Shosenkyo Gorge is north of central Kōfu City which is 100 km west of Tokyo. It forms part of the Chichibu Tama Kai National Park and covers more than 1250 km of valleys, forested mountains and some rural towns in the prefectures of Saitama, Nagano, Yamanashi and of course Tokyo.
Shosenkyo Gorge is best visited from late October to mid-November when the autumn leaves season is really in gear.
Getting there
First, you’ll need to get from Tokyo to Kōfu. Take the direct limited express train (1 hour 25 minutes, around ¥4,000) from Shinjuku Station. Alternatively, you can take a local train for less money with one transfer at Takao. Buses to the gorge leave in front of Kōfu Station once every one or two hours. It goes to Shosenkyo-guchi (30 minutes, ¥600), Greenline Shosenkyo (40 minutes, ¥840 and the terminal stop Shosenkyo Taki Ue (50 minutes, ¥920).
