our guide Kevin was very knowledgable and made this an amazing experience for us.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write a review! We are so pleased to hear that you enjoyed the blend of nature and sights on this route. Having a well organized day lets everyone relax and fully take in the views, so it is great to know everything ran smoothly. Kevin will be thrilled to hear that his local knowledge helped make the tour such an amazing experience for you. Thank you again for joining us from Nagano, and we hope you have many more wonderful travels in Japan ahead!
This trip was fun, full of surprises and unforgettable memories. The guide also enthusiastically introduced many of Nagano's winners as well as many well-known outstanding talents. Also when watching a visit to the castle, the time to remind us of safety. And I most wanted to go to the highlands, also surprised to meet the black bear, and our peaceful arrival destination, the landscape is also amazing, the beauty of the highlands made me want to repeatedly visit, careful guidance, also made me more like Nagano. Although Japan is very hot, guides will also remind us from time to time to pay attention to the body supplementation of moisture, the guide is attentive to the introduction and the driver's big brother's driving technique is also stable, so that I can relax and relax on a tired day of travel. That was a great trip.
非常感謝您分享這麼詳細又溫馨的心得！ 很高興聽到您對導遊的細心解說以及司機大哥穩健的開車技術感到滿意。上高地的自然景致確實美不胜收，能在行程中平平安安地體驗到難得的驚喜，並留下美好的回憶，對我們來說就是最好的鼓勵。 在日本炎熱的天氣裡，能為您的旅程帶來舒適與安心是我們的榮幸。導遊和司機聽到您的讚美一定會非常高興！再次感謝您選擇我們的行程，希望未來還有機會能歡迎您再次來到長野，繼續探索這片美麗的地方！
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!
