Shosenkyo is Gorge(ous) in Fall

Living on a paradise island my entire life, I was never one to experience all four seasons. Back home on our tropical island of Hawaii, we basically have only spring and summer seasons haha! It wasn't until I came to Japan one year during the fall and experienced what fall (autumn) was really about. I instantly fell in love. Fast forward a few years later and here I am! I get to experience my favorite season in my favorite place! This year was extra special because I had my mother visit me during this fall season. I was lucky enough to explore and experience what fall is all about in Japan. And, it was actually her idea to venture to Kofu, Yamanashi to see what Shosenkyo Gorge is all about. A famous tourist attraction in Yamanashi (besides Kawaguchiko) to view the beautiful fall leaves. 

We started our adventure at Kofu Station. Shosenkyo is about 30-40 min bus ride north of central Kofu. It is 30 minutes to the Shosenkyo entrance or 40 minutes to the Greenline Shosenkyo, which is where we got off. Since we were a bit tired that day we decided to start at the Greenline Shosenkyo stop instead. Starting from the entrance would be maybe a 45-60 min trail which we did not want to do. Also, the lady at Kofu information desk told us that the trail was not full of red leaves yet, which made our decision easier to start closer to our destination (the top of Shosenkyo where there is a ropeway). 

I loved all these maps of the same place, but I honestly was so hungry before we even started! Luckily it was a nice sunny, but cool day. Perfect for "hiking"! 

I was already amazed at how beautiful the trail was before it even started. I just had to take a picture of this tunnel. Little did I know, my mind was about to be blown by natures beauty!

And now for a gallery of photos in the order of our trek. 

There was an outdoor restaurant that was serving hoto. I was so tempted to stay and just enjoy this view, but we weren't even halfway to our destination. We continued to move along.

I was fascinated by how ginormous these rocks were! It's a bit hard to scale by just looking at this photo.

Now this waterfall was so beautiful that a small rainbow had formed. I must clarify that these photos are not edited or filtered at all. Just appreciating Japan's natural beauty!

I was also surprised to see many tourists amongst locals. 

At the top of these stairs were a lot of cute shops. The aesthetics of this area was fun and somewhat comforting.

There were also loads of crystal shops up here. I was surprised to see how big of a deal crystals were, only to find out that Kofu is Japan's number one producer of polished crystal and jewel products. Yamanashi is also known for mining high quality crystals dating back to the Edo Period! Now that's some history I would like to learn more about! 

Now one thing is that Shosenkyo is only open until Nov 30th and I'm assuming because it looks like the photo above once winter's snow comes around. 

Yamanashi is also known for their wine.

We found this beautiful wine shop with a view of the previous waterfall from the top!

As we continued towards the Ropeway we found more and more crystal shops.

And alas we have made it to our final destination! 

I thought it was interesting that you were allowed to bring your dog in the cable car if you are able to carry it. I also forgot to mention that there were many dogs walking the trail with their owners from young kids to old grandparents. 

There is always some kind of animal backstory to these ropeways. I wish I understood this one. I remember Kawaguchiko's one had a rabbit and racoon or something...

SADLY, and SO VERY SADLY we could NOT see FUJI SAN!!!! I was quite disappointed because my mother and I were very excited to see the view from photos. But, it was still a beautiful day. 

We also got some snacks to munch on instead of eating at a restaurant. It was more suitable for this type of adventure (although I was really craving hoto).

There was a path where you could climb further up the mountain. I found this beautiful view beyond this rock. 

I am so glad I got to explore this beautiful place with a loved one. It made this experience a lot more memorable. This is definitely a place I would love to visit again and possibly to bring my friends next time! Who knew such a GORG(EOUS) place existed so close to my home (kind of).