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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

26/05/2022 / Last updated : 17/06/2022 d.d Following The Cherry Blossom Front

Kanazawa Walk　金沢歩き

7th. April Kenrokuen　　兼六園 A beautiful, fine morning as we walk a few hundred metres to Kenrokuen a large park in the city centre. It is adjacent to City hall and a large, modern art museum ‘Kanazawa 21century Museum’. Kenrokuen is one of three famous Japanese gardens (The other two are in Mito and Okayama), it was created in the Edo era by a Daimyo in Kaga. There is as a rule an entrance fee to Kenrokuen but, unusually, in cherry blossom season this fee is waived. There are various paths to follow, a couple ponds and blossoms everywhere. In a separate area there is a plum grove, but these blossoms […]

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

Daigo Temple Cherry Blossom　醍醐寺の桜

5th. April. Daigo Temple Cherry Blossom　醍醐の桜 This is Kyoto day, so we take the Keihan train from Hama-Otsu to Daigo Station on the Tozai (subway line). Daigo Temple is a world heritage site. Its garden has been famous for cherry blossom, at least, since Toyotomi Hideyoshi held a sakura viewing party here in 1598. There is a 1500-yen entrance fee, that I thought a bit steep, but it gives you entrance to 3 sites. I was amused to note two men with padded ladders carefully holding weeping cherry branches clear to allow a couple of large trucks to edge past without disturbing the blossoms. Diago Temple is large and we […]

19/05/2022 / Last updated : 21/05/2022 d.d Following The Cherry Blossom Front

Hirafuku and Mii-dera cherry blossoms　平福、三井寺

Following the Sakura Front 2022 4th. April Chugoku Expressway Wake in the Hirafuku Michi no eki after a long drive on the Chugoku Expressway. What a wonderful road this is, broad curves winding up and down with almost no traffic. It is possible to see a long distance both ahead and behind on both carriageways and not another vehicle in sight. The only drawback is the absurd 60kph speed limit. Hirafuku Michi no eki　道の駅平福 Hirafuku Michi no eki is a reasonable place to stay. It has a restaurant and provides an interesting walk around the old post town. There are castle remains on the hilltop across the valley, two huge […]