1-Day Tour from Matsumoto: Tenryu River-Rafting & Fruit-Picking

Explore the Tenryu Riverlands, located in the far south of Nagano prefecture and boasting one of Japan’s most beautiful river gorges. This tour starts with a visit to a local farm where guests can pick and eat fresh seasonal fruit while enjoying the mountain scenery of the Central Alps. Afterwards, tour guests will be treated to lunch at a local restaurant called “Go-yukkuri”, which offers Japanese classics such as Soba, Tonkatsu, and Tempura. Well rested and with full bellies, the afternoon will be occupied by a more thrilling activity – rafting on the Tenryu River. One of the more extreme rivers in Japan with lots of thrilling sections where you can and will be splashed, the course the tour follows covers over 10km and takes around 3 hours. With an English-speaking guide to help you along, this tour is perfect for those who want to visit a less well known area of Japan that is hard to access by train and offers activities not available in large cities.

Highlights

• Get the chance to pick in-season fruits for yourself at a local farm along the Tenryu River
• Walk around the Tenryukyo Gorge and enjoy its stunning natural scenery
• Enjoy lunch at a popular local restaurant serving Japanese favourites including ‘soba’, ‘tempura’, ‘katsudon’ and more!
• Turn-up the excitement with an afternoon of rafting on the Tenryu River led by a qualified instructor and accompanied by your English-speaking guide

*Please bring a swimsuit/clothes that can get wet, and a change of clothes and towel for after rafting is finished. If possible, it is also recommended to bring sandals which can be used for water activities.

Description

The tour will start at Matsumoto Station at 8:00 A.M. where all guests will board the tour bus. From there you’ll head to a local farm – about 1 and a half hours from Matsumoto through beautiful countryside – and once at the farm, enjoy fruit-picking in a picturesque setting and guided by the resident farmer. Fed by the streams running-off the river, the fruit farms of Tenryu produce some of Nagano’s best apples, as well as a number of other seasonal fruits such as grapes and pears. You’ll enjoy 45 minutes of fruit-picking at a farm during which time you may pick and eat fruits at your own leisure.

Fruit not eaten at the farm can be brought home for an additional cost, and guests may also choose to purchase fancy grape varieties using their own money as well. While most people will satisfied with what is included in the price of the tour, if you are looking to purchase a number of grapes please contact us for an estimate of the additional cost.

Guests will also be guided to an area with stunning views over the Tenryu River flowing far below. Beautiful in every season, the area around the gorge is untouched and provides a vision of unspoiled natural scenery. With unique flora and fauna not found in more northern parts of Nagano prefecture, guests taking this tour from Matsumoto will feel as though they have come a very long ways, despite being quite close by!

A favourite with locals, Goyukkuri serves a tasty menu of Japanese favourites including ‘soba’ (buckwheat) noodles, ‘udon’ (wheat) noodles, ‘katsudon’ (crumbed pork cutlets on rice), ‘tempura’ (battered and fried) vegetables and more! You’ll have plenty of time to enjoy a relaxing and filling lunch before boarding the tour bus and heading to your afternoon’s activity – rafting on the Tenryu River.

Arriving at the rafting centre around 12:30, you’ll change into the gear provided to you – including waterboots, life jacket, helmet along with spray jacket and wetsuit (should you wish to wear them) – before receiving a detailed safety briefing from your instructor. Once ready, you’ll be driven to the launching point and then it’s onto the river!

Over the next 3 hours, you’ll make your way along the river through thrilling whitewater rapids and gentler stretches that you can rest and take in atmosphere of the riverlands while your instructor keeps you entertained setting you challenges and activities to try for yourself. Great fun for guests of all ages, your rafting instructor will steer you along the river back to the rafting center.

You will have the opportunity to swim in the river, splash other guests, and generally enjoy a good time in the outdoors. Sunscreen is recommended, as you will be under the sun for several hours – and a nasty sunburn is one gift you don’t want to bring back home!

Once done, you will have time to change and dry off at the rafting center. Then, at around 16:10, the tour bus will pick you up to start the journey back to Matsumoto, where you will arrive at around 17:40 in time for a well deserved dinner after a fun day of rafting.

*Due to differing traffic conditions, the tour may end slightly later than the above listed time. We recommend not putting any plans in your schedule earlier than 18:00 to avoid any issues should the tour end late.

MEETUP POINTS

The meetup point will be outside the West Exit of Matsumoto Station, beneath the escalator. Please wait in a visible area so that the guide will be able to easily locate you when they arrive. They will be wearing a “Snow Monkey Resorts” tag around their neck.

NOTES

Included

• Transport to / from all listed destinations
• English-speaking guide
• Fruit-picking at a local farm
• Lunch
• Guided river-rafting

Excluded

• Any additional purchases at fruit farm or any other stops
• Additional snacks, food & drinks
• Accommodation

Other Information

• The minimum age for participation in this tour is 6 years.
• Due to the nature of this tour, it is not wheelchair accessible and may not be appropriate for mobility-impaired guests. Should you have any concerns about your ability to partake, please contact us prior to booking to discuss.
• This is a group tour, meaning that other guests may be joining on the day.
• River-rafting requires a reasonable level of fitness as the activity takes approximately 3 hours and follows at long course. Should you have any concerns about your ability to undertake these activities, please contact us to discuss prior to booking.
• This tour uses a local restaurant named ‘Goyukkuri’. Should that restaurant not be available on the day of your tour, we will arrange a similar restaurant nearby.
• The restaurant may not be able to cater to all dietary requirements such as vegetarian or vegan. If you have an allergy, please advise us of this at time of booking and we will discuss with the restaurant. We will do our best however please understand that as a local restaurant, they may not be able to provide a meal that meets your needs.
• River-rafting is conducted by a local operator. During rafting, that company is responsible for the activity. Your guide will accompany you for rafting but please listen to and follow the directions of your rafting instructor at all times.
• Prior to rafting, you instructor will provide a detailed safety briefing. Listen to this briefing carefully and should you have any questions or concerns, please raise these with your guide and / or the rafting instructor before starting the activity.
• For rafting, you will be provided with a life jacket and a helmet. These must be worn at all times. You will also be provided the option of wearing a spray jacket or wetsuit.
• You will get wet during rafting therefore it’s best to bring clothes you can change in and out of for the activity. There are male and female changerooms at the rafting center, which can be used before and after the activity.
• Should the weather be poor and we are advised that it is not safe to undertake rafting, we will contact you prior to the tour to discuss options including the possibility of an alternative activity or free cancellation of your booking.