Kojimaya Ryokan
Travel Blogs from Annaka
Mt Asama and onioshidashi
The morning started with gruel - literally. Breakfast was either super thick white toast or okayu, which is Japanese rice gruel, a bit like thin porridge. Buoyed up for the day by this sustenance, we walked to the hire car office via the tourist office at Nagano Station. There they gave us several useful maps.
The car we hired was a small Mazda automatic. We set off with some maps that really didn't give the information required for driving, ...
Japan to Chengdu
... eat during the hottest part of the day, always an adventure though.
Our bikes made it relatively unscathed however Jacklin's bike needed a few minor repairs
We took our bikes out for test ride yesterday. Our plan was to go out for 20 minutes out and back , 1 1/2 later were still trying to figure out where we took a wrong turn.
The plan is to bike to Pi Xian tomorrow morning.
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Winter Granted
... and then the trains, so we opted for the direct route.
My wish for snow had been fulfilled, and I'd eaten well and spent lots of time in very hot water, so my only remaining desire was to see a monkey in the wild. Sadly, it was not to be. Though I sat by the window and kept my eyes wide open all the way through the postcard-perfect winter mountains, I saw no monkeys. M-P, however, did; you'll have to ask her what a monkey in a snowy tree looks like.
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Kusatsu Onsen Spa & Shinjuku Christmas Lights
... bus would leave, so I checked up on the venues of Christmas lights with Tokyo Walker magazine in a book store and tried a few of them. Frankly speaking, they are just O.K., if you happened to pass by them, but not worth visiting to see. (I won't mention the details, but upload some pictures from the venues: Keio Plaza Hotel, Shinjuku Mitsui Building, and Shinjuku Park Tower.) After enjoying the Christmas lights, I finally went to the Willer Express bus station and I waited for the ...
The Belly Button Festival
... curb in the shade to occupy for the main parade. We watched everyone get ready then it began. It was truly a site to see and we had a really good time. Beyond the belly buttons, there were other kinds of costumes dances and inventive takes on the original concept. Please see the picture and video to experience it yourself. Check out the youtube video of it, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZSpxJK_ rM8 .
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Description
Other places to stay in Annaka
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Kanpono Yado Isobe
Isobe Onsen, Annaka | Ryokan
