Jigokudani Monkey Park

With Spring sneaking up on us, we took a day trip up to Nagano prefecture to see the onsen monkeys! Even though most of the snow was gone, there were still plenty of monkeys to see. These are the ones  on the monkey cam so it was neat to see them up close.  

Historic Villages of Shirakawa

About 2 hrs from Gero is the historic village of Shirakawa. For a few weeks of the year, they illuminate the gassho-zukuri farmhouses. I had seen pictures on the internet, and it looked really cool, so we were game for the drive. Dietz and I hopped in the car, manned only with our phone GPS. It was [...]

The Shinkansen

Everyone knows that Japan is bullet train land. We have been lucky enough to hop a ride on it every now and again. It is fast, clean, quiet, and efficient… much like everything else in Japan. (cont’d)

The Golden Pavilion

…wow! And it really is golden! (cont’d)    

伏見稲荷大社 – Fushimi Inari Shrine

The first stop in Kyoto was the Fushimi Inari Shrine. If you have ever seen pictures of Japan you probably have seen it! This shrine has hundreds of torii gates snaking along a path. It is very beautiful. We went early in the morning and the light coming down through the trees and over the [...]

Koinobori

On the way back from lunch we saw a parking lot full of koinobori (windsocks in the shape of carp) that are flown to celebrate Children’s Day (May 5). The carp is a strong and powerful fish and is highly regarded in Japan. They fly the koinobori in honor of their sons, so they might [...]

Recent News

Gero Onsen Gassho Mura (and the slide)

Saturday was a wet and rainy day, but Sunday the sun came up and we took a trip over to the Gassho Village in Gero aka Gero Onsen Gassho Mura. As you can see from the video the trees are still gorgeous… and the slide is still fun.

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Night Parade

The big finale was the night parade! It was neat to see the beautiful carvings and tapestries illuminated by the lanterns. None of the floats hit buildings or the stop lights

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The floats

The floats

The floats only come out twice a year… here is one getting ready for the night parade

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Gojunko Procession

Gojunko Procession

Last year the Takayama Spring Festival was held during the middle of the week. This year it was a Sunday/Monday event so we were able to check it out. There were floats, processions, music, puppet shows, and a night parade. Despite the sheer number of people who converge in Takayama, parking wasn’t bad at all. [...]

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Egret

Hooray! First egret of the season. I hope he found some frogs to feast upon. There’s a video below

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Neighbors

Our neighbors are generally pretty quiet. But last night they were beating drums, playing the flute, and dancing all around. Not sure what they were celebrating, memorializing, or what. The kid in the center danced around in a circle for about 10 minutes. And everyone likes videos, so we uploaded one for you.

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Jackpot

  We love getting packages… especially ones like the one we received yesterday! Thanks ladies

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Jigokudani Monkey Park

With Spring sneaking up on us, we took a day trip up to Nagano prefecture to see the onsen monkeys! Even though most of the snow was gone, there were still plenty of monkeys to see. These are the ones  on the monkey cam so it was neat to see them up close.  

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Sega Arcade

We went to Takayama last night to meet some Canadians. We ate at C4H and then went to the SEGA arcade. Lots of games! We also tried out the photo booth…(more)  

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delay

We’ve had a flurry of activity the past month – stay tuned!

Sand from China

I asked Nick what caused the dirt on vehicles. Here is his reply: “First of all, the accumulation of dirt [...]

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Transform Your Nerdy Self

I never cease to be amazed by the crazy illustrations around Japan. I think this is a sign to download [...]

HVD

It makes me so happy to have my best friend along for this unexpected journey. (pardon the mush, but it [...]

Cycling in the snow