Kamikōchi

Kamikōchi is a remote highland valley in the Hida Mountains of western Nagano Prefecture, Japan, its floor rising from about 1,400 meters at the south end to roughly 1,600 meters at the north end beneath peaks reaching 3,190 meters. The valley runs about 18 kilometers and is drained by the Azusa River, the headwater of Japan's longest river, the Shinano. It lies within Chubu-Sangaku National Park and is protected as a Special Natural Monument and Special Place of Scenic Beauty, sometimes called the Japanese Yosemite Valley despite its smaller scale. Private vehicles have been barred from the valley since 1994, with access limited to shuttle buses and taxis during the park's mid-April to mid-November season.