A hearty hello to all of our readers in Japan and around the globe!
With the world only a little more settled than it was this time last year, this past week brought good news in the form of Kamikochi’s early opening for Spring 2021.
A simple ceremony marking the opening of the Kama Tunnel to public transit (buses and taxis) was held on Saturday, April 17th, as seen here:
Amid light rain and temperatures around 7 degrees Celsius, the gates to the tunnel opened, allowing the passage of the first buses into the park. To prospective visitors, this means that Kamikochi is open for business until the closing day, November 2021. I say “open for business,” but the fact is that many businesses will remain closed until the official opening date of April 27th.
Perhaps the best news of all is that the early opening was not delayed as many, myself included, had feared it might be.
As for the current conditions within the park, they remain quite chilly with the opening day’s 7 degrees being a pretty good indication of what to expect. The above shot of Taisho Pond reminds us that the spring sky is simply beautiful on clear days.
As always, we thank the good folks at Five Sense for sharing their updates and images on their blog. It’s a perfect way to share current impressions of the situation in Kamikochi with our own readers.
We’ll be back with more news of the 2021 opening next week. Till then, stay safe and in good spirits.
Sources of Info:
Nature Guide Five Sense, Kamikochi blog: https://fivesense.guide/blog/today/29967/
