Kamonji Goya is a small restaurant/ guesthouse in front of Myojin-ike Pond, Kamikochi. A famous mountain guide, Kamijo Kamonji (1847-1917), built this house in 1880, and spent most of the latter half of his life here.

He knew every single detail of the Kamikochi area. So, Kamonji sometimes acted as a guide for foreign travelers. A British missionary, Walter Weston (1861-1940), was one of them. Weston reached the summit of the mountains around Kamikochi and wrote a book called “Mountaineering and Exploration in the Japanese Alps” in 1896. European countries came to know about Kamikochi with this book as a start.

I chatted with the great-grandson of Kamonji. He talked to me about the character of Kamonji and what his life here was like.

• Kamonji Goya -1: Interview with descendant of mountain guide, Kamonj
• Kamonji Goya -2: Let’s see how they cook their original grilled fish