trip report 10 days Japanese alps November 2025

Japan trip report 

Me: solo traveler, woman in 30s. Interested in art museums, cultural attractions, hiking, and walking around cities. Not interested in bars or night life sorry

Background: this was my 2nd trip to Japan, so already did Golden Route. Looking for something less crowded, and the promised nature of the Japanese Alps appealed to me, combining fall colors and little towns. I knew from my prior trip that I would appreciate the intimate smaller destinations, rather than the big cities. Cautiously optimistic about food, but I discovered on my prior trip that the Japanese food profile seems a bit one-note to me: everything is marinated in a sweet soy sauce (exhibit A is the sweetened eggs). Maybe I need to be upping my budget for food and eating at higher end places. 

Itinerary: Kanazawa, Shirakawa-go, Takayama, Kamikochi, Matsumoto in early Nov 2025 

Day 1 Kanazawa (3 nights)

• Flew into Osaka KIX in late morning and breezed through customs, maybe through luck during a lull in international arrivals? Also I noticed that a lot of people stopped to fill out the paper or electronic customs immigration forms. But I already filled them out on the plane, so was able to bypass the other plane passengers. 
• Tip: you can buy train tickets from the tourist info booth in the arrivals hall, I was able to buy train tickets to Kanazawa from them. This was helpful as there wasn't a line. Later on, I walked past the train ticket office which was jam packed with a long queue. 
• Google maps is your friend. I just followed Google maps to figure out which train to take, it had me taking a train from the airport to Shin-Osaka, then JR limited express train to Tsuruga, then transfer to shinkansen to Kanazawa. Also I forgot: put both tickets (shinkansen and JR limited express) into the ticket machine at the station exit, otherwise you'll get an error message.
• Arrived at Kanazawa train station in the afternoon, staying at a hotel south of the castle gardens. It was a pleasant 30min walk after a long day of sitting on plane/trains. 
• Sunset in Nov arrives early 5pm, so I had limited time. I walked over to the castle park, and saw signage advertising a garden nighttime light-up event (on weekends). I walked through to get the lay of the land for the next day, also saw Kanazawa castle lit up.

Day 2: 

• Forecast for rain, so brought the hotel umbrella with me. Decided to walk all the way to the geisha Higashi Chaya district for morning coffee (prob not worth it), then backtracked to the castle park area, since I had seen a free English guided tour advertised near the eastern Ishikawa gate. The guy was really nice, provided a short 20min tour of the park grounds. I was impressed mostly by his walking speed though, he must have been twice my age and I had to hustle to keep up. I would recommend this only if you happen to be in the area and the timing is convenient. Otherwise it wasn't anything special. I skipped the castle interior since I was planning on visiting Matsumoto castle, which is in better preserved condition. 
• Toured the famed Kenroku-en gardens, one of the top 3 gardens in Japan. As this was a holiday weekend, was jam packed with domestic as well as international tourists. However, the garden layout with its winding paths and small hills meant that most of the tourists were blocked from my immediate view, and I could find little pockets of calm. The iconic Kotoji Toro stone lantern still had a line to view up-close though. I can see how the garden won its accolades. Garden was worth it. 
• Had the best lunch at a izakaya, with the freshest sashimi I've had in awhile. No English spoken and no English menu, just use Google translate. Cash only. 
• Continued to rain on and off all day, alternating between downpours and sunshine. This didn't seem to dampen the crowds though. 
• Toured the Nagamachi samurai district, including some of the lower level samurai and foot soldier former dwellings. I enjoyed this since it was less crowded. Similar chill vibes for the Kazuemachi Chaya geisha district across the Asano-gawa river. 
• Since it was getting dark again, ventured to the 21st century museum of contemporary art which was open until 6 and had some free areas. The public entry space is also open later, seems to serve as a social gathering area. I enjoyed the architecture and had heard that the building was circular with glass walls to invite people in and make the art accessible from any entrance. The free area included a James Turrell which I appreciated especially at dusk. This was a good use of my early evening. 

