Senjojiki Cirque
Recommended activities and seasons
Enjoy Natural Scenery:Mountainous scenery/ Alpine plant / Waterfall / Ropeway
Get Some Exercise:Hiking / Mountain climbing / Skiing
Spring / Summer / Autumn / Winter
The experience of a lifetime, only here on the mountaintop.
The central Japan Alps cover parts of both Miyada Village and Komagane City in Nagano Prefecture. This is where the Senjojiki Cirque lies, surrounded by peaks of 2500 meters and higher. The semi-circular depression was cut by the glaciers about 20,000 years ago, and the name describes its size: Senjojiki means “1000 tatami mats laid out.” It is a popular tourist site now, with a walking trail. In the spring and summer delicate alpine plants such as Potentilla matsumurae and Heloniopsis orientalis bloom, and glorious autumn foliage awaits in the fall. In the winter the entire cirque is a snowy slope for skiing and snowboarding, and the unique experiences here are popular in spite of the cold: the artistic, wind-carved sculptures of snow and ice, and the high-pitched “creaking” sound as you walk. The site’s elevation is another part of its popularity, as skiing is possible even in April or May.
You get it all: ropeway, nature walks, and hiking trails up the mountain.
To get to the Senjojiki Cirque, first take the bus for a 30-minute ride to Shirabidaira Station, then switch to the Komagatake Ropeway cable car for an 8-minute ride the rest of the way. The cable car crosses an elevation difference of 950 meters, the biggest jump of any in Japan, and offers stupendous scenery: on a clear day you can see some of the largest waterfalls in Japan, including the 38 Nakagosho Falls, the Otaki Falls, and the Higurashi Falls. Hotel Senjojiki, at the highest station, offers lodging for mountaineers heading to Mr. Komagatake, and hikers on their way to enjoy the cirque or a nature walk through Shirabidaira.
The spot offers incredible scenery year-round, including the mountains towering over the cirque, the sea of clouds invisible from below, and the silent platinum world of the bitterly cold winter. In the summer there is a 4-hour round-trip hike up Mount Komagane from Hotel Senjojiki. From the apex visitors can enjoy a 360-degree panorama of the southern, central, and northern Japan Alps.
Senjojiki Cirque
Address |
1 Akaho, Komagane, Nagano Prefecture |
Hours |
Varies depending on time of year |
Closed |
Open daily |
Cost |
Aerial tramway round trip Adult, 2,260 yen; etc. |
Phone |
0265-83-3107 |
Access |
By route bus from JR Iida Line Komagane Sta. to Sharabihira, about 45 min; aerial tramway ascent from Sharabihira Sta. to Senjojiki Sta., about 8 min |
Web site |
https://www.chuo-alps.com/ |
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