Matsumoto - Takyama

A very wet day - wisps of a tropical typhoon made dancing in the rain our plan today. We visited a wasabi farm at Dario. Really interesting place. Shark skin graters are apparently the best. Lots of products for sale there including wasabi ice-cream. 

On to Matsumoto and the Castle - Crow Castle - wonderful history and efforts put into the restoration. Tricky stairs so didn’t make it to the top of the tower - this time!!

Soyba noodle making (soyba is the Japanese name for buckwheat) was next on our programme. Our lunch afterwards included noodles the group had prepared. 

Then… we were to continue to Takyama but the road was closed, so back to Matsumoto for us. Miyuki did a wonderful job of finding us last minute accommodation and we didn’t have to walk too far in the rain to find dinner. 

Wednesday dawned fine and clear. Off again we travelled into the mountains. A visit to a hydroponic farm using an abandoned building in an impoverished village was really interesting. The young directors have great plans and provided a clear presentation. Delicious micro greens and flower petals are going to high end markets. 

And finally on to Takyama after an informative and tasty Hida beef lunch cooked ourselves on hot rocks. More about Takyama tomorrow. 



And a final good night from the pyjama party team.

Nagano

Two Shinkansen (bullet train - 300km/hr) train routes later we were in lovely Nagano. And off to see the snow monkeys minus the snow. 40 minute walk in to the monkey park and lots of hijinks as they frolicked around. Good time to see babies. 



Martin doesn’t know it yet but I have a grand plan for our old skis. Actually he does know…

Up early this morning and off to the local fruit and vegetable markets. The fruit and vegetable actions were quite enthralling. Lots of sign language. 

Mushroom production a great process to follow through and then we were off into the hills to harvest our own asparagus for lunch. So delicious and fresh. 

Very windy outside the rice co-operative - why did no one tell me about the hair fail?😂. Great information re rice production locally. Japan is almost 100% sufficient in rice production - short grain sticky rice which is the most popular - sticks to your chopsticks best. 

Sendai

Bullet train from Tokyo to Kurikoma where our first port of call was a delicious lunch of steamed pork and vegetables (in the box still cooking) and all the yummy accompaniments. Then off to a wagu beef farm. Pic below of the barley crop and in the background what I thought might be snow. Turns out it is a solar panel farm and today we saw another being created on the other side of the valley on the way to Zeio. 

The rice farmer was giving his son instructions in planting the young rice plants they grow to this stage themselves. This was very interesting learning about such an important crop for Japan in which they are self-sufficient. 

This dairy farmer has diversified into making ice cream and sorbet and has a small cafe on his property. Miyuki, our guide leads the discussion. Earlier before lunch we had been out on Matsushima Bay to see where seaweed farms and oyster farms are in the area. 

We sneaked a peek at a former shogun residence. Moat still outside. Lovely older part of a village where we lunched. We’re staying in an older traditional hotel in Sendai - perfect for exploring and finding a meal/beer in cutsie wee restaurants. 

Tokyo continued

Shogun statue near the Emperor’s palace. 

Twin bridges with the Emperor’s residence in the background. The Japanese Emperor lives there with his wife and daughter. As he doesn’t have a son it is highly probable that his nephew will be the next Emperor. No girls allowed!!

Very interesting visit to the OTA -  Tokyo Metropolitan Central Wholesale Market early today. Largest in Japan. So much produce being moved around and auctioned. Unfortunately we can’t read Japanese so the contents of the produce boxes was largely a mystery but definitely saw lettuce, leeks, onions, melons etc. and eggs. Then we moved on to the seafood side and watched the men cleverly cutting up huge tuna with what resembled large swords!!



Japanese leaf blower in the local gardens. 😂

We visited two different vegetable growers using tunnel houses in an urban setting to produce tomatoes, corn and asparagus for the local market in the first instance. And spinach, tomatoes, cucumber and eggplant for the school’s lunch program in the local area. We were wowed by what they could achieve in less than an acre. 

Tokyo

Across the road from Keio Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku where we’re staying 4 nights. This morning we explored the area before heading off with our group of 25 to conquer the Sky Tree for amazing views but none of Mt Fuji. 


In the background the LOVE statue - famous in the area. Hard to get a pic without photo bombers😂.

Below the Sky Tree is a water feature. This kiddo was very cute. Lots of the adults had to walk through. All avoided a drenching.

From our lovely lunch spot. We also visited the fish market area and Temple in the foreground of the view

The kitchen street was a neat place to visit. Everything you didn’t know you needed.