Day 3:

• Learned my lesson and headed to a local cafe for breakfast. Arrived at 8:20 at a cafe that opened at 8a, to be greeted with a line out the door (because of holiday weekend)? Initially I thought it was because of a tour group, but I don't think the guests were connected. Looked on Google maps and another nearby cafe opened at 8:30, so headed there instead, and was able to sit down at 8:30a. I didn't realize that with limited seating, you have to show up before opening or alternatively queue if late, even as a solo traveler. 
• Toured Oyama shrine and Omicho market. The number of people eating raw seafood for breakfast was impressive.
• Headed again to Higashi Chaya geisha district, since the day prior I was there before shops opened. Walked through minor geisha Kazuemachi Chaya on my way there, fun to walk through the very narrow alleyways. Joined all the door traffic around Higashi Chaya, had an ok set lunch and browsed the shops. The Kinpakuya Saduka gold leaf showroom was particularly impressive, watching each worker do their part towards the final goal. It definitely involves more steps than I imagined. Its location off the main streets may have explained why it was uncrowded, and I enjoyed observing the workers in their element. 
• Walked up to Hosenji temple for nice views, spotted the castle and mountains in the distance. This was also nice for getting away from the crowds. 
• I had nabbed same day tickets for a geisha performance that evening. I had some time to kill, so backtracked to Kanazawa shrine which was cool to learn about the myth of the city's founding 
• Spent 30ish minutes in Ishikawa prefectural museum of art since the permanent collection was free that day. It's pretty small. Their premier item is a pheasant-shaped enamel incense burner. 
• Stumbled upon the water mirror garden (part of the D.T. Suzuki museum) and was transfixed. Cool that in the age of social media, I can still find unexpected gems. 
• Also stumbled upon a preserved maichya townhouse museum? Also cool to walk through. 
• Hightailed it back to Kaikaro in Higashi Chaya for the geisha performance. Tickets were sorta expensive 14,000yen, but I guess you're paying to experience a dying art, and contributing to its preservation. I did enjoy learning more about geiko and the preparation surrounding their performance. 

Day 4: Shirakawa-go 

• Finally a string of sunny days arrived. Bought bus tickets the day before for the first bus from Kanazawa at 8:10a, arriving at Shirakawa-go at 9:25a, since I was trying to avoid the worst of the crowds. By the time I arrived, I was way too late. To avoid crowds, you likely would need to arrive before, or I suspect in the late afternoon. The bus station luggage lockers were all occupied, so I stood in line to store my luggage at the adjacent building.
• I spent my 4 hour layover seeing Wada House (cool architecture, cultivating silkworms in the attic and gunpowder ingredients in the basement), Myozen-ji (bell tower roof done up in the same thatched roof style as the houses), wandering around up to the observation deck, getting sake-flavored ice cream. Definitely would be more enjoyable with less people. I feel bad for the residents who have to deal with this every day. I would recommend maybe timing your arrival for late afternoon, although with limited daylight, you might feel rushed. I could have spent more time there (would have visited the open air museum), but it was nice to leave the hordes and proceed to the next stop. 
• Prebooked 1:30p bus ticket from Shirakawa-go arriving at Takayama at 2:20p. Bus ride was very scenic, as the fall colors blazed at higher elevations with some light snow dusting on the higher peaks. I had reserved a hotel near the train station, which was very convenient. The tourist numbers were very notable, since the best-preserved old town touristy area is compressed into three short streets (Sanmachi area).
• I escaped by taking the Higashiyama walking course up to the Takayama Castle ruins and then over to the shrine/temple area east of Enako-gawa river. I didn't have enough daylight to finish it, so I headed to the Takayama town museum which was open until 7p for a great introduction to Takayama's festival floats/puppets, woodworking, and a model of what the castle looked like. 

