11/02/2026 / Last updated : 11/02/2026 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Nasu Sesshoseki and Shimogo Kannon-numa　　那須殺生石、下郷観音沼

Oct. 28th. 2025 Michi no eki Nasukogen　　道の駅那須高原友愛の森 Morning displays Natsukogen Yuai no mori in all its glory. There are a very large number of shachuhaku vehicles and people arriving for the large shop selling the usual veg. and omiyage(souvenirs). The large plaza area has a display of art works in stone and wood. Also, a shop selling various craft works from jewelry to a large, wooden Godzilla. Adjacent to this, sizeable workshops for woodcarving, pottery, rattan work and perhaps other things. Classes are held here, I would suppose. The place is busy for a chilly Tuesday morning. Rubbish bins are provided, one notably full of wine bottles. People waiting for […]
26/06/2023 / Last updated : 02/07/2023 d.d Scenic Drive / Spots

Fukuroda Waterfall and Furumine Shrine　袋田の滝、古峯神社

April 12th. 2023 Michi no eki Mashiko gave us an unexpectedly quiet night. The toilet was a problem as expected. The morning rush was complicated by the shortage of paper as well as space as the facilities were much in demand. Fukuroda no Taki (Waterfall) Though not a huge fan of waterfalls, we opt to visit Fukuroda no Taki, as it ranks as one of the top 3 falls in Japan. We are visiting clearly out of season as the numerous car parks are empty and unattended. Autumn is the optimum time to visit as the maple trees are evident everywhere. Now they are a sheen of fresh, delicate green. […]
Miraikan
27/04/2020 / Last updated : 31/01/2023 d.d Hiking / Walking

Nikko Senjogahara and Tokyo Odaiba

June 2019, Oze Katashina michi no eki, as expected, was an excellent place to stay. The toilet facilities must be the best of any michi no eki in Japan. I have never seen better from Kagoshima to Wakkanai. Unfortunately, due to panic induced by a sudden, torrential downpour, we forgot all about the special toothbrushing room, so that remains untested. Nikko Senjogahara We set off for Nikko, following R.120, to walk at Senjogahara. We have walked here before, in winter, but that did not prepare us for the huge number of school groups. When we returned to the Akanuma car park after our walk, there were 18 tour buses parked. […]
dragon
19/12/2018 / Last updated : 16/03/2023 d.d Temple / Shrine

Nikko, Senjogahara hiking　日光

Day 61, November 2016, The morning is cold in michi-no-eki Nikko. There is ice on the windscreen for the first time. The michi-no-eki (road station) is not very large but very busy as people visit the toilet and the convenience store. Toshogu, Tokugawa Ieyasu. It is time for us to pay our respects to Tokugawa Ieyasu, so we head out to his shrine, Toshogu. This shrine, where Tokugawa Ieyasu was enshrined as a god, was re-constructed in 1636 by his grandson the third Tokugawa shogun. We have some trouble finding the car park but, eventually, walk to the shrine. The entrance fee is an exorbitant 1300 yen, especially as most […]