A locker size for every bag

The Nagano train station has recently installed some large lockers so you can now store your skis and snowboard bags securely whilst you go and explore the city center before heading out to Hakuba or one of the many other ski resorts. The lockers are located on the upper concourse just opposite and left as you come out of the shinkansen (bullet train) ticket check. There are also some smaller lockers at the bottom of the stairs on the street level of the west (Zenkoji) exit. The largest ones cost 600 yen for the day.  6 x 100 yen coins.

Main Hall of Zenko-ji Temple (National Treasure)

Nagano, widely known as the host city of the Winter Olympics in 1998, has always been a Buddhist mecca for Japanese pilgrims since ancient times. This renowned temple, Zenkoji, has a history of 1,400 years and has grand 300 year-old Main Hall (believed to be one of the three largest historical Buddist temple buildings in Japan) designated as a National Treasure complementing its natural environs.
Walking through the pitch-black passageway underneath the altar of the sacred main image of Zenkoji (Amitabha), and touching the ‘Key to Paradise’, will give you a deep insight into what Buddhism has meant to the Japanese people.

Bell Tower of Zenko-ji Temple

Nio-mon (Deva King Gate)

Here, with an advance reservations and according to the number of your party, you can experience traditional Japanse culture such as Kimono, Tea Ceremony, and Zazen. Traditional Buddhist Meals are also available.

Nagano is only 85 min from Tokyo by Shinkansen. Come visit us.

Did everyone enjoy Childrens Day (May 5th)?  I took our kids for a bicycle ride to the Sarashina no Sato Ancient Experience Park, a 4.2km ride from our onsen town, Togura-Kamiyamada. 

Our kids wearing Jomon-era garb at the recreated prehistoric village

The park is set up to provide a glimpse of what life was like in prehistoric Japan, the Jomon era.  Besides a recreated Jomon village, there is a sort of historical museum.  Not only are there displays and an educational video on Jomon lifestyle, but there are a series of hands-on activities to experience.  Our oldest son tried making fire with sticks of wood, while our #2 son and daughter carved a soapstone into a pendant. 

Trying to make fire by rubbing sticks

Carving a soap stone pendant

Chikuma City is also fortunate to have a 1600 year old ancient tomb, the Mori Shogun Tumulus.  It appears in all 6th graders textbooks in Japan.  I’ll have to take our kids for another bike ride to go there next time.

“Hanamomo Kaido(road)” is well-known for its beautiful “hanamomo” or ornamental peach blossoms. In the southern part of Nagano prefecture,  ranging from Iida city in Ina valley to Nagiso village in Kiso valley, there are thousands of  well-cared hanamomo trees.

They are usually at their best from April through early May, almost for a month. This year, because of the unseasonal cold weather in April, the best season started late April.

Hanamomo peach in Hirugami onsen-kyo

The photo above is taken in Hirugami onsen-kyo. It is a relatively new hot spa resort, the source of its hot water happened to be discovered  in the trial boring to construct a national railroad through  a huge mountain in 1973.

It would be fun if you spend some time on the riverbed of the Achi-gawa.

people enjoying themselves by the Achi (Achi-gawa)

The following is the hanamomo peach blossoms in area named Tsukikawa. You will be greeted by blossoms in crimson, pure white, rose pink , and most impressively, white blossoms tinged with pink. There are several paths lined with two thousand hanamomo trees in total, on which you can walk comfortably.

Hanamomo peach paths in Tsukikawa area, Achi

Mountain Burger at Mountain Q restaurant in Nagano.

People who are familiar with Hawaii probably know about all the little, family-run, popular-with-the-locals type of diners found throughout the state, well away from the resort areas.  They serve great food in generous portions at very affordable prices.

Well, Nagano City has just such a place, found right on Chuo Dori, the road leading up to Zenkoji.  The name is “Mountain Q”.  I have no idea why it is named as such, but it is very easy to find.  Just look for the place decorated with lots of Hawaiian stuff.  Not really over the top, but just enough to get your attention.

Walk in the door and the staff cries out, “Irasshaimase!  ALOHA!!” and from there you go to your seat, either at a table or at a booth.  Music from Hawaiian artists plays on the sound system.  Sometimes you get live radio from Honolulu, and can hear the latest traffic reports about how the cars are flowing on Kalakaua Avenue.  Place an order and during the surprisingly short time before your food arrives, you can browse some of the Hawaii-related travel magazines they have.  Or gaze at the images of Hawaii on the flat-screen TV on the wall over the booth area.  But it won’t be long before you are eating!

The menu has entrees like the ever popular Loco Moco, a grilled hamburger patty drenched in gravy on top of rice with sunny-side-up egg.  These are served in a wooden plate shaped like a pineapple.  Though delicious, loco moco is very high-calorie, so be careful!  Then there is the Mountain Burger.  Far surpassing anything you’ll find at McDonald’s, this large, messy, yet very tasty meal is a grilled hamburger on a lightly toasted bun served with lettuce, tomato and pickles and other add-ons you can choose from.  It is served with a side of shoestring fries, which, if you ask me, are, on their own, worth a trip to this restaurant.  There are other burgers, sandwiches and, perhaps most unique…Taco Rice.  Though the name suggests it contains octopus (in Japanese tako means octopus), it does not.  It is a popular Okinawan dish of Tex-mex flavored ground beef served on top of rice.  It’s…REALLY good!