Day 5: Takayama (2 nights)

• Definitely a bit nippy at the higher elevation. Coffee at Falo coffee brewers was solid. Bought some apples at the morning markets.
• Toured Takayama Jinya, which was a unique peek into government life during the Edo period. I particularly enjoyed the storage room for all the collected taxes in the form of rice sacks. You will need to remove your shoes, my feet got a bit cold. 
• Spent the rest of the day completing the rest of the Higashiyama walking course and visiting all the shrines/temples (supposedly, various parts of Takayama castle had been relocated to some of the shrines/temples, such as the former bell tower and moon-viewing pavilion). Some of the signage was confusing, but I just kept on referring back to google maps. Found a QR code at the tourist office for an online audio guide, so used that to guide me around various city sites. 

Day 6: Hirayu onsen (1 night)

• I appreciated that Takayama had cafes that opened early (like at 7a), this was not true for any of the other cities I visited. Alas, many other tourists must have felt the same, I felt that we all converged at the same cafes seeking coffee. Got an early start to my day, brisk 30min walk through non-touristy areas over to the open air museum, was the first one in at 8:30a. I really enjoyed this, probably because it wasn't crowded this early, got my fill of thatched houses vs shingled houses. By the time I left, it was definitely getting more crowded. 
• Walked over to Hikaru museum and arrived around their opening time 10a. The museum's exhibits posters plastered around town had caught my eye, advertising Hokusai's Thirty-six views of mt fuji. This was pretty cool since I only had seen a few pieces before, but not the complete set. I admired the ukiyo-e with just a handful of other people around. 
• Back at the train station (continguous with the bus station), bought an on-the-spot bus ticket to Hirayu onsen leaving at 12:40. These bus route tickets cannot be purchased online in advance.
• I arrived at Hirayu onsen area around 1:40p. Spent some time at the tourist info center learning about the volcanic activity and geological forces that created this landscape. Had reserved a room at Hirayu no mori hotel (with several outdoor hot spring pools), so was able to drop my luggage off, and hiked out to Hirayuo waterfall to kill time before checkin at 3p. Afterwards, it was onsen time. Thankfully, the cool weather balanced the onsen heat. Even then, I had to perch halfway out of the water to stay comfortable, and had to switch to the cooler-temp pools occasionally. Also found the private bath area which was a nice setup, but the water temp was way too hot for me. 

Day 7: Kamikochi

• Really excited, as this was one of the main draws of my planned travel route. Skipped the morning onsen dip (heresy I know), so that I could catch the 7:30a bus to Kamikochi arriving just before 8a, joining the many visitors already basking in the fall colors and clear skies. Started at iconic Kappa-bashi bridge up to Dakesawa marsh. Sought out some elevation gain on the trail up to Dakesawa hut, but encountered a "CLOSED" sign at the turnoff (although no actual barriers), so instead hiked up to Tokusawa with a stop at Myojin pond to see the shrine. I would classify this hike as easy, relatively flat, essentially walking on the valley floor with expansive views of the mountains rising up on either side. My favorite section was from Myojin to Tokusawa, only because it was less crowded.
• Looped back to the bus terminal and down to Tashiro Pond (at this point, late afternoon). Earlier in the week after confirming good weather, I had booked tickets for the 4:40p departure from Kamikochi to Shin-shimashima, where I would need to buy a train ticket to Matsumoto. 
• Overall, I enjoyed the less crowded stretches (early morning, late afternoon, and near Tokusawa) and fall colors. I still felt lucky to experience it, as Kamikochi was slated to close on Nov 15.

Day 8: Matsumoto (4 nights)

• Was staying at a business hotel (incredible value) near the train station. Had the Japanese breakfast, which meant fried chicken for breakfast. 
• walked over to the open air museum (featuring former gov building and silkworm processing plant) and then the adjacent Ukiyo-e museum (I enjoyed Takayama's Hikaru uikyo-e exhibit more). 
• After a lunch set at a local restaurant near the train station, browsed Nawate & Nakamachi shopping street, Genchi well (refilled my water bottle), and Agatanomori Park for more fall colors. If I hadn't been to Kamikochi, the park's fall colors would have sufficed. 

