What conditions make it feel like a resort? It is important not only to have a good view, but also to have a painterly color and a quiet atmosphere.
venus line (3) mt.tateshina
venus line (2) white birch
Perhaps it’s because the white birch (Shirakaba in Japanese) forest looks completely white and gives off a feeling that can’t exist in the ordinary world. So why are pure white birch forest areas created? This is because seeds in the soil stay dormant until the conditions are right, and when a forest fire or landslide leaves a ruin, they all switch to germinate all at once in order to suppress other plants and monopolize the area where they can grow as quickly as possible. That’s why there’s a white forest all around, so it’s beautiful. However, the lifespan of a tree is about 70 years, so the expression “beautiful and short-lived” can also be applied to these trees.
Lake Shirakaba View Point
shirakaba highlands (1) left kurumayama
shirakaba highlands (2) center shirakaba lake
shirakaba highlands (3)right yatsugatake
Although it looks like a picturesque scene, Lake Shirakaba in the center of photos is actually an artificial lake. There is a restaurant called Asahigaoka on this lakeside that serves very delicious soba noodles. It’s more like a private house than a storefront. You can also eat rainbow trout caught in Lake Shirakaba. This is real, not artificial, indeed.
shirakaba highlands (6)
shirakaba highlands (5) soba at asahigaoka
shirakaba highlands (8) sibukawa maron
shirakaba highlands (7) nijimasu
Detour (Goddess View Point on the way of Venus-Line)
menokami viewpoint (1) left
menokami viewpoint (3) center right central alps
menokami viewpoint (4) right
Detour (Going down to Lake Tateshina on the way of Venus-Line)
This was during the Jomon period. To begin with, the Suwa region is where the Japanese archipelago was split in two after it was torn apart from Asia due to tectonic plate movement. It is said that 5,000 years ago during the middle Jomon period, it had the highest population density in Japan. The reason for this is said that people have fled as sea levels have risen due to global warming, people have fled ash fall from a major eruption in Kyushu, and people have come looking for obsidian to use as arrowheads and knives. The Jomon period had a strong image of being primarily about hunting, but recent research shows that there was a lot of farming involved.
jomon clay figurine1 venus
jomon clay figurine2 venus side
jomon clay figurine3 venus back
jomon clay figurine4 masked goddess
jomon clay figurine5 masked goddess diagonal
jomon clay figurine6 masked goddess side
go to Hachinohe clay ( national tresure)
Chino also has two of the five national treasure clay figurines. Pregnant Jomon Venus, masked goddess (above). