Season
Season
SPRING
Even as the temperatures rise, much snow remains in the bowl-shaped cirque, providing delightful scenery to take in amidst the spacious outdoors. The area is still busy with mountain skiing enthusiasts in April and May. Purple shojo-bakama and yellow buttercup flowers come into precocious bloom in late-May along the sunnier slopes.
SUMMER
Compared to the sweltering heat at lower elevations, the Senjojiki Cirque is a breath of fresh air. Fields of dainty flowers one cannot find down below spread across the cirque in summer. The flowers first begin to bloom where the snow melts and turn into a full display in July and August. The feeling of autumn starts to fill the air in mid-September.
AUTUMN
In late-September or so the trees on the peaks around the Senjojiki Cirque begin to change color, and by early October the mountain ash, Erman's birch, and other trees within the cirque join the show. Autumn colors come to the upper ropeway station in mid-October and to the foot of the mountains late in the month. There are fantastic views of the autumn leaves from the ropeway, which seemingly slides along the mountainside, and sightseers find themselves audibly gasping in astonishment.
WINTER
The first snowfall comes as early as mid-October. By December, Senjojiki is covered in a deep blanket of snow, welcoming visitors to a harsh yet beautiful mid-winter climate. The deep blue sky and pure white snow have a soothing, purifying effect on the soul. If you find it too cold, you can pass your time in a cozy Senjojiki restaurant. This is a place where you can view a winter mountaintop landscape typically reserved for alpinists.
A Natural Landscape above the Clouds
The Central Alps and Senjojiki Cirque
Mt. Kisokomagatake (2,956 meters), one of the 100 great mountains of Japan, is the highest peak of the Kiso Mountains, a range also known as the Central Alps. This range, along with the Hida Mountains (Northern Alps) and the Akaishi Mountains (Southern Alps), are collectively called the Japan Alps.
While the Central Alps stretch over a long distance from north to south, they are only around 20 km wide from east to west. It is for this reason that many of the mountain-climbing paths quickly ascend from a starting elevation of around 600 meters to 2,000 meters or so, and they are very much distinguished by the many mountain streams and waterfalls. Yet upon reaching the top of the ridge one finds a tranquil terrain. This contrast is one reason for the paths' popularity.
There are many places to enjoy alpine flower fields and autumn leaves such as the Senjojiki Cirque, Mt. Kisokomagatake's Nogaike pond, Mt. Minamikoma's Suribachikubo Cirque, and Mt. Utsugidake's Utsugidaira Cirque. During fine weather you can take in spectacular views of the Minami Alps and even distant Mt. Fuji.
The appeal of the Central Alps is that despite the chain of peaks standing at 3,000 meters or higher, there are many mountains suited for novice climbers.
Alpine Plants
Around 150 species of alpine plants burst into bloom across the cirques in summer.
Feel Close to Mother Nature with the Ropeway
The opening of the Komagatake Ropeway allows anyone to get an up-close and personal look at a majestic mountain landscape that was once only available to a lucky few alpinists.
Trekking courses and mountain huts have been set up in recent years, making the courses relatively easy to traverse for women and the elderly as well.
See Mt. Fuji off in the distance.