Driving Japan’s Alps: Our Unforgettable Road Trip to Mt. Fuji

Driving Japan’s Alps: Our Unforgettable Road Trip to Mt. Fuji

sometimes the most unexpected wonders reveal themselves not at your destination but along the way today’s journey from Takayama to Fuji became a reminder that the road itself holds its own quiet magic Please Turn on CC/Captions for best watching experience 🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻 Can you spot Mount Fuji-san? We’re begining our 218 KM drive from Takayama to Fujikawaguchiko It takes around 3hrs 26 mins but we think it will be close to 4 hours with food/toilet break Here’s a final look at Takayama old town before we venture out of the city Very nice spring weather despite the snow 2 days ago there is something magical about Road Trips and the fact you can just stop or slow down to enjoy the moment we will be driving pass Hida Mountains to enter Nagano You can see there are still traces of snow at the tip of the mountain it is also interesting for us to view Japan’s countryside scenary while driving We do similar road trips in Thailand as well where we drove from Bangkok to North Thailand almost every ‘winter’ season at 1200+ meters in elevation, we can still see traces of snow in Mid April apologies for the spotty screen as we forgot to clean our windscreen before moving out 😳 one of our best moments on this trip is to experience snowfall despite it being a Mid-April trip we both grew up in tropical countries so snow is something magical to us first time experiencing a situation like this… Road works ahead Thank you for keeping the road safe for the drivers 🙇🏻‍♀️ Not sure if the vehicle in front is meant to help us maintain a safe driving speed or something else Mountain travels have both its danger and magical moments we decided to stop at the parking lot and check out the area our first surprise Hirayu Skid Resort in mid April while cherry blossoms bloom in the valleys below winter’s final embrace it must have been more lively when snowfall was at its peak there are people walking further up the path though Hirayu Waterfall is further up ahead It is around 750m further ahead which should take around 15 mins of walk we didn’t walk further since we still have to drive to Fujikawaguchiko this is NOT Slow-Mo 🤣😂🤣😂🤣 the snow is not as solid so it wasn’t so easy to walk in it We will be driving to Matsumoto next a final glimpse of winter before spring makes its grand entrance reminds us of”there’s light at the end of every tunnel” I wonder how is the view of this landscape during winter season Thank you for keeping the roads safe 🙇🏻‍♀️ Somewhere near Sawando Onsen… and then this happened Hello! Where are you guys heading to? Another onsen perhaps? for a fleeting moment the road wasn’t ours it was theirs it’s these unplanable breathtaking encounters that make a road trip truly unforgettable A quick toliet break at Glen Park Sawando before we continue on our journey it’s another 30 KM/ 1 hour of mountain driving before we enter Matsumoto city On the right, it is the Azusa River Please Turn on CC/Captions for best watching experience 🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻 just when we thought the theme of our journey was lingering winter the mountains surprised us again we found a small unnamed spot by the Shimashimatani River near Matsumoto and spring was waiting for us it was a completely unexpected stop full sakura blooms a quiet river it was a perfect moment of peace the kind of place you’d never find in a guidebook but you’d never forget Sorry for intruding your neighborhood ojisan 🙇🏻‍♀️ Simply WOW… The fact that it was so peaceful and beautiful made it an unforgetable moment River, Valley and Sakura Bloom. Picture Perfect Imagine we’re enjoying the same views as other travelers from centuries back The village cemetery (bochi/墓地) beside the river reminds me of the following… Under the distant sky, the mountains and rivers are like a song the years pass by, life and death are just a drop in the ocean just going to enjoy the moment for the final time before we continue on our journey Do you also have similar unexpected moments during your travels? Share them by commenting below! 👇 Oh, it looks there there were reported sightings of bears around this area erm…we should continue on our journey now 😅 Thank you for the beautiful scenary Azumi! 🙇🏻‍♀️ A last glimpse of mountain travel as we approach Matsumoto City soon very peaceful looking countryside in Matsumoto will you considering living here? We’re going to buy some food at Family Mart for a quick meal in the car Beautiful Sky with mountain landscape at the back Welcome to Lake Suwa 😊 The site of a natural phenomenon known as the “Miwatari” It means “God’s Crossing” and there is a folktale behind it as well There are still traces of snow at the tip of the mountain range I think it is either Mount Nyukasa or Mount Kaikoma We’re driving pass Suwa city and heading to Fujimi next From snowy landscape to greenary all within the space of 1-2 hours that’s the magic of mountain travels Please Turn on CC/Captions for best watching experience 🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻 welcome Mister Fujisan with our journey almost at its end we got onto the main highway you start looking for it scanning the horizon for that iconic shape you know by heart but have never seen with your own eyes and then there it is it’s a feeling that’s hard to describe after a day of snow monkeys and sakura the final surprise was the one we’ve been searching for all along the journey had brought us here People staying on the left of the road get to enjoy this MAJESTIC view every day I think this is the best part of driving into Fujikawaguchiko You will be able to view Fuji-san from all the incoming routes We’re approaching Nirasaki soon it is another hour drive to Fujikawaguchiko Have you drove into Fujikawaguchiko before as well? How did you feel when you first saw Mt Fuji on the horizon? we would love to hear your experience as well! Really lucky to be blessed by this beautiful weather where we can see Fuji-san clearly from Takayama’s timeless streets to Fuji’s eternal presence today reminded us that the journey itself holds as much magic as any destination the snow that shouldn’t have been there the wildlife that chose to reveal itself the cherry blossoms that called us to pause these are the gifts that travel offers when we remain open to surprise when we allow ourselves to be present for the unplanned moments that become the most treasured memories Thanks for staying with us until so far in the video! 🙌 Please Like and Subscribe if you enjoyed this journey with us We hope to share more of our journey with you in the future 🚗 Watch till the end to see the preview of our journey at Fujikawaguchiko

We set out for what we thought would be a simple, scenic drive from Takayama to the base of Mt. Fuji. The plan was clear, the weather was supposed to be perfect spring, but Japan had other ideas. What followed was a journey we never could have planned, filled with unexpected winter wonder, surprise wildlife encounters, and moments of beauty that reminded us why the journey itself is often the real destination.

Join us on this unforgettable road trip through the heart of the Japanese Alps as we navigate snowy mountain passes in mid-April, discover cherry blossoms in full bloom at a spontaneous riverside stop , and watch as Japan’s most sacred mountain reveals itself on the horizon. This is a story about embracing the unexpected and finding the magic that lies in the moments you don’t plan for.

What’s the most unexpected wonder you’ve stumbled upon during your travels? Share your story in the comments below!

Chapters:
00:00 Takayama to Mt. Fuji Road Trip Highlights
00:25 Act 1 Winter Echo Takayama
05:27 Surprise Snow Monkeys Encounter
06:29 Act 2 Spontaneous Beauty Nagano
11:41 Act 3 Mt. Fuji Grand Reveal Yamanashi

#japanesealps #japanroadtrip #japantravel