Mt Yake: day hike from Kamikochi

Mt Yake (焼岳, yake-dake) is one of Japan’s Hundred Famous Mountains located in the North Alps of Japan. It’s doable as an out-and-back day hike from Kamikochi - a very popular scenic spot in the North Alps for hikers and tourists alike. With a campsite available near the trailhead, it can also make for a more gentle introduction to combining hiking and camping, since you can leave the tent behind at the campsite while you hike, and come pick it back up on your return. There’s also an onsen nearby as well, which is great for those who might be a put off camping by the idea of not being able to have a hot shower at the end of the day.

This post is a bit of a throwback since I climbed Mt Yake back in September of 2023, before I was writing about my hikes on this blog.

With about a 5-hour train and bus journey from Tokyo, my friends and I arrived in Kamikochi around 12pm. It’s a really beautiful spot, so we spent some time exploring the river and some walking trails nearby.

Unfortunately we had to retreat to our tents quite early as it began to rain around 5pm. After a bit of a restless night of sleep (this was my very first time sleeping in a tent since I began hiking, actually) we began our hike the next morning at around 5am.

There are a couple of ladders on the trail which you’ll need to navigate.

Beyond that, the trail stretches out along a fairly rocky and bare path. The peak is constantly visible before you, which provides a nice bit of motivation as you climb up to the top.

Compared to nearly 2 years ago, I’m a lot more comfortable than I was before with doing solo hikes, which is definitely in part thanks to these friends who were willing to hike together with a newbie like me at the time. I’m really grateful to them!

As you approach the peak, you can see out to the river below, which leads out to Kamikochi.

The summit was pretty crowded with people!

There’s also a crater lake visible from the summit.

From here, we took the same route back to our campsite. There’s an onsen near the trailhead, so we stopped off there for a well-deserved soak.

Since it’s a tourist hotspot, there are plenty of food options in Kamikochi. I bought a tasty apple pie here, before heading back to our campsite to pack up our tent and head back home.

Hiking course options

Camping at Kamikochi

If you’re coming from Tokyo via public transport, your two options to hike Mt Yake would be to either take an overnight bus, or come the day before and spend a day in the Kamikochi area before beginning your hike nice and early the next day. I can imagine staying in proper accomodation can get rather pricey, considering how popular Kamikochi is as a tourist destination, but luckily there is also a large campsite right nearby, called the Konashidaira Campsite.

This is popular with hikers and non-hikers alike, so I would say that compared to a campsite up on the side of a mountain used only by hikers, this one can be a little bit more rowdy since people have the energy to stay up a little later. As well as hikers basing themselves here to do Mt Yake as a day hike, people will camp here for a night before proceeding onwards further into the North Alps to do overnight tent hikes to other mountains like Mt Yari.

You can reserve a spot online which is recommended in the busier summer season, or just show up on the day.

This was my first time sleeping in a tent since moving to Japan, and I had barely done it in Australia prior to that (maybe the last time was on a mandatory school camping trip). So I went into it with some trepidation. For me, sleeping in a tent was more of a means to an end - not necessarily something to do for fun, but more so I can climb these less-accessible mountains.

I went with two other friends - one who was our more experienced hiking senpai, who had a spare 2-person tent he was kind enough to bring along for us to use. So my other friend and I shared that second two-person tent. I don’t think I slept that well, and I think I’d like a little more personal space than what I got in a 2-person tent with another person, but it was definitely better than the sleep I would have gotten if I had come on an overnight bus instead.

Since then I’ve been on a roadtrip to Hokkaido where we spent more than a week sleeping in a tent, so I’d say I’m a bit more used to it now and can get some pretty good sleep. I can’t say I’ve become a proper tent-hiker though, and still prefer the luxury of a mountain hut if I can get it - but I think that’s also more-so the fact that carrying a tent and sleeping gear is heavy and I don’t really have the stamina to do that plus a long hike these days.

Public transport access to Kamikochi

Option A: Bus from Shinjuku (day or overnight bus)

The Alpico bus company runs buses from Shinjuku to Kamikochi - you can see their timetable here. The daytime route takes around 5 hours. You can jump on a bus at around 7am from Shinjuku and get to Kamikochi around 12pm. Alternately, you can get on a night bus at 10:30pm, and it will drop you off at Kamikochi at 5:20am where you can begin your hike straightaway. These buses will stop at multiple points along the route at highway service areas to let you stretch your legs and take a toilet break.

You’ll be paying somewhere between 10,000 to 12,000 yen one-way for a trip during the day time, and 12,000 - 14,000 for an overnight bus.

Option B: Train via Matsumoto

If you don’t want to take the bus, or don’t live near Shinjuku, you can get on a limited express train out to Matsumoto station - these are on the JR line, but you will need to book a seat reservation fare separately.

Once at Matsumoto station, after you exit the ticket barriers there should be a ticket booth where you can purchase a combined train and bus ticket bundle to get to Kamikochi. You’ll first transfer to a local train to get to Shinshimashima Station (新島々駅). This is on the “Kamikochi line” run by the Alpico company (the same bus company as in option A) so it’s basically catered towards hikers and tourists. From there, finally you will get on a one-hour bus to get to Kamikochi.

This trip will also cost you around 10,000 yen, and takes about the same time as the bus in option A. Looking at Google Maps, there are a number of other combinations you can take to get to Kamikochi as well, including a direct bus that leaves from Matsumoto station.

We went with option B. My friend planned this trip, and he doesn’t live too close to Shinjuku, so I think that’s why we went with this option, and it does seem to be a tiny bit cheaper. I think if you live near enough to Shinjuku, option A is probably better just to save you on the hassle of having to think about the multiple bus and train transfers you will need to take.

Public transport from Kamikochi

You will be able to take a similar route to get back home, either reserving a direct bus, or taking the combination of bus and train home. We took the same combination in reserve home, and were able to buy these tickets online after our hike.

Car access

For environmental reasons, you can not access Kamikochi directly by car. You will need to park your car at Sawando Parking Area or Hirayu Onsen Area (Sawando is closer if you are coming from Tokyo). The carpark will cost you 600 - 700 yen (according to their official website). From there you need to get a shuttle bus for the final 30-minute stretch. You can see the bus timetable here but it seems like they are running every 30 minutes from 5am to around 4pm.

Alternatively, coming via the Shinnaka-no-yu trailhead (新中の湯登山口) provides direct access via car, and lets you do the hike in 5 hours.

When to hike Mt Yake

If you want to hike Mt Yake safely without any snow, your hiking season will be between June and October. There’s a rather tall ladder at one point during the hike. Nagano Prefecture actually removes this ladder during the colder months. It looks like in 2025 the ladder was only in place between mid-May and mid-October, so you won’t be able to climb via Kamikochi if the ladder is not there.

Note that although the ladder is available from mid-May, the report linked above mentions that there is still snow at this time, and that ice axes and crampons are recommended. So even if the ladder is in-place, I would recommend double-checking the latest trail conditions on YAMAP and/or holding off until June or July when the snow has properly melted.

As a further side note, Kamikochi is fully closed off between mid-November and mid-April, and the shuttle buses are not running at all, so you won’t be able to come in this season, even if you just want to sightsee.

Read more

Hiking in Japan

Best hikes in Japan

Day hikes from Tokyo

Mountains with a Fuji view

Winter hiking in Tokyo

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Comments

Abdul Rafay

28 July 2025

Here is the thing, I have never traveled to Japan, but now.. I am thinking, Plus I found your blog post on Astro and Images the coment section is not loading when I logged in with github, Might want to check that out, other wise, Nice Article

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