Last weekend we had an extra day off. This was due to a holiday called "Aged People's Day" which is the equivalent to the U.S.'s "Grandparents Day." We spent the week at school learning about our grandparents and making special "aged people's day" gifts. After a very successful surprise birthday dinner for Dominique on Friday night, Kumiko, Ellen, Dominique and I all ventured out early Saturday morning to the prefecture of Nagano for the three day weekend.
Nagano is the prefecture in which the 1998 Winter Olympics were held. Due to the fact the 2001 Winter Olympics were held in Salt Lake City, Utah, I was overly excited about seeing what this mountainous prefecture had to hold.
Our first stop was four separate wineries. The wine proved to be sweeter and wetter than that that I am used to.
Next stop was a wasabi farm in Doho-de where we purchased wasabi ice cream, wasabi beer, and wasabi juice! That night we stayed in a traditional Japanese style hotel. The hotel room did not have any beds. Instead it was completely empty except for about 7-8 futons folded up around the edge. The definition of a futon in Japan is different than that of a futon in the states. In Japan a futon is simply a thin mattress-or a thick comforter, depending on how you look at it. Along with the futons the room held a big screened TV and a coffee table.
Our traditional Japanese hotel also held shared bathrooms. I have traveled a lot over the past year and I have had my fair share of "shared bathrooms," but none as shared as these. These bathrooms were actually a giant shower room equipped with several shower heads and a giant bathtub. In Japan, it is common to take baths. One will first quickly shower and then relax in the bath for a while before drying off and carrying on with their nightly routine. Luckily, since I was not quite ready to dive that deeply into the Japanese culture just yet, there was a separate shower room for those who wanted a private shower.
The next day we left for Hakuba for some fresh air and a hike. This hike was unlike any hike I have gone on before. The hike started with three separate gondola rides up the mountain. Just as I was thinking "how much higher could we possibly go?" I noticed the crowd heading up a nicely carved path. The company on my hikes usually consists of my friends and a few strays we pass along the way. This hike was different. On this hike, there were easily two hundred people aiming for the same summit using the same trail. There were people ranging in age from less than a year to over 70 years old. The hike took us an easy hour despite the obstacles presenting themselves in the form of humans.
After weaving in and out of the crowd we finally made it to our summit. When we were told about this hike we were told we would arrive at a lake. The view we found was not a lake, but a pond. Despite its size, it was beautiful, surrounded by fog and cool, clean air. After taking countless photos we started on our way back down.
After the hike we went over to Matobason's cabin. Matobason is one of the founders of Education Network and one of my bosses. A few days ago I found myself ill and in need of a doctors' visit. She was happy to take me and during our time in the waiting room we exchanged plans for the long weekend. I told her our plan to go to Nagano and she, surprisingly, told me the same! She then proceeded to invite us to lunch at her cabin.
After lunch we parted ways and Kumiko, Ellen, Dominique and I all ventured to an outdoor onsen. An onsen is a natural hot spring in which Japanese people bathe in--bare skinned. This was an adventure and obstacle in itself.
After the onsen it was time to find our hotel for our final night. This hotel was called Eternal Flame. It was located in the woods where there were no street lights. After driving around for almost an hour we finally found what was the coziest inn I have ever seen. We made it just in time for a wonderful five course Italian meal. After a nice night cap we all turned in anticipating a hot air balloon ride that was waiting for us with the sunrise.
Unfortunately we woke up to the hotel worker telling us that due to the typhoon the winds were too strong and we were not going to be able to go on our hot air balloon ride. Disappointed, we all crawled back into bed and slept for a few more hours before we got up for our soba noodle making class!
After filling ourselves to the brim with wonderful, homemade soba noodles it was time to return home to Nagoya. We were greeted with cloudy skies and heavy rains due to the same Typhoon that prevented us from flying earlier in the day.
The weekend was wonderful and what made it even better was the four day week that proceeded it! I had a great first trip in Japan and I am confident that traveling in Japan will prove nothing less than incredible.
Our first stop was four separate wineries. The wine proved to be sweeter and wetter than that that I am used to.
Next stop was a wasabi farm in Doho-de where we purchased wasabi ice cream, wasabi beer, and wasabi juice! That night we stayed in a traditional Japanese style hotel. The hotel room did not have any beds. Instead it was completely empty except for about 7-8 futons folded up around the edge. The definition of a futon in Japan is different than that of a futon in the states. In Japan a futon is simply a thin mattress-or a thick comforter, depending on how you look at it. Along with the futons the room held a big screened TV and a coffee table.
Our traditional Japanese hotel also held shared bathrooms. I have traveled a lot over the past year and I have had my fair share of "shared bathrooms," but none as shared as these. These bathrooms were actually a giant shower room equipped with several shower heads and a giant bathtub. In Japan, it is common to take baths. One will first quickly shower and then relax in the bath for a while before drying off and carrying on with their nightly routine. Luckily, since I was not quite ready to dive that deeply into the Japanese culture just yet, there was a separate shower room for those who wanted a private shower.
The next day we left for Hakuba for some fresh air and a hike. This hike was unlike any hike I have gone on before. The hike started with three separate gondola rides up the mountain. Just as I was thinking "how much higher could we possibly go?" I noticed the crowd heading up a nicely carved path. The company on my hikes usually consists of my friends and a few strays we pass along the way. This hike was different. On this hike, there were easily two hundred people aiming for the same summit using the same trail. There were people ranging in age from less than a year to over 70 years old. The hike took us an easy hour despite the obstacles presenting themselves in the form of humans. After weaving in and out of the crowd we finally made it to our summit. When we were told about this hike we were told we would arrive at a lake. The view we found was not a lake, but a pond. Despite its size, it was beautiful, surrounded by fog and cool, clean air. After taking countless photos we started on our way back down.
After lunch we parted ways and Kumiko, Ellen, Dominique and I all ventured to an outdoor onsen. An onsen is a natural hot spring in which Japanese people bathe in--bare skinned. This was an adventure and obstacle in itself.
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| The sign for Eternal Flame. |
Unfortunately we woke up to the hotel worker telling us that due to the typhoon the winds were too strong and we were not going to be able to go on our hot air balloon ride. Disappointed, we all crawled back into bed and slept for a few more hours before we got up for our soba noodle making class! After filling ourselves to the brim with wonderful, homemade soba noodles it was time to return home to Nagoya. We were greeted with cloudy skies and heavy rains due to the same Typhoon that prevented us from flying earlier in the day.
The weekend was wonderful and what made it even better was the four day week that proceeded it! I had a great first trip in Japan and I am confident that traveling in Japan will prove nothing less than incredible.
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