Kamikochi is part of Chubusangaku National Park and is the valley below the Hida Mountains, or “Japanese Alps”. The Kappa Bashi (Kappa Bridge) is kind of famous there, and the Azusa river flows through with cool, clear water. Cool clean air, turquoise water, mountains… It really is the Alps of Japan. We also spotted a Monkey!
Summer of London, 2010 »« Nagano Road Trip I : Matsumoto and the Nagator River
Road trip time! I went on a road trip with Masa, Aiko and her brother, North West to the “Japanese Alps” or the Hida Mountains, in Nagano.
We stayed in nearby town Matsumoto, which has lots of cool old buildings, and Matsumoto Castle! Oh, and Ninja Frog Statue! On the way back we stopped in Nagator, Saitama, to go River boating on the Nagator River, and then some batting cages where I apparently hit the home run target, scoring some free games and my name on the scoreboard! The lady was nice enough to print it out right then so we could take a photo. I then won some more free games on the pitching target game. Both funny and pretty good considering I have no hand-eye (or any) coordination at all. 
Kamikochi is part of the Chubusangaku National Park in Nagano, and is at the base of the surrounding mountains with the Azusa river flowing through.
Kamikochi, Chubusangaku National Park
hida mountains
Matsumoto Castle
Riverboating on the Nagator River, Saitama.
Nagano Road Trip II: Kamikochi »« Ibaraki
For some reason when I tell my Japanese friends I went to Ibaraki, they laugh… OK it may not be the biggest place in Japan, but it does have one of the world’s tallest statues! More importantly, my friend Oni lives there 
Naomi also came with me, and I met both of them in London!
The Ushiku Daibutsu is 120m tall and was declared the world’s tallest statue by the Guinness Book of Records after it was completed in 1993 (almost 3 times the height of the Statue of Liberty!!!). It really is enormous. You can spot the head over the trees on the drive up. One toe is the height of me! Once there, you can get a lift up to the chest and eye level platforms, but the eye level was closed today. It gives a good view over the entire area and surrounding gardens.
There is a hall full of spaces for sponsored (much smaller) gold Daibutsu statues. The bought ones are on their shelf with the buyer’s name inscribed. I don’t know how much it costs to buy one, but its a lot!
Later we drove up a mountain to eat lunch. I’m guessing this is a drifting hot spot because it is perfect for it! But unfortunately it was way too early for any of that business. There is also a kind of old run down play area up there.. and a Zebra riding a toad. Of course.
Nagano Road Trip I : Matsumoto and the Nagator River »« Hakone Kowakien Onsen Park
While Kowakien has a traditional onsen (Japanese hot spring baths) they also have a kind of onsen theme park! They mix various ingredients into the hot spring water, like green tea, sake, wine, coffee (real coffee, from a large brewer just next to it!) and fruit flavours. They also have a couple of slides, water features and a float tank which is pretty cool (but its very high alkaline or salt something so you can’t stay in there too long!).
Ibaraki »« Hakone