Day 9: 

• Rain in the forecast. Tried fish for breakfast as part of the hotel spread, enjoyed the fish, less so the fishy aftertaste in the early AM. Happy that they provided coffee, but had to settle for drinking it black, as they didn't provide any milk to add to my cup. I did notice that Japanese specialty coffee favors pourovers rather than espresso-based drinks. 
• Matsumoto Castle (tip, go early or late. Otherwise, prepare for a wait) tickets were totally worth it for the up-close look at the interior, steep wooden steps, and moon-viewing pavilion.
• Visited Suzuki memorial hall to relive my childhood struggle over learning stringed instruments. Suzuki's holistic philosophy escaped me as a child, but I appreciated learning about it as an adult.
• I assumed Matsumoto city museum of art would have more Yayoi Kusama pieces (on the order of a retrospective), was a bit disappointed. 
• early night due to the rain. 

Day 10: Nakasendo way 

• Early 7:55a train to Yabuhara station under partly cloudy skies arriving just before 9am for the short 3.7mi walk through Torii pass to Narai. I enjoyed this more than Kamikochi, purely because it was less crowded, had a bit more elevation gain, and also featured stunning fall colors. It reminded me a bit of Kumano Kodo. Strolling down into Narai-juku jolted me back into a throng of tourists. After poking around a bit and soaking up the atmosphere, caught the 1:21p train back to Matsumoto arriving around 2:15p. 
• Whiled away my last afternoon in Matsumoto discovering random landmarks listed on an audioguide tour that I found at the tourist info center (tip: check out city hall's observation deck open during business hours for a different perspective on the castle grounds), and one final stroll around the castle gardens. 

Day 11: Tokyo 

• Last Japanese breakfast. Took the early 8:10a JR limited express train for 3+hrs to Tokyo. With the help of a Tokyo station map, managed to find a luggage storage at the entrance. I specifically sought out a luggage storage at a doorway entrance so that it would be easier to find again than some random hallway of luggage lockers. Spent 4 hours shopping for souvenirs for family/friends.
• Also visited Edo castle ruins, which was really fascinating after visiting Matsumoto castle and Kanazawa castle wall areas. The stone walls around Edo Castle are next-level compared with the other castle walls. This was a perfect end to my trip.
• Caught the Narita express to Narita airport for my flight out, arriving 1.5hrs prior to my flight departure, which was more than enough time as I breezed through security and customs. 

Random observations about this route: 

• Happy to capture some fall colors at higher elevations in early Nov (Takayama, Matsumoto, Kamikochi, Shirakawa-go, Narai-juku). Tokyo and Kanazawa colors hadn't started yet. 
• For hikers, I would classify Kamikochi hiking along the valley floor as easy, barely any elevation gain. Nakasendo way had a bit more elevation, but still very doable. 
• This route definitely seems quite popular, with plenty of domestic and foreign tourists. I would not label any of these locations as "hidden gems" at this point. However, I could appreciate the appeal of combining nature with cultural attractions, art museums, a top-notch garden in Kanazawa, onsen options, a well-preserved castle in Matsumoto, and shrines/temples galore. 
• Bus routes were reliable and tickets easily booked online. I was able to book all my desired timetable tickets the day before, except for my departure from Kamikochi around sunset time, which I booked a few days prior after confirming weather conditions. Buses were comfortable and beat the headache of a car rental/parking. 
• Tourist info booths were great for free audioguides to discover less popular but worthwhile sites. I walk alot, so was totally fine with my inefficient routes around town. 
• Satisfied with the number of nights spent at each destination. I didn't feel that I ran out of things to do. 
• Many places accepted credit cards, but still expect to encounter some cash-only establishments. I withdrew 20,000yen at the airport and didn't have to return to an ATM.