the Red Dot

Life in the central area of Japan through my lenz

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Kitaone Kogen Highland (北尾根高原)

I went to Kitaone Kogen Highland (北尾根高原) in Hakuba, Nagano pref.

I took ski lift (1000 yen for round trip) to go up to the highland area. The view from there was great. I naturally closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I heard birds whispering behind me and water babbling somewhere a little far away. I got really refreshed!

Some kids and their moms were chatting while taking a footbath. Actually there are unique things like hand-made big syogi (Japanese chess), really long flute, hammocks and stuff.

You can take a shuttle bus to get to even higher point. The driver is really friendly and, as the photo shows, he told us we can find “cow” in the shape of snow and mountain ground. But ah I had no idea where it was lol

I saw halo when I looked up to the sun. He told me it’s a sign of bad weather coming. This kind of information is really important in this mountain area.  Actually he was right! It rained a lot the next day! 

People usually come here in winter for skiing or snowboarding but coming here in the green time isn’t a bad idea at all! Especially when you are tired of busy days 😀

If you have any questions, comments or wanna show me some love, contact me @ instagram/yk10co!

Arigato!

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Rice field reflection.

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Hotel Saito in Hakuba

I went to Hotel Saito in Hakuba, Nagano pref.

It’s a small, cozy family-run hotel. They only have 3 rooms but the owner said people come here from all over the world. The meal was really healthy. Vegetables are directly from their garden. Fruits and meat are carefully selected by themselves.

Although they close the front door at 23:00, you can enjoy the beautiful night sky with a lot of stars from your veranda. When I looked up it was partially cloudy but still I enjoyed the stars because of no light pollution out there.

It was just like staying your aunt’s house with great hospitality. If you just get tired of busy days and are looking for somewhere calm and peaceful. This can be your destination.

I also went to Kitaone Kogen Highland (北尾根高原) on the way home so please chech this article too!

If you have any questions, comments or wanna show me some love, contact me @ instagram/yk10co!

Arigato!

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Strawberry Daifuku ”Ohoho” (おほほ) of Kozakura-ya (小ざくらや一清)

One of the best sweets in the world !! 😄😻😀

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Yaotsu Old Power Plant Museum (旧八百津発電所資料館)

Grease and rust.

I went to Yaotsu Old Power Plant Museum (旧八百津発電所資料館) in Gifu pref. The name pretty much explains everything.

Taking advantage of water power of Kiso river, which is one of the biggest rivers in Japan, this power plant was operated to supply electric power to the locals. Even after its closure, this place was repurposed as a museum to show a big part of history of hydroelectric plants.

It’s built of bricks and coated with mortar. It's said that the building looks European both on the outside and on the inside. Honestly I don’t know lol but at least it creates an unusual atmosphere and it's sort of photogenic. So some cosplayers come here to take portrait photos. Maybe you’d also like to try cosplay and take some photos here?

If you have any questions, comments or wanna show me some love, contact me @ instagram/yk10co!

Arigato!

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Sugakiya

Sugakiya, the Nagoya Meshi!

If I say “Nagoya!?” in the middle of crowds, I can hear somebody saying “SUGAKIYA!! YEAH!!!”. Ok, that was over-exaggerated but Sugakiya is definitely one of the most popular ramen restaurants in this area. It’s locally franchised so you can easily find one in this area.

Sugakiya is famous for its great tonkotsu ramen (really thick, pork-bone based ramen). I really love the deep taste! Plus, it’s only for 280 ~ 350 yen! Its reasonable price is surely the reason why so many local people love this. Usually I make it salad and gomoku rice combo but it’s still around 700 ~ 800 yen.

Sorry that I didn’t order the tonkotsu ramen at the time I took these photos. Instead, I ordered simple tuke men because it’s getting really hot in Japan. Basically, you dip the noodle into either one of the 2 sources. The upper is deep tonkotu source with chili oil and the lower is simple soy source based one. Both are awesome!!

Just like Sugakiya, there are a lot of great unique local foods in Naogya. We call them Nagoya Meshi (名古屋めし). “Meshi” is casual way of saying food in Japanese. I think I will introduce Nagoya Meshi to you guys in this photo blog!!

If you have any questions, comments or wanna show me some love, contact me @ instagram/yk10co!

Arigato!

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Kinshachi Yokocho (金シャチ横丁)

Hangout streets in front of Nagoya castle!

Kinshachi Yokocho (金シャチ横丁) is hang-out streets in front of Nagoya castle (名古屋城). These streets are newly open due to renovation of Nagoya castle tower. There are bunch of restaurants so local people come here for lunch.

Some of them are pretty unique. For example, you can eat Kinpaku ice cream, which is covered by gold leaf. I didn’t try it because I need to pay 900 yen (around $9). But some people bought it and took photos with their smartphones.

I don’t think this will be your destination spot but if you go to Nagoya castle maybe you should drop by here and walk around the area. I saw some beautiful wisteria!

