I woke with the rising sun at 5:15 am, ugh. Four hours of sleep is not enough, but it was hard to stay asleep with the car door slamming noises as well. People started lining up for tickets shortly before 6 am with the offices opening at 6:50 am for the first bus departure at 7:30 am. The Alpine Route stretches across the mountains between Nagano and Toyama. There are several different modes of transportation you take and the whole journey across can take 7 hours with waiting times. I was only going as far as Murodo where Japan’s highest altitude hotel and onsen were, and where the famous snow corridor was. Due to the lack of snow, this year it was only 13 m high instead of the usual 17-19 m. This was probably the best website I’ve encountered in Japan in terms of English information. Everything but the timetables had been translated.

I wanted to get here super early because the crowds were supposed to be intense as it was the weekend after the opening weekend. They estimated over one hour waiting lines at each station. No thank you.

It was pretty warm out already in the sun, but I wore a lot of layers anyway with my snow pants. I joined the line at about 6 am, and ate my breakfast there. I had bought food ahead of time although they sold things at a station shop (at a higher price). Many other Japanese people were waiting along with loads of skiers and snowboarders. There’s no ski resort, but plenty of places to go backcountry. It’s always impressive to me to watch people strap them on to their packs and hike with that weight. I easily got my ticket for a round trip between Ogizawa station and Murodo and took my spot in the next line for the first part of the transportation chain, riding the trolley bus.

Electric buses are rare in Japan. Unlike Czech Republic, where the inner city of Plzen was filled with them, this is the only trolleybus line in all of Japan. Plenty of Japanese tourists were eagerly taking pictures of the buses. The tunnels through the mountain took years to complete and claimed many lives. After waiting about 5 minutes, and catching the first bus at 7:30 am, we unloaded at Kurobe Dam 15 minutes later. It’s like the Hoover Dam of Japan and is the tallest one here. I climbed the many stairs to emerge from underground on the observation deck. The views were stunning. Seeing snow capped mountains is my favorite. I then descended a bazillion stairs to walk across the dam to the next station and wait in line again.

The next round of waiting took about 10-15 minutes before I managed to get on the cable car. The cable car took 5 minutes before we were at the next station, Kurobedaira. They handed us a number to tell us when we could get on the ropeway to help keep the lines down. In the meantime, I went to the deck observatory and got my photo taken at the altitude marker. The temperature was still pretty warm here although there was snow all around. After a quick 5 minute ride on the ropeway - with amazing views - I switched to another trolley bus at the next station. Again it only took about 10 minutes waiting before I could board and another 10 minute ride, before I finally arrived at my destination, Murodo!

I arrived at about 9 am at the already crowded station. It was rather confusing to find my way out towards the snow corridor. It was finally cooler at this altitude, 2450 m (8000 ft). Following the stream of people down the street, I encountered the highest part of the snow corridor, 13 meters tall this year. I got the famous bus shot with the snow towering overhead. Some years the snow is 17-19 m tall! It’s really cool to see the stratification patterns where the snow has melted and refrozen over winter. Next, I stopped by to catch a glimpse of the lake that was still completely frozen. I put on my crampons at this point because there was plenty of snow on the ground and I was slipping everywhere in my hiking boots. Interestingly enough, the top layer was kinda crusty and melted so you didn’t sink through like with the powder at Mt. Asama.

My goal was to summit Mt. Oyama, the main peak of the Tateyama range, at 3000 m. I wore too many layers and got hot quickly. It was slow going and rather steep up the first bit. You had to be careful not to slip. I made it to the mountain hut at 2700 m (a rise of 300 m from my starting point) and ate lunch. The wind was really strong at this peak so then I was thankful for all my layers! I was accompanied by some skiers, snowshoers, hikers, and snowboarders. Had a nice conversation with one guy and his group as we climbed at about the same speed. One again, they were surprised to hear that I was hiking by myself.

