Shirakawago - weekend bus tour

Thanks to my Japanese teacher, Mioko, and our good friend, Annie, Chris and I were able to get away for a weekend. We joined Mioko and her husband, Nao, on a weekend bus tour to the Japan Alps and Japan Sea coast.

It was Mioko who booked the trip and helped guide us through the all Japanese tour. And it was Annie who stayed home to take care of our daughters for the weekend. We are so grateful for good friends!!

Chris and I really enjoyed seeing some beautiful sights in Japan without the distraction of children. It was so great to have some quality time together as well!

After an 8 hour bus ride we arrived at Shirakawago. This is a beautiful town located in the Japan Alps, here they have preserved a nearly 300 year old village. The village is still functioning today with families still living in the old thatched roof homes.

Before touring the village we ate a delicious Japanese meal; beef seared on a bed of leaves, tofu, potatoes, cabbage salad, miso soup, and tea.

Nao and Mioko

Shirakawago Village








Most of the homes are very large, 3-4 stories tall. The upper level is typically used for harvesting silk worms.

This barn has a newly thatched roof. The roofs are replaced every 25 years.

We were able to tour the inside of this home, which is nearly 300 years old.

This is the attic or upper level.

A replica of an old silk worm farm.

This is a Buddhist shine in the home.

After hiking the village in the frigid temperatures, we were ready to soak in the osen. This was Chris's first time to experience a Japanese style osen. An osen is a public hot springs bath, in Japan the men and women are separate. This hotel provided a lovely osen that was both indoors and outdoors. This is a photo of Chris and I in our yukatas ready to head to the osen.

Wajima - weekend bus tour

On Sunday, our bus left the hotel at 8:15am and we took an hour drive to Wajima. Wajima is a quaint little town located on the Japan Sea coast. It's known for it's lacquer crafts and popular morning market. Both of which we got to experience. First we took a tour of a lacquer workshop and then strolled down the busy morning market streets.

I really enjoyed watching this cute little girl eat her morning soup.

While strolling the market in Wajima, Chris and I notice two vending machines we had not yet seen in Japan before, one selling vitamins and one selling batteries. Vending machines are everywhere in Japan and they sell a variety of necessities. Chris and I got to thinking......"how many different vending machines have we seen in Japan?" We made a list;

umbrellas

rice

fresh vegetables

eggs

cigarettes

vitamins

batteries

sake and beer

hot and cold beverages (coffee, tea, soda, water, juice, etc.)

soup

ice cream

meals and snacks (tankatsu, french fries, chicken nuggets, sandwiches, etc.)

Japan Sea - weekend bus tour

Before hiking the Japan Sea coast we ate lunch at a near by restaurant. This meal was my least favorite of the trip. It was very fishy and at this point I was a bit tired of traditional Japanese food. Luckily on the drive back to Utsunomiya we stopped at a rest area with a Starbucks, coffee and a ham sandwich never tasted so good!!

The Japan Sea coast was our last stop on the weekend bus tour.

This area is called Ganmon Cave. It was so beautiful!

We enjoyed exploring the beautiful sea side, climbing through caves and jumping from rock to rock.

After hiking around at Ganmon Cave the bus drove us to the Chirihama Nagisa driveway, were the bus was actually able to drive on the beach.

Enjoying some Japanese snacks on the long bus ride back home.

It was a great weekend filled with some beautiful sights and wonderful memories we will always cherish!