Clothing for Kamikochi/Takayama in Early Nov

Hi,
My family intend to visit both places in early Nov.

I read that a down jacket seems like a must for Kamikochi. Would layering suffix if I chose not wear a down?

Hi, you are in for a treat. Kamikochi is very cold in early November. Pretty much any colour in the trees is gone and you might see some sleet or snow flurries. In our trip there in November, we had essentially snow gear and were happy we had it. So essentially a heavy jacket, with a jumper underneath, and my wife had a scarf.

If you take the bus to Takayama you will see some autumn colours coming through, and Takayama itself will be very autumn-y. It wasnt as cold as Kamikochi, but we were still wearing the same gear, but not the jumper underneath.

This was a few years ago, we then went on to Hikone and Nara, which were quite warm in comparison.

@Lazy Pious

Thank you for the information! Will take note on wearing snow gear and be well prepared.

Yes, heard a lot of beautiful things about Kamikochi and Takayama. So looking forward to it!

Hi!

I would also argue that how cold it is going to feel to you and how much you need to bundle up also depends on where you are from.

If you're not used to the cold, I would highly recommend gloves and a hat for each of you. I find gloves and a hat make a huge difference, are not particularly costly, and take up a small amount of space.

Enjoy your trip!

I does depend very much on the day. A few years back, early November I arrived in the afternoon and it was a lovely 20C. Then, it fell to -3C overnight with heavy snow a mere 6-8 hours later.
Layers are good.

The only problem I find with layers in Japan is that indoors everything is heated to 25 celsius plus, and public transport similar, so if you are layered up you end up melting inside or with a massive pile of garments next to you (made that mistake one trip, I spent half the trip standing guard for the family's clothes while they did stuff).

I have more success with a heavy snow rated jacket. If it is really cold, I zip it up, if it isnt, I leave it open. But they are a pain to cart around.