I started the last bit of ascent. It was extremely rocky and more like the bouldering I was used to in Maine. The patches of snow, ice, and bare rock made it tricky with the crampons. I really need the full on 6-8 point spike ones. Suddenly, the cloud cover started coming in pretty quickly and whiting out everything. Soon I could barely see in front of me. I decided to turn around at this point. It cleared a little bit, but after the partial descent I had started, I realized I was ill equipped. It was incredibly difficult going down. One of the hardest things I’ve done. My shoes didn’t grip at all and I slid a lot. I can’t imagine doing it much further than the short distance I managed. The rest of the way back was easy enough as it was just sliding down on snow for short bits. You had to watch out for hollows and cracks under the snow though.

I made it back to the hotel (the highest altitude hotel in Japan). I wanted to go to the onsen (also the highest altitude one), but mother nature had determined it was not to be. After buying some omiyage, I began the journey back. Hordes of people had flooded the route and my wait times were bad, but not awful. Most people were going in the opposite direction. I’ve never been so glad I started early. I made it back to my car and got ready to do the drive back on local roads. I ended up stopping in Ueda at a FamilyMart around 6 pm to take a nap. I was so tired from the lack of sleep last night. I could barely keep my eyes open while driving. The one hour nap rejuvenated me and I finally got home at 9 pm. What a successful, fun trip!

Side note: The next day I realized I had forgotten my glasses there! I must have left them in the restroom in the morning when I put my contacts in. I contacted the staff via the website and they got back to me saying they found them! They even wrapped them up nicely and mailed them to me by pay on delivery. Yay!

After school today, at 7 pm, we had our welcome and goodbye enkai in Takasaki at the Georgian House. It’s a fancy place, designed in a British style, that serves French food. Everyone was having parties there including S’s school so I swung by the station to pick him up. I got to see Ichigo-sensei again! Wah! She’s so lively, it’s fantastic. She had been back to cook for the handball girls and they were concerned for me. Guess they felt the rockiness with the JTE now teaching them. Whoops, but it’s quite sweet. It’s been an adjustment. It was a night of good food and I got to chat with another teacher N-sensei. With a mix of English and Japanese, it was nice to get to know her better.

I was planning to leave directly for Nagano on my trip after the enkai when I realized I had forgotten my mini spikes for my shoes at home. I’d definitely need them for the snow on the Alpine Route. As I had to drive back towards Tomioka anyway, it wasn’t a big detour. Our enkai ended late at about 9:45 pm. I changed at home into my sleeping/hiking clothes before starting the drive. I decided to pay the 3000 yen for the tolls so I could get there an hour faster. I left my place at about 10:35 pm and arrived at Ogizawa station at 12:40 am. I managed to shave off 25 min from Google’s ETA thanks to empty roads. The last bit of toll roads wasn’t even in operation. The last stretch was pretty cool thanks to the full moon reflecting off the snow capped mountain peaks. Luckily I only saw a tanuki on the road, and didn’t run into any other animals.

It was chilly out, but refreshing. There were several other cars in the parking lot and more pulled in while I was getting my futon ready. The bathrooms were open and so clean. Ah, one thing I absolutely love about Japan. With the back seat down and the two front seats pushed forward all the way, my futon fit perfectly. It was really comfortable actually with my comforter and two blankets keeping me warm. The moon shone down directly overhead.

Papa forgot to turn his alarm off so up he went at 6:15 am. I manage to doze off again for a bit while he showered. We ended up heading downstairs pretty early for breakfast. My good mornings apparently convinced the staff enough that I understood Japanese so I got the buffet explanation in Japanese, whoo. It was really yummy! Made to order pancakes, waffles, and eggs, smoothies, salad, fruit, yogurt, bread, and other breakfast items. I ate a ton. We checked out shortly before 10 am and I said my goodbyes at the station. They headed off to the airport and I got on a train to Kyoto again. (I didn’t check their train schedule, and apparently they got on the wrong train!)

