23/02/2019 / Last updated : 29/01/2023 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Abo Toge / Abo Pass　安房峠

Summer 2018, Michi no eki Fuketsu no sato is a busy michi no eki on the main route between Matsumoto and Takayama. Consequently, a lot of tour buses stop here and it is on the Highland Kamikochi and Norikura bus lines. Thunder in the night and the day breaks cloudy with intermittent rain. After driving towards Matsumoto, to take advantage of the cheaper gasoline, we U-turn towards Takayama. Skirting the town, we have wandered its crowded tourist sites in the rain before and have no desire to do so again, we head slowly on R. 173 towards Gujo Hachiman. Having time on our hands we plan to check a few […]

13/02/2019 / Last updated : 11/02/2023 d.d Arts / Places of interest

Gujo Hachiman and Enku　郡上八幡

Day 74, November 2016, During the night, I had to remove some layers of clothing and we were not using sleeping bags. The morning is damp and very warm. We look around the michi no eki ‘Kokindenju no sato Yamato‘ which is a very pleasant place. It is laid out with small gardens and square ponds full of carp, linked by canals. There are large, flat stones placed here and there to serve as benches. The vegetable market is open and doing good business. On display are some odd vegetables that I have never seen before as well as the usual suspects. The temple museum that houses the Buddha images […]

07/02/2019 / Last updated : 29/01/2023 d.d Temple / Shrine

Kuonji Temple　久遠寺

Summer 2018, Wake to an overcast, misty morning at Asagiri Kogen, Michi no eki. Immediately we move further away from the stench, emanating from the manholes, so we can attempt breakfast. Kuonji Temple Set off for Kuonji, as the day brightens into sunshine. Shy, Fujisan continues to drape its elegant form in cloud. By 9.30am it is 30 degrees C. The road to Kuonji passes Motosuko, Motosu Lake, and then climbs into the mountains before deciding to follow the wide but shallow Fujigawa. Fuji River. Kuonji is approached through a traditional temple gate and then, a narrow street, climbing past the usual shops and restaurants associated with major temples. The […]

05/02/2019 / Last updated : 10/02/2023 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Lake Saiko glimpses of Fujisan and Asagiri kogen RS　西湖

August 2018, After a few days in Tokyo, we drive out in the direction of Mount Fuji. Following the navi through the maze of city. Worried we will not have time walk at Kuonji, we get on the Chuo Highway, only to realize there is still too little time and get off again. Winding through the narrow mountain roads of Kanagawa pref. we skirt around Lake Sagami and finally arrive in the Fujisan area around 3pm. The elusive mountain is nowhere to be seen. Lake Saiko We visit Lake Saiko, a very quiet lake by five Fuji lake standards. No power boats for a start. That should – read “no […]

05/02/2019 / Last updated : 29/01/2023 d.d Temple / Shrine

Michi-no-eki Myogi and Chichibu　秩父

Summer 2018, Michi-no-eki Myogi As expected Myogi RS. turned out to be hot and steamy. There was also some revving of engines and high speed comings and goings. So D. told me. I confess, I slept through most of it. We learn later that Myogi is something of a Mecca for Bosozoku so perhaps it is not such a good place for shachuhaku(sleep in a car) even if handy for Tokyo. The michi-no-eki itself is fine, overhung by the rock massif of Mt. Myogi. Halfway up, on a crag, there is a clear white kanji ‘Dai’. This, I am told, denotes a shrine; which I am disinclined to visit. Chichibu […]

28/01/2019 / Last updated : 10/02/2023 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Shirakawago　白川郷

Day 71, November 2016, This morning there is a thin layer of ice all over the car. I had expected the windscreen to be frozen but, not the whole car. Nor had I reckoned on ice on the inside of the windscreen. I think the temperature was -3 C. degrees. We had expected -6 C., as forecast, and were quite warm enough. We began our day with a short drive to Shirakawago but, the weather grows darker and darker. As we arrive, there is a steady drizzle and the temperature has risen only to 6 degrees, so a bit raw. Shirakawago Protected by numerous layers and rain suits we set […]

28/01/2019 / Last updated : 10/02/2023 d.d Arts / Places of interest

Matsumoto Castle　松本城

Day 70, November 2016, A cold morning, and getting colder, with a chill wind blowing. The michi no eki ‘Alps Azumino Horiganenosato’ is busy with elderly people from small trucks delivering vegetables. Customers, buying large amounts, crowd the shop. There are signs requesting that people don’t buy too much of any one item, only 3 bunches of spinach, for example. Matsumoto Castle We set off for Matsumoto castle and park in the city parking. Then go to the bank, which somehow gives us a discount on the parking. The castle is interesting as castles go. It is at least original, not a concrete replica so, you can see how it […]

22/01/2019 / Last updated : 29/01/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Lake Nozori & Agatsuma-kyo　野反湖、吾妻峡

Lake Nozori As the forecast for Nikko is still bad, we make for Kusatsu, via a coin laundry in Numata. On the road to Kusatsu, we make a side trip to visit Nozoriko or Lake Nozori. This proves to be further than anticipated and at the end of a long and winding road. It is steep and very narrow, which is fine, but we repeatedly meet dump trucks coming down as, we discover, there is a quarry half way up. We reach a car park overlooking the lake, but high above it, and realize that there are various hiking routes around the lake and over nearby peaks. This is all […]