18/06/2022 / Last updated : 21/06/2022 d.d Following The Cherry Blossom Front

Achi-mura, Peach flower village　阿智村

16th April Oshiba Kogen　大芝高原 At michi no eki Oshiba kogen we spend a wet night in a large desolate car park. The toilets are good but would not be adequate if the car park were any less deserted. Our plan for the day is to visit an old wooden school building with a famous cherry tree, but first we wander around the lake at Oshiba koen. This is a very artificial landscape with severely manicured spherical bushes. The pond area is surrounded by pine woods and there are various paths through these woods, but I don’t think they extend more than a couple of hundred metres. There are kids playgrounds […]

18/06/2022 / Last updated : 18/06/2022 d.d Following The Cherry Blossom Front

Kirigamine Yashimagahara Wetland　　霧ヶ峰八島ヶ原湿原

April 15th. Michi no eki Imai Megumi no sato gives us a quiet night of pouring rain but by parking next to the handicapped spaces dry access to the toilets. Kirigamine Yashimagahara Wetland　八島ヶ原湿原 Today we set off for Yashimagahara Wetland in Kirigamine, here there is a walking course of a few kilometres depending on which circular route you choose around the marshy ponds. We had planned to follow the Venus line to this spot, but part of the route is closed until the end of this month, April. So we followed the section that was open and drove for some distance in thick fog with no views at all. Arriving […]

09/06/2022 / Last updated : 09/06/2022 d.d Following The Cherry Blossom Front

Shakuson-ji Temple　釈尊寺

April 14th. This morning we are off to towards Komoro to visit Shakuson-ji, also known as Nunobiki Kannon. This proves to be a very good choice far outweighing our expectations. Shakuson-ji Unimpressive at first, the car park is an anonymous patch of gravel under some trees by the side of the road. There are steps leading upwards. Starting to ascend, We soon find ourselves in a narrow gorge with a small steam, moss covered boulders, tall trees and towering cliffs. As we follow the steps upwards, the gorge becomes ever more dramatic until we come to a small temple gate on our right and high above clinging to the cliff […]

09/06/2022 / Last updated : 09/06/2022 d.d Following The Cherry Blossom Front

Mt. Kobo Tomb Hiking　弘法山古墳

13th April Michi no Eki Farmus Kijimadaira Michi no Eki Farmus Kijimadaira gave us a very quiet night. This michi no eki provides no rubbish bins and there are notices requesting you take your rubbish home. Today we are traveling to Matsumoto city in Nagano prefecture to view the cherry blossom of the 4,000 trees covering an ancient tomb. Nakayama Cemetery　中山霊園 Arriving in Matsumoto we make for the Nakayama municipal cemetery. From there, there is a short, about 5km. return hike to the tomb and 4,000 cherry trees. It was a surprise to find that the cemetery shares space with a mallet golf course. Mallet golf which, I suspect is […]

09/06/2022 / Last updated : 09/06/2022 d.d Following The Cherry Blossom Front

Ohkouzu Diversion Channel　大河津分水

12th April Ohkouzu Diversion Channel Museum Today is a tribute to civil engineering, as we visit Ohkouzu Diversion channel Museum. The museum was commemorating the 100th. anniversary of a the massive civil engineering project. This was to cut a new course, or an alternative course, for the Shinanogawa river in order to prevent the severe flooding to which it was prone. This was obviously a mammoth project, and it is clear that work, major work, is still in progress one hundred years later. If you have a passing interest in major engineering projects, it is worth a look. If not perhaps give it a miss. I found it interesting for […]

02/06/2022 / Last updated : 06/06/2022 d.d Following The Cherry Blossom Front

Climbing Yahiko-san 　弥彦山

11th. April Michi no eki Kugami　道の駅国上 Michi no eki Kugami is an excellent place for an overnight stay. When we visited it was basically closed for renovation. Major building work was in progress. This explained the absence of light in the car park. The new building looked almost complete but there was no sign of work underway. The toilets were open and splendid they are. The fine mirrors are, apparently, metal, to reflect the predominant industry of these parts (Tsubamesanjo). This explains why the other michi no eki hereabouts all have displays of scissors, knives and garden shears. Yahiko-san　弥彦山 Our target today is Yahiko-san (Mt.Yahiko). A small mountain only 600 […]

02/06/2022 / Last updated : 02/06/2022 d.d Following The Cherry Blossom Front

Fukushima-Gata, from a snow closed road to 27 degrees.　福島潟

9th, 10th April Michi no eki Nou deserves mixed reviews. It is spacious with aforementioned artworks – some of which work well with the splendid sunset others are poorly positioned – but the toilet though functional is just not big enough for the traffic. Travelling on, up the coast road expecting something special but are disappointed. This area of coast is hyped as spectacular but is not that interesting. A day of driving to no great purpose. Michi no eki Atsumi We end the day at Michi no eki.Atsumi This is also on the coast and provides a suitable sunset. The facilities are much better than Michi no eki Nou, […]

26/05/2022 / Last updated : 26/05/2022 d.d Following The Cherry Blossom Front

Shogawa Mizukinen Park　　庄川水記念公園

8th. April Elusive viewing point Leaving Kanazawa and heading north, our plan is to visit a viewing spot before traveling up the Japan Sea coast. Apparently, the viewing spot provides a birds eye view of the plains dotted with farmhouses each surrounded by its protective screen of trees (Sankyoson). These houses are a notable feature of the windswept plain between the Japan sea and the mountains of Teteyama. I cannot vouch for this as we failed to find it. Our navi. took us to two erroneous locations before we found the right spot but the after climbing past the now closed ski slopes the road ahead was closed until April […]