My first stop was the KyoAni shop on the outskirts. The studios for Kyoto Animation are also there - they make Free!. The shop was absolute heaven. I’ve never seen so much beautiful Free! things in one spot before. All the posters as well. I manage to restrict myself to a mousepad, postcard sketches that came in an eight pack, and a pin of Makoto. If only I had more money… There were two other girls already browsing when I came, and they were still busy when I left, ha. Next up was the Kyoto Pokemon Center - center #5 for me. It was really tricky to find. It had just opened a week or so ago, and there were no signs nor was it on google maps. I managed to find out it was inside of a Takashimaya department store on the 5F. Even then I thought I was wrong, because I had to wandered through the whole floor before I found the center. It was definitely small and tucked away.

The temperature kept as I took the bus to Nanzenji Temple. I came in via a back way through old streets filled with traditional Japanese villas. The Buddhist temple itself was amazing. Everything had just sprouted and was a fantastic shade of bright green. The temple grounds were huge and extremely restful. There are several buildings you can pay to enter, but I only went inside the main temple building that has some famous rock gardens. I sat by the garden for a while, relaxing. There’s also a brick aqueduct from the Meiji era on the grounds which seems out of place next to the temple buildings.

From Nanzenji, I walked to Heian shrine, past the zoo, a huge toori gate, and the art museum. I took a break in a park by the shrine. All the walking and heat. The shrine itself was modeled after the imperial palace. Afterward, I walked over to Chion-in, a huge Buddhist temple complex. I entered via a tucked away path lined with lanterns. Took another break here and relaxed in the sun with a tank top on. The hottest day yet! Apparently the temple was closed for a private event, but some others and I were in the middle of exploring and exiting. There were almost no people till I came out by the main entrance and temple. Most of the grounds were under construction so it wasn’t that interesting. I then walked through another park and Yasaka shrine to emerge back at Shijo Dori shopping street.

I stopped at the most famous matcha cafe, Tsujiri, and only had a 30 minute wait before I got a spot. The parfait was delicious, but I think I enjoyed the first cafe I went to with A in September more. Then I went to get okonomiyaki for dinner at a tucked away, traditional place. The food was meh, I’ve had better, but it was a nice atmosphere. A quick stop to H&M to kill some time - big city shopping - before I headed back to the station to grab my things and wait for the night bus back to Tomioka.

 
At midnight, I boarded the bus for Kyoto. Once again I got little sleep, but managed to feel awake enough upon arrival. I planned to meet my dad and his two work colleagues at 8 am in Kyoto station. After changing clothes (from freezing Tomioka to 75 degrees Kyoto) and dropping my stuff off in a locker - where I had to pay twice because I locked my phone inside - I killed time at McDonald’s. It was the only place open before 7 am with outlets. Yum, egg mcmuffin and hash browns. City shock - already the guy taking my order spoke English to me. I found Papa and his colleagues easily enough by the west gates as his head towered over the others. It didn’t feel like we hadn’t seen each other in 9 months.

We headed to the bus depot where we bought day bus passes for everyone before boarding the bus to Ginkakuji, the silver temple. We got there shortly after it opened so it was crowd-free! Last time I had been here was during Silver Week, and there were so little people this time, it was even more peaceful.Then we walked back to a bus stop along the Philosopher's Path. The sakura were long gone except for a few straggler blossoms. We caught the bus to Nijo Castle. The castle gate was even further under construction this time. The gardens still had some blooming sakura and almond trees.

We had such great weather too! It actually got really hot in the sun. We made a pit stop to buy some sunscreen, before finding lunch. They wanted to eat ramen so with the help of tabelog, I found a tiny ramen shop. It was very traditional with counter seats only, run by a couple, serving their family recipe. They were so friendly! She helped us order outside with the pictures on the door, although I could actually read the menu. Moments like this make me realize my progress. Last September, I was helpless, and now I actually know katakana and some kanji. One of my dad’s coworkers is from China so she knew kanji well. We got a delicious, filling lunch. So much food as per usual. The sweet owner kept offering us extra pickled things, and showing us how to eat the food with the raw egg.