Desserts are just as impressive.  You can order an ice cream sundae and not only have it topped off with whipped cream, fresh fruit and a tropical flower, but inside, mixed between scoops of ice cream, where Japanese usually put some corn flakes, you’ll find — no joke — Cheerios.  Funniest of all is that, in keeping with the quirky way in which they serve food at this place, our sundae today was served in a glass measuring cup.  It brought a smile to everyone’s faces.

Though well stocked with plenty of adult beverages, we always go with the kids for lunch and opt for juice or iced coffee with our meal.  Drinks come in large glasses and the pineapple juice was a big hit with our daughters, age 8 and 5.  Guava juice would be a welcome addition to their menu, but mango juice always will suffice for me!  A fun place to be during the day, I would bet it’s even more fun to be here at night.  The bar counter itself is very small, but this whole place has the look and feel of a fun night-time pub.  Give it a try!

And when it is time to hit the road, the staff will bid you farewell with as much energy as they did when you came in, calling out, “Arigato gozaimashita!  MAHALO!!”

Though I have guided tours to the SNOW MONKEY PARK many times, it was my first time to see real tiny shaky fragile newborns. I could not resist taking photos and videos of the monkeys to show you.

a new born monkey (right) with its mother (left)

The baby above was making its first unsteady steps.

Like humans, mothers of newly-born babies are so careful and protective; they sometimes bare their teeth and scream to chase away threats to babies.

Baby carried in its mother’s bosom

It’s time to nurse!

 It has been almost a week since I visited here, Unno-juku in Tohmi City.

At that time, buds of Somei-yoshino Sakura were yet to bloom, but now they should be in full bloom.

 Unno-juku is one of many ‘shukuba’ post towns like Tyler-san once presented in this blog.

This town has its history of being located along the Hokkoku kaido Line, which branches off from Nakasen-do Line at Oiwake juku near Karuizawa and heads to Zenkoji in Nagano City.

the main 6 'kaido's during the Edo Period

This is a map of Nagano pref: Can you see the pink line?

That is the Hokkoku kaido Line.

It leaves the Nakasendo Line, the green one, at Oiwake-juku and heads northwards.

Unno-juku locates just a bit north of Oiwake-juku in Nakasendo Line.

FYI: Nakasendo Line stretched from Edo, the present day Tokyo, from Kyo, the present day Kyoto, entering to Shinshu area, the present day Nagano pref. at Karuizawa and exiting it from Kiso area.

Now about Unno-juku.

Unno-juku was designated as an official post town in the Edo Period, but had long been a flourished castle town of Lord Unno.

Like Obuse or Suzaka or many other post towns along such Kaido lines, it held 6 markets a month, and used to be a cross road to various trades.

However, after the Edo era ended and walking was no more the only way to travel around, the ‘shukuba’ post towns　were no more in need.

Then the people in this Unno-juku started their business of cericulture, silk industry.

Just then Japan had opened country to the world and started trading things. Silk was among the top things foreign traders wanted from Japan.

Making good use of former large buildings of   inns etc., many households kept silkworms inside their house, spinned the silk, and sold it.

These whole process is exhibited in a little musuem called,’ Unno-juku Siryoukan.’

 This small museum is housed in a building which used to be an inn in the Edo era, and in the Meiji era held silk industry.

You can see many old style tools and inteirors nonchalantly placed here and there inside the building.

the street along Unno juku is relatively wide

a friendly antique shop

 

a cozy caffeterier

 

 The atmosphere is not so joyously crowded, but serene, and you can surely feel relaxed and spend time leisurely in a sobalier or in a caffeteria within old buildings.

attatch boards to help holding up the sparrows nests, which is a common practice in ordinary farm houses

 

school children coming back to their homes in the evening

 

Kamikochi, the gateway to the Japanese Alps, will hold its official “Mountain Opening” ceremony on Friday April 27th this year. The road to Kamikochi opened today, April 20th and busses have started making their regularly scheduled runs as of today. A few of the inns and facilities at Kamikochi have started to open but everything will be running in full gear as of the 27th. Still lots of snow in places, and the season of spring growth in the trees won’t be until later in May. But Kamikochi is starting to show signs of spring in the valley, and the snow-covered Alps are as majestic as ever.

Kamikochi Official Home Page

More pictures of the current (late April, 2012) conditions at Kamikochi

Kamikochi starting to come out of hibernation. Picture courtesy of my buddy Aoyagi-san of Kamikochi Onsen Hotel

Chikuma City’s Mori District is known as the Apricot Village and has the most apricot trees of any district in all of Japan. Every year, the apricot blossoms attract visitors from all over the country. This year, due to the cold winter, the blossoms are blooming about 2 weeks later than usual. But I’m happy to say the valley is in full bloom now. The entire valley is covered in the light whitish-pink blossoms. They should last through the end of April.

Apricot Blossoms in Mori "Apricot Village"