Tokuwa River Valley, Yamanashi City, Yamanashi Prefecture, October 2020

I was looking for a good river walk and apparently the nearby Yamanashi prefecture had many of those. I had to give up my first two choices because the river trails were damaged during the massive typhoons of 2019. Fortunately, my third option, near the entrance to the trail for Mt Kentoku, seemed promising. It was a short hike, and although it was possible to go by bus, I chose to hire a car instead. That way, I could have lunch at a soba restaurant on the way there, and drop by a hot spring facility on the way back. The weather forecast was perfect: sunny and warm for this time of the year. However, I had to be careful not to start hiking too late, since the sun sets early at the end of October, and even earlier in the mountain valleys. I wanted to see the sunshine reflected on the water and the autumn leaves, at least for part of the hike. The only thing that made me uneasy was the possibility of crowds along the trail – how well known was this river valley among the hiking community?

Hiking in the Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park

秩父多摩甲斐国立公園

One of the river’s many level stretches…

…and some of the sudden drops!

I arrived in Kofu after a comfortable train ride on the Chuo line limited express, and used a rental car to drive 45 minutes to the parking lot near the entrance of the trail up Mt Kentoku (乾徳山). On the way, I dropped by Soba Maru (そば丸) for an early soba lunch. From the parking, it was a thirty minute-walk, first on a paved road, and then on a forest road, to Muso waterfall (夢窓の滝 meaning dream window waterfall), and the start of the hiking trail. I was immediately struck by the beauty of the river, one of the best I’ve ever hiked. First, there was no concrete road running next to it (something frequent here). Next, it seemed relatively unscathed by the 2019 typhoons. Finally, there were many excellent views as the river alternated between long flat stretches and sudden drops.

Sunlight reflected on the water surface…

…and on the autumn leaves

I decided to have a closer look at the impressive Muso waterfall by walking down a short metal staircase leading to the river side. I had to be extra careful not to slip on the rocks – I didn’t want to get too close! After walking back up, I entered the Tokuwa River valley hiking trail (徳和渓谷コース tokuwa-keikoku kosu). For the first twenty minutes, the trail stayed close to the forest path, occasionally merging with it. Then it suddenly dipped, crossed the river over a wooden bridge, and went up the opposite side. I was pleasantly surprised by how well maintained the trail was and by the near total absence of other hikers. By now, it was nearly 2pm, so it was likely that most people had already come and gone (I had passed a few on the way). Luckily the river valley was still bathed in the autumn sunshine, and the interplay of golden leaves and sparkling water was dazzling.

The start of the hike had many viewpoints next to the river

One of the many small waterfalls dotting the valley

The river views kept on getting more and more spectacular. I was now hiking alongside the western branch of the upper Tokuwa river. I passed four small waterfalls, as the path climbed the rocky right bank via a series of wooden steps. According to my map, I was just inside the southern part of the Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park. Around 2h20, I reached the highest point of the hike, around 1200m, near Yanagi waterfall (柳滝 meaning willow waterfall). The Tokuwa river continued further but here the path made a U-turn and headed back. I was walking on a level path following the mountain side; below on the right was the river, a white line snaking through the trees. After a few minutes, the trail descended sharply along a ridge, the river disappearing from sight but still heard. I soon arrived back at the wooden bridge, just after a double waterfall, and before the merging of the east and west branches of the river.

The rockier sections were equipped with wooden steps

Many close-up views thanks to the wooden walkways

It was almost 3pm and I was nearing the end of my short hike. I quickly walked back along the forest road, now in the shade, and arrived at my car at 3h30. By now, the entire valley was in the shadow; it was getting cold and nearly everyone had already left. I drove 15 minutes to Hayabusa onsen for a quick hot bath, and then back to Kofu station. As I settled down into my reserved seat for the train ride back to Tokyo, I felt satisfied that I had caught the sunshine and the autumn leaves, and that I hadn’t been caught up in any crowds while hiking this secret river valley.

Travel up and down the Tokuwa river valley