Hotel Alpha-One Takayama Bypass

... dipping sauce that had a little soy, sesame oil, and maybe some chili oil – very yummy!

After dinner (Toshi and I were able to sneak the check before it came to the table and pay for dinner!) we went down to the onsen, men to one side and women to another. After getting a locker, shucking our clothes we headed to the the natural hot springs. We were inside and outside (in the cold) in very hot, full of sulfur and it felt so good! While we were relaxing in this amazing place ...

... interiors and help to preserve the wood and thatched roofs. It also makes the house free of bugs that might eat the wood and roof. Many families raised silk worms in the uppermost floor – the one we visited had antique tools and instruments used to raise worms and spin the silk into fabric. It was a wonderful town and the people there were very proud to show off their history. Fire obviously is a big concern for these kinds of ...

We travelled from Tokyo on the super high speed clean shiny amazing shikansen trains run by japanese rail who, outside Japan, offer the JR Railpass- a discount pass only available to tourists abroad that offers unlimited travel on the shiansen and train network for 7, 14 or 21 days- invaluable if you want to see as much as possible in a short space of time.

After arriving at our ryokan in Takayama, Erin ran through the basic ettiquette of the onsens- red curtain ...

Bonjour,

J'en suis a ma 2e journee avec le groupe. En fait, 3e mais lundi, aucune activite n'etait prevue sauf la rencontre de groupe. J'ai encore un tres bon groupe. Un peu plus vieux mais je m'y attendais. Les gens sont gentils mais etant donne que la guide n'organise pas vraiment de lunch ou de souper en groupe, je ne leur ai pas vraiment encore parle. Ma co-loc est vraiment gentille....Elise, Sophie, elle est ...

... for being of the Gassho-zukuri (literally “praying hands”)-style of thatched roofs. Built steeply to withstand the heavy snows, the thatching on the roof is an amazing 2-3 ft thick! Several of the buildings are open for exploration and contain artifacts from the period. Fires burned in most fireplaces to help repel insects and preserve the structure, as well as adding period atmosphere.

Takayama, Chubu, Japan chrisfite

So sorry that you havent received any news from us....from Mt.Fuji on, we didnt have any access....We stayed at the World Heritag Cultural Site in Gokayama, which was like staying at a camp.Basically, we have been in a mountainous area...the students have been writing a journal every day - One student writes about our day and at the end of the trip these pages will be copied by the leaders and a booklet will be made for ...

couldn't get to the computer last nite. only have a minute this morning.
took a train here yesterday. it's up in the "mountains", which are like big hills. it's really such a neat town. their specialty here is making sake and woodworking. i think i'll get a few real pretty bowls.
tim said yesterday on the train "show me the pictures of sedona", he was really missing her and he continues to narrate. as of ...

A Takayama on loge dans un temple, plutot sympa ! La ville est assez touristique et on comprend pourquoi : elle regorge de temples, vieilles batisses, distilleries de sake. Il y a beaucoup d'artisanat local : bois laque, sculptures, herbes sechees... Les sobas (nouille) au sarasin sont la specialite du coin et on approuve ;-) Toujours impossible d'aller a Kamikochi, meme de ce cote. On declare donc forfait et on part vers le sud...

... Its pretty cool though. THe guy that runs it is really nice, speaks english and (thankfully) doesnt make us take part in any meditation or prayer. Martin, a cop/intelligence officer from London, England, also took the same train into town and happens to be staying at the same temple. Oh Lonely Planet...the bible of every backpacker...thats how we both found the place. Anywho, we both went out to grab a bite to eat after we dropped off our ...

... inside the bus too. Eew. I mean, if you smoke and don't care about the health detriment of it, that's fine, that's your choice, but please don't kill everyone else's health at the same time. He does talk very hoarsely, so it's interesting to listen to him. Anyway, I think I'm going to find the guide and ask him to get the bus driver to not smoke in the bus. And then I'll probably walk around and see what's in the rest stop. My mom even just opened the window to ventilate...