We survived the crush of Tokyo Station at rush hour and six-plus hours of train to get here. We broke the day up with a visit to the Ghibli museum in Tokyo. That was a great time, but no pictures, so if you are into Hayao Miyazaki go to the website!
Anyway the sprawl quickly faded as our Azusa express train climbed into the rugged mountains and the scenery became fantastic and storybook-like.
This shot is an attempt to capture the grandeur of these mountains. It is hazy and cloudy but hopefully you can appreciate the fact that these peaks are nicknamed the Japan Alps for a reason.
We got a ride from the innkeeper (which saved us much grief!) to this amazing park that I had heard about on you-tube, but it is not listed in ANY of the tourist guidebooks I looked at. It is called Matsumoto Alps Park, and we were rewarded with an honest to goodness PLAYGROUND FOR CHILDREN! It was a really good one, too!
Can you see the girls at the top of this climbing hill? Check out the slides!
There was also a little Alpine Slide, called the "dream coaster" that was fun until Benna crashed and was in tears for a while. There was also a "roller slide" that had to be seen to be believed. I will put pictures of it on the girls` blogs soon.
After several hours playing, eating, visiting the small zoo, and eating some more, we began our hike back to the Ryokan. It was a long walk down the hill, past sweet houses with beautiful little gardens. The mountains hung over us as the city shimmered below in the stifling heat.
Can you see the girls at the top of this climbing hill? Check out the slides!
There was also a little Alpine Slide, called the "dream coaster" that was fun until Benna crashed and was in tears for a while. There was also a "roller slide" that had to be seen to be believed. I will put pictures of it on the girls` blogs soon.
After several hours playing, eating, visiting the small zoo, and eating some more, we began our hike back to the Ryokan. It was a long walk down the hill, past sweet houses with beautiful little gardens. The mountains hung over us as the city shimmered below in the stifling heat.
About half way home we had planned a stop at the municipal pool. It cost us 200 yen for adults and half that for kids, so about $2.50 for adults and half that for the kids. Perhaps the best seven dollars we ever spent.
Unfortunately, we were only half way home, and the second half was flat but the whining got lounder as our patience got shorter. Jana is now resting in the air conditioned room. Soon we will try again to satisfy ourselves with Ramen, then head downtown to the festival.
Tomorrow we visit the famous Castle, then hop back on the train for a ride into the heart of the alps, to Hakuba, a small town with about five huge ski resorts and numerous "Rotenburo" which means outdoor hot-spring baths.
One more week of travelling, then we settle down for three weeks in Kyoto!
No comments:
Post a Comment