Lake Kizaki
10/05/2020 / Last updated : 31/01/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Togakushi Kodo and Okusha, Lake Kizaki　戸隠古道、木崎湖

July 2019, Otari michi no eki Otari michi no eki is a noisy place, even on a Sunday night. It is on a straight stretch of road at the bottom of a long hill so the trucks, of which there are many, really get up speed, sweeping down or taking a run up for the climb.  They roar past very close to the parking. The morning is bright, hot and sunny so we think we will grab the chance to walk  Happo-One and see the view. It is only a 10 or 15-minute drive but during that short period the cloud has rolled in and the nearby hilltops are lost […]
Tsugaike Shizen-en
08/05/2020 / Last updated : 31/01/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Tsugaike Shizen-en, wetland flowers 　栂池自然園

July 2019 Hakuba michi no eki Hakuba michi no eki is a very reasonable place to spend the night. The traffic does not bother us, but it does become very busy on Sunday morning. A group of enthusiasts of an older model VW Golf show up and hang around for a while. We wait too, hoping the weather will clear. There is a thin drizzle, but the forecast is brighter or at least drier later in the morning and we are planning to walk Tsugaike Shinzen-en. This is a high plateau wetland noted for spring flowers. Tsugaike Shizen-en(Nature park) To reach the wetland hiking course it is necessary to take […]
Yashimagahara wetland
06/05/2020 / Last updated : 31/01/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Yatsugatake line, Yashimagahara wetland 八島ヶ原湿原

July 2019, Yatsugatake Echo Line Kobuchizawa michi no eki was fine for an overnight stay. Even on a Friday night it is not so crowded and very quiet. The morning is dry, but overcast, as we set off for Kirigamine following the Yatsugatake Echo Line and Vinas Line. This is a good drive, even on a weekend though the weather is, of course, suspect. At the Kurumayama ropeway station the clouds are hemming in the mountains, so we don’t think it is worth the price of two tickets so pass on by. We do stop a little later at a spot, to view flowers, that offers a trek up the […]
Utsukushi no Mori
02/05/2020 / Last updated : 31/01/2023 d.d Arts / Places of interest

Hakone Okada Museum of Art and Oshino Hakkai 　岡田美術館、忍野八海

July 2019, Taking the Tokaido A wild, wet and windy night. Torrential rain and the van rocking in the gusts. The morning brings no respite as the rain is still relentless and forecast to be so until lunchtime. There is not a lot we can do, so decide to take a look at the Okada Museum of Art in Hakone. We set off along the coast road, strewn with leaves, branches and the occasional rock, detritus from the storm. Of course, all the places along here that boast a Fuji view are overly optimistic. Finally, we take Route 1., the old Tokaido. This is the route to Edo (modern Tokyo) […]
Mt.Hotaka
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 […]
Kuonji temple
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 […]
Matsumoto Castle
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 […]
Suwa Taisha
28/01/2019 / Last updated : 10/02/2023 d.d Temple / Shrine

Yatsugatake Highlands and Suwa Taisha　八ヶ岳、諏訪大社

Day 69, November 2016, Kiyosato Highland　　清里高原 A very wet night but, we woke to a warm morning of weak sunshine, golden hills and Onbashira paraphernalia. Onbashira is the crazy festival, held every 7 years, when the locals ride tree trunks down a very steep hillside, hoping not to get killed. We decide to visit Kiyosato Highland, a place D. used to visit as a child. As the road starts to climb, the clouds roll in and cover everything. This mist lends a truly mysterious air to the larch forests and we drive gently through mist wreathed trees. Sometimes, we stop at viewing spots or parking places. We can see nothing […]