Kamikochi

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Commemorative plaque of Reverend Walter Weston, leader of the preservation of Kamikochi

A photograph of Azusa River taken in an early morning.

Kamikochi (上高地, Kamikōchi^?, literally "Upper Highlands") is a remote mountainous highland in Nagano Prefecture, Japan which has been preserved in its natural state. It is sometimes referred to as the "Japanese Yosemite."

Kamikochi is located in the Hida Mountains, the northern part of the Japan Alps. Kamikochi is bordered on its northern end by Mt. Hotakadake, and on its southern end by Mt. Yakedake, an active volcano. The Azusa river flows the length of the valley, filling Lake Taisho at the base of Mt. Yakedake. Lake Taisho was formed by the eruption of Mt. Yakedake in the 1920s, also know as the Taisho period in Japan.

Nowadays, the facilities include two camping areas, some hotels (western-style and traditional japanese ryokan), a post office, a tourist information center and some souvenir shops, mainly located between the bus and taxi terminal and Kappa-bashi bridge. As the entire highland is protected as part of the Chubu Sangaku National Park, access is only granted to bus, taxi and local workers' vehicles.

The Kamikochi area was logged very extensively until the mid-19th Century. Walter Weston, a British missionary, is credited with sparking Japanese interest in mountaineering, and also with lobbying to preserve the Kamikochi area.