In some respects, August of this year has been typical. A slew of hot days earlier in the month saw visitors to Kamikochi busting down to their shorts to enjoy brisk hikes through the crowds and the summer heat. I myself got caught up in an interminable saga of moving house from Suwa to Chikuma, which explains why blog updates have been a bit sparse of late. ごめん。
But let’s get down to business. I hope to be following up today’s (brief) report with links to blogs from other international visitors to Kamikochi, so if any of you feel like sharing your own pictures, by all means mention it in the comments below. On to the mid-summer report:
If you found yourself in Kamikochi yesterday, you may well have wished you’s chosen a different day. The rain was swelling and a kappa wasn’t so much a utily as it was wishful thinking. One of the many upshots of rainy weather, however, is how it changes the coloof the water by shifting the silt under the surface. In the span of a day, you can sea the normally crystal-clear waters of the Azusa turn a rich tea color.
Raindrops also showcase a special quality of shinanozasa (信濃笹), namely the manner in which the leaves repel water in much the same way that lotus leaves do.
Today (Tuesday the 18th) was, of course, a different story. Rain gave way to a pleasing mix of sun and clouds with blue skies that really highlighted the radiant blue color seen in deep sections of the Azusa:
Even in nearby Matsumoto, it took until midday to get really hot, so Kamikochi would have been just about perfect.
As a timely reminder of one of the most important points of planning your trip, we offer the following: long term weather forecasts can be unreliable, so be sure to check the most recent ones available.
If you have any questions, please feel free to visit our Facebook page and post on our wall: https://www.facebook.com/kamikochi Also, if you have any pictures of Kamikochi you think the world should see, by all means share them.
Source of Information:
National Park Guide website: http://npg-alps.net/blog
