02/07/2022 / Last updated : 02/07/2022 d.d Following The Cherry Blossom Front

Amanohashidate to Kinosaki Onsen　天橋立、城崎温泉

19th. April Michi no eki Mikatagoko Michi no eki Mikatagoko is a good place to stay. There is a view of the lake and it is quiet away from the road. On the other hand, the toilet is too small given the popularity of the place and irrationally it has no bins for rubbish. Not even for drink cans and bottles though there are 3 vending machines. I thought this irresponsible. In the morning, we were disappointed to discover that the lakeside walking path does not extend very far at all. There are bird watching hides around the place but few bird at this time of year. Some of the […]

27/06/2022 / Last updated : 27/06/2022 d.d Following The Cherry Blossom Front

Shirawakawago to Kuzuryu　白川郷から九頭竜

18th April Michi no eki Hida Hakusan This was our second time to spend a night at Hida Hakusan. It is a good place for an overnight at least outside peak tourist season as the proximity to a world heritage site probably means it get seriously crowded. We shared the car park with perhaps four other vehicles and one person on a Honda 50 who erected a small tent. Kudos. Trucks grinding up the hill do make a noise but there are few. This michi no eki has an adjacent onsen which is spacious and pleasant. The outside bath was, sadly, not in operation due to lack of water. The […]

26/06/2022 / Last updated : 26/06/2022 d.d Early Summer Flowers Road Trip '19

Cape Kamui and Shimamui Beach　神威岬と島武意海岸

June 2nd. You Yu Mori michi no eki You yu mori michi no eki is a reasonable place to overnight. The facilities are basic and somewhat odorous but adequate. There is a large car park with mature cherry trees and the odd shaped building offers a view of Hokkaido Komagatake. From the michi no eki we took route 5 for Oshamanbe. This is mostly a long, wide, straight road with low speed limits and numerous Potemkin patrol cars. A boring drive. The tedium was relieved by the impressive and unmistakable presence of Mt. Yotei. Niseko Oyunuma, volcanic pool　　ニセコ大湯沼 At Niseko, we took Niseko Panorama Line (R. 66) and at Niseko […]

26/06/2022 / Last updated : 26/06/2022 d.d Early Summer Flowers Road Trip '19

Bense wetlands-yellow Nikko Kisuge and Takayama Inari Shrine　ベンセ湿原、高山稲荷

May 31st. Bense Wetlands and Nikko Kisuge We leave michi no eki Namioka on a cloudy but dry morning, heading for the Bense Wetlands. On arrival, we are pleasantly surprised to find, that the Nikko Kisuge are in bloom. D. thought it would be too early in the year. Nikko Kisuge are a yellow, wetland flower that romantically bloom at dawn and die at day’s close; to be replaced by another bloom the following morning. They are June /July flowers but were well established and beginning to form an expanse of yellow here at the end of May. They are normally followed by irises that change the carpet from yellow […]

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

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 […]