How to beat the autumn traffic
and parking in Takayama Village

The autumn colours in the Matsukawa Gorge are beautiful, but the roads and car parks get very busy. This article is only about timing: when to set out, where to park, and where to wait out the crowds.

The village warns that at the height of the season the car parks fill up completely. There are not many spaces to begin with, so the difference between arriving early and arriving late is huge.

MATSUKAWAKAN has put together an early-start plan and a place to wait it out if the roads jam. If you want the peak-colour dates first, see our guide to the Autumn colours in the Matsukawa Gorge.

A 20-minute drive can take over an hour

The village reports that the stretch from Yamada Ranch down to Yamada Onsen jams badly every year. Once coaches join the traffic, a drive that normally takes twenty minutes can take over an hour.

That hour-plus happens at the peak of the season. The earlier in the day you move, the more of that traffic you can avoid.

The colour itself depends on altitude. Across the whole gorge it lasts about a month, from around 5 October near Mount Kasa to around 25 October at Yamada Onsen, according to the local tourism association.

How many spaces at Kaminari and Yataki Falls

The famous spots do have car parks, but none of them are large. How many cars fit depends on the spot, and even on which source you check.

The tourism association lists six spaces at Kaminari Falls, thirteen at Yataki Falls and fifteen near Takai Bridge. For the same Kaminari Falls the prefecture's official tourism site gives ten, so the figures differ by source.

Kaminari Falls is about five minutes on foot from its car park. For the falls themselves, see our guide to Kaminari Falls.

Set out early and come down before the crowd

The surest way to avoid the crowds is to shift your timing. MATSUKAWAKAN suggests visiting the main spots first thing in the morning and heading back before midday.

The jam happens on the way down, from Yamada Ranch to Yamada Onsen. If you drive up early and come back down before it fills, you can avoid most of it.

For a full day's route, see our A Takayama Village itinerary. In autumn, shifting that same order to early morning makes everything easier.

Wait out the crowds in a day-use onsen

If the roads get busy, one option is to stop pushing on and shift your timing in a hot spring instead. MATSUKAWAKAN offers day-use bathing from 11:00 to 20:00 at 650 yen per person, with no reservation needed. Prices are subject to change; please check before you visit.

Day-use bathers can also use a semi-private rest room from 11:00 to 16:00. Guests having lunch have priority, so it suits a day when you want to relax away from the crowds.

A face towel rents for 150 yen and a bath towel for 200 yen. For the full details, see our page on the Day-use onsen (650 yen, no reservation).

Park at the free Yamada Onsen village car park

Near MATSUKAWAKAN there is a free village car park at Yamada Onsen. The tourism association's autumn feature lists thirty-five spaces there.

It is a short walk from the car park to MATSUKAWAKAN. Leave the car here and walk to the public bathhouses, and you spend less time hunting for a space.

Two public bathhouses are also within walking distance, Oyu and Takinoyu. Both are fed by the Yamada Onsen source.

Come by shuttle bus and skip the car

You can also choose not to drive at all. MATSUKAWAKAN is about forty minutes by car from Nagano Station, and a free shuttle bus runs between the station and the ryokan.

Without a car, you do not have to worry about traffic or parking. Once you arrive, the public bathhouses are within walking distance.

For full directions, see our Access page. Please check the shuttle bus times there as well.

Frequently asked questions