If you have any questions, comments or wanna show me some love, contact me @ instagram/yk10co!

Arigato!

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Nagoya castle (名古屋城)

Nagoya, the urban castle town

Nagoya castle (名古屋城) is definitely one of the must-go spots in this area. You can feel a little bit of samurai & ninja era only for 500 yen (about $5). If you are lucky you can see these famous Daimyo’s walking around!!

One thing you need to know about this spot is that you cannot enter the castle tower from May 7 2018 due to big construction. The city is trying to renovate the castle mainly by wood. It will become a great tower but is planned to finish in 2022.

Yet it’s only about inside the castle tower so you can enter the castle area just like now. Moreover, the city made new hang-out streets called Kin Syachi Yoko-Cho (金シャチ横丁)  in front of Nagoya castle. So even during its construction you should check this spot out!

If you have any questions, comments or wanna show me some love, contact me @ instagram/yk10co! 

Arigato!

Nagoya City Website

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We got a full box of strawberries from my mom’s friend in Gifu 🍓Wanna eat strawberry cheesecake 🍰

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Lunch set @ Obachan Ichi (道の駅・おばあちゃん市山岡)

Simply I love this grandma’s lunch.

This lunch set is Sansai Okowa Tesyoku (山菜おこわ定食) of the restaurant Miharashi Chaya (みはらし茶屋). Actually the restaurant is in the Michi No Eki - Obachan ichi (道の駅 おばあちゃん市・山岡). I will introduce what Michi No Eki is later.

As you can see, it includes Okowa rice, miso soup, tempura, dengaku tofu ,,, a good variety of things. And every one of them tastes really good. It’s not salty at all but you really feel the taste of each ingredients.

It’s just like when you were a kid you visited your favorite grandma’s. She is really good at cooking. And she feeds you really well. Remember the dinner she made for you. And the taste. Actually this lunch set is even better than that dinner in your memory.

Incredible thing is it’s just 750 yen. I didn’t say 1750 yen or 7500 yen but 750 yen. So you just pay 7 bucks or 6 euro to get this lunch set. Isn’t it amazing? Of course I often go there to have this lunch on my days off.

Alright anyways if you come visit Japan, I really recommend this lunch and the place itself. I think I will make a post about this place and what Michi No Eki’s are later soon.

If you have any questions, comments or wanna show me some love, contact me @ instagram/yk10co!

Arigato!

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Wisteria in Japan (藤の花)

Spring purple curtain.

If I say “Fuji” maybe you will think about Mount Fuji. Or maybe camera lovers think about Fujifilm? Sorry I won’t talk about either one of those but the beautiful purple flower.

Fuji flower (藤の花) or wisteria entertains us with its purple curtain. Depends on species but usually it makes purplish or pinkish flowers on park canopies just like my photos. In mid April to early May, people here enjoy fuji right after sakura, cherry blossom.

The photos I’m showing this post were taken in the streets near Nagoya castle (名古屋城). But there are bunch of places where you can enjoy the fuji flower. So don’t forget to see this amazing purple curtain if you come visit Japan in Spring! There are more than sakura in this season!

If you have any questions, comments or wanna how me some love, contact me @ instagram/yk10co!

Arigato!

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Sumatakyo (寸又峡)

Narrow suspension bridge over the emerald green.

I went to Sumatakyo (寸又峡) in Shizuoka pref. This beautiful place is often elected as one of the best tourist spots in this area. You can get there by either car or train. But if you rent a car, you should know that the road gets pretty narrow as you approach the spot.

Once you get to the entrance area, you will see parking lots and some shops and stuff. You need to hike for 30 ~ 45 mins to get to the wire bridge spot. But be careful about the hiking courses because there are 3 courses but only one of them leads you to the beautiful spot, which is the Sumatakyo Promenade Course (寸又峡プロムナードコース).

At the bridge, a local staff stands near the edge. If you're lucky, you can cross the bridge over and back but, since it's usually crowded, it's most likely to be a one way walk. Plus, for the security purposes only 10 people can go a time at most.

Hands down, I highly recommend this place! Walking on the narrow wire bridge over the beautiful river will be a great experience for you! Also the spot is pretty photogenic so this place is really good if you use Instagram a lot :)

If you have any questions, comments or wanna show me some love, contact me @ instagram/yk10co! Arigato!

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Sakura in Arakogawa Koen (荒子川公園)

Pink pink pink!

I don’t think this place is in your travel guidebook but pretty popular among the local people. There are big park, river, some facility stuff. Even in sakura season, this place usually doesn’t get so crazy. We can calmly enjoy the spring color.

I wake up a little earlier and make some bento (lunch box). Have lunch by the river with sakura in full bloom. The best part is to kick back and take a nap under cherry trees in its shade. That’s how I spend in Spring!

If you have any questions, comments or wanna show me some love, contact me @ instagram/yk10co!

Arigato!