Our next stop was Fushimi Inari shrine. Once again, the lack of people astounded me. It was busy, but not unbearable. We walked partially through the woods and all the little tucked away shrines. Then we headed over to Gion, the old part of Kyoto. We took a break at a matcha cafe that sold the famous Tsujiri matcha products. We didn’t want to wait in line at the other places ha. We each got some ice cream. It was very yummy, but I think my local cafe’s is better! While walking through Gion, there was a lot of traffic and people in uniforms. Apparently there was an old car “race” going on. They drove from Nagoya to Kyoto. Got to see some sweet cars.

We took the bus back to Kyoto station before getting on the rapid train to Osaka. Five minutes after we left, Papa asked me about my luggage. I realized I had forgotten to swing by the locker with my stuff. Whoops. I get off at the one stop the rapid train stops at before Osaka, and take a local train back to Kyoto. Of course, at this point my Suica card was all confused and it didn’t let me through the gates. Luckily, the attendant was sympathetic that I forgot my luggage and had to return and he cleared my card. Finally, I’m back on another local train to Osaka and I get there at 7:10 pm, about an hour later. My dad was staying right by the Shin-Osaka station at a fancy Marriott. I found our room, and we met his colleagues again to head out for dinner at a sushi place.

The English menu is sketchy and the staff barely speaks English, but between their efforts and mine in minimal Japanese, we get our food ordered. It was really yummy! We got a variety of things to share like sushi, sashimi, and tempura. Afterward, Papa and I crashed pretty hard. So exhausted from all the walking and jet lag for him.

Once again an early wake up as I was going on a long countryside walk with Ebachan, A, and some other people he knew. Ebachan is the guy who I rent my car from. He’s fantastic. He lives on the far side of Maebashi though so it took about 1 hr 15 min to get there. Another Japanese guy and I were the only punctual ones though. We got served tea and snacks while we waited, and Ebachan switched out my winter tires. (I hope it’ll be okay even though I will probably drive in snow in Nagano in two weeks). A showed up shortly after, and we were both gifted with a jar of young bamboo! I’m curious how to cook with it.

The rest of the folks joining us showed up pretty late and we set off at 10 am, one hour delayed. The weather was gorgeous and so warm! I could have been wearing shorts. We walked along some very countryside roads before following a wooded path among azalea bushes. They hadn’t started blooming yet, but I imagine it’ll look stunning. Our first stop was Akagi shrine which was an old shrine, nestled in the woods. After some more countryside walking, we made it Akagi Senbonzakura, Gunma’s best place to see the sakura with a 1.3 km sakura lined road, and over 1000 trees. It was really beautiful. The wind would set petals swirling into the air. I was shocked by the number of cosplayers getting pictures taken amongst the trees. There were performances going on like taiko and a monkey show, plus food stands selling festival food and local products. The carpet phlox was just starting to bloom as well. So much pink!

After our picnic lunch under the trees, we started our journey back. We passed an enormous line of cars. They said they had been waiting over 2 hours to get a parking spot in the lot. The line just kept going. As we passed, we gave drivers some updates, and one car even turned around. Parking is a real issue in Japan. I feel in America, people would open empty lots by their houses and just charge for parking to make a bit of extra money. We also passed Gunma Flower Park, another site I’d still really like to visit! A followed me on the long drive back to Tomioka. We got stuck in some crazy city traffic in Maebashi that only reminded me of how glad I am to be in a small city. A was spending the night to pick up her storage drawers that I got for her, and hang out with me.

After a quick foot soak for A’s sore feet, we left to go get some dinner. I wanted to try to eat at the Iranian restaurant, but it was closed although the website said they should have been open. So we wandered towards two of the other restaurants I like even though their menus are all in Japanese. We ended up stumbling upon an Italian restaurant and bar, Il. Pino, in the small alley garden that I like. Luckily, that means a katakana menu and A is a pro at reading katakana. I ended up with a prosciutto pizza and A, margherita. It was delicious! We stopped by the Tomioka Silk Mill afterwards to see the sakura all lit up. Many blossoms had already fallen, but it was still cool to see. On the walk home, I took A through the park near by school which also had some lanterns hanging among the sakura. It looked beautiful at night as well.