Zenko-ji Temple

Posted on September 5, 2011 by admin| Leave a comment

We enjoyed perfect weather for the visit of the Zenko-ji temple. The temple was built in the 7th century. There is a rumor that the temple would be the host to the first Buddha statue brought to Japan. This statue cannot be seen by anyone, including the chief priest.


Short video presenting the ambiance of the Zenko-ji temple.

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Posted in Historical Sites, Nagano prefecture

Downtown Nagano

Posted on September 4, 2011 by admin| Leave a comment

Nagano is the capital of the Nagano prefecture. It is notably famous for being the host city of the 1998 winter olympic games but also for the Zenkō-ji temple. Downtown Nagano has a nice and quiet atmosphere (at least in comparison to Tokyo!) in the middle of magnificent mountain scenery.

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Posted in Nagano prefecture

Togakushi shrine

Posted on September 3, 2011 by admin| Leave a comment

Nagano city is reputed for the Togakushi shrine. The sky cleared up after the typhoon (hurricane) and we could enjoy a short sunny hike to the shrine. On some pictures, you may notice the dangling pieces of white paper, this is because the word paper (kami) is very similar to the word god (kami)!

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Posted in Historical Sites, Nagano prefecture

Tateyama mountain and Kurobe dam

Posted on September 2, 2011 by admin| Leave a comment

To reach Tateyama mountain, we took : 1) underground electric bus to the Kurobe dam 2) an underground funicular, 3) a cable car, and then 4) another underground electric bus that crosses the summit of the mountain to reach the Tateyama resort. Unfortunately there was no view because of persistent rain on that day but we enjoyed some tasty instant rice backpacking meals on the floor of a nature conservation museum, priceless!

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Posted in Nagano prefecture

Wasabi farm

Posted on September 1, 2011 by admin| Leave a comment

In the Nagano prefecture, you can visit a wasabi farm. The wasabi root has an extremely strong flavor akin to hot mustard and is it most commonly seen as a green paste used in sushi. You can walk freely in wasabi farm and observe how the root is cultivated. It basically grows directly in water in a system of man-made basins where water from a river is channeled to continuously irrigate the plants. At the farm, you can also taste many different food made with wasabi such as the teriyaki wasabi-croquette-burger and wasabi ice-cream.

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Posted in Nagano prefecture