Emerging from the gloom of the tunnel, it takes a few moments to adjust to the piercing sunlight as the bus chugs along the narrow road that snakes up the valley alongside the Azusa River.
All eyes inside are glued to the views unveiling themselves through the rattling windows. Foremost is the bald, sulfur-stained peak of Mount Yake, an active volcano that smoulders gently in the late afternoon sun. The surrounding mountains appear in the mirror of Taisho Pond (itself formed following the 1915 eruption of Mount Yake, when huge landslides spilled into the valley, damming the river).
The lush greenery of these alpine forests is home to black bear, Japanese macaques and a plethora of bird species. Perhaps because of the rugged surroundings, deep in the remote Hida Mountains of the North Japan Alps, it is always a mild surprise to alight from the bus at Kamikochi, Nagano Prefecture, and meet throngs of people, some outfitted for Himalayan expeditions, others in casual attire befitting the fancier neighborhoods of Tokyo.