Pension Morinokomichi Hakuba-mura

... when we arrievd at the hotel it was around 430 in the afternoon. we were surprised about the room at hotel phoenix wing. the room was so big and kitchen facility was included. however, we couldnt be bothered to get take out so we've deceided to eat in at the hotel's restaurant. so we've order the 'shinsyuwagyuu youganyaki' which means the ' shinshu wagyu beef grillled by lava stone'. the meal was great and statified.

to be continue...

We left Nikko for Nagoya via Tokyo, the whole journey took 5 hours by train. The only thing we could tell to do in Nagoya was to see a castle but we arrived too late so instead we went out to dinner and watched movies on the laptop. Greg got extensive assistance in planning out our next day with our hotel clerk, deciphering the train ...

... Quand on a voulu partir pour Kamikochi, des gentilles personnes nous ont mis au courant qu'il y avait eu des glissements de terrain suite a des averses et que la route etait donc fermee. Changement de programme, on ira donc dans le sud vers Nakatsugawa pour faire une petite rando entre 2 villages (Magome et Tsumago) situes sur l'ancienne route Tokyo-Kyoto. Ces ...

... village. I.e. Williamsburg, though without the faux colonists and more souveneir shops. Some background: long ago there was a highway of sorts for merchants to travel to and from Edo and Kyoto alone the Kiso Valley that runs through the middle of Japan. This highway is the Nakasendo, which I believe translates to middle mountain path. As this highway developed, post towns came into existence to serve the weary travelers--food and accomodation mostly ...

... It was these moments on the train, that felt like paradise to me. The view outside my window of sun shining, mountains lazing in the background, and sakura blossoms twisting gently in the wind. I wanted to jump off the train right there and walk among it all. I loved China for it's wild rustic chaotic feel. The chaos of Mother Nature if you will. But, Japan is the exact opposite. It is as though Mother Nature tried it's very best to neatly craft ...

... just bubbling over with energy, and rarely goes to bed before 1am. Then he is up again at 4:30 or 5am to look after this rambling hotel. If he sees you hanging out in the lobby, he might come and tell you a story, get you to throw some beans (to send "monsters outside" and bring good fortune back inside the hotel) or even play you a tune on one of his four recorders (one of which is almost as tall as he is). Either way, he will certainly ...

... After having so much fresh powder in Hokkaido, we were hoping to get some more freshies at Nazowa Onsen, although we were loving the sunny spring-like conditions. Well Mother Nature did not let us down and our last two days of snowboardig at Nazowa were in great powder conditions! As always, Fi and I made it up for first chairlift and were rewarded with fresh untouched powder. Needless to say it was the perfect way to leave such a great place.

... high mountain passes between Kyoto and Tokyo. I chose this route because the old post towns along the way are known for their historic wooden architecture, particularly Narai. Charming and beautiful. True, rural Japan...simple slow life!

... excursion was pretty good, but the area was a real countryside. So you should be careful of the transportation schedule, if you visit Magome or Tsumago. There were a few trains running hourly between Nagoya and Nakatsugawa, but much fewer beyond Nakatsugawa. In addition, you can travel between the post towns by car or public transportation, but if possible, it is better to walk on the Old Route. Compared to the other old routes, the part of the route has been well preserved. Don't miss it.

2-day orienteering competition http://orienteering.com/nagano/event/19 94/n15/index.html 第15回長野県オリエンテーリング大会 成績 1994年8月 1日目「信州大芝高原」 2日目「信州伊那高原ますみヶ丘」（チェイ シングスタート）