Photo/Illutration Evidence of a landslide near Kamikochi, a gateway to the Northern Japan Alps, in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, on May 30 (Yukio Kondo)

MATSUMOTO, Nagano Prefecture--Authorities in Kamikochi, a mountain resort area and gateway to the Northern Japan Alps, are on high alert after an earthquake swarm triggered avalanches, landslides and dangerous cracks in the ground.

Local officials and those working in the local tourism industry here are particularly concerned about the well-being of visitors and hikers, and asking them to be especially vigilant against accidents and stay away from mountains.

The earthquake swarm flared in late April and was particularly noticeable in the area around Matsumoto.

Massive avalanches and landslides, along with cracks opening up in the ground, left mounds of soil and rock debris along walking trails in the nearby Hotaka mountain range.

Prefectural authorities recently lifted a request to the public to stay home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Local buses, one of the few transportation means to the Kamikochi area, where private cars are restricted from entering, were shut down from April 18 to May 15 to minimize the risk of virus infection.

Services have resumed, but passengers are staying away.

People working at mountain lodges and tourism-related businesses fear the quake swarm is causing tourists and mountaineers to think twice about visiting Kamikochi.

On the evening of May 29, an earthquake with an intensity of three on the Japanese seismic scale of seven occurred in the Azumi district of Matsumoto, which is close to Kamikochi.

“The shaking caused dirt to drift in the air all over the mountains. It looked like smoke from a fire,” said a local tourism industry official.

Multiple avalanches occurred in the Hotaka mountain range, the official added.

The following day, evidence of the avalanche damage in a canyon known as Dakesawa in the Hotaka mountain range could be seen from the Kappabashi bridge, a scenic tourist spot in Kamikochi.

Fallen rocks measuring about 10 centimeters in diameter were scattered across hiking trails near the Konashidaira camping site, another spot favored by tourists.

A female hiker from Shizuoka Prefecture who pitched a tent with a friend about two hours from Kappabashi the previous night said the quake made them fear for their physical safety.

The pair canceled their plans for climbing the following day.

Around this time of the year, just before the start of the rainy season, hikers flock to Kamikochi to savor the lush mountain scenery.

But not this year.

Lodges that cater to visitors to the Hotaka mountain range remain shut until July 14.

Alarmed by the damage to trails and the risk of further avalanches, lodge owners are urging the public to refrain from climbing in the Hotaka mountain range for a while.

Tsutomu Otsuka, a professor of geology at Shinshu University who surveyed the Kamikochi area in late April and again on May 30, said the seismic activity could continue for another month or so.

He warned of the risk of extensive damage occurring in areas not yet hit by a big quake and urged tourists to stay away from Kamikochi.

(This article was written by Yukio Kondo and Takaaki Yorimitsu.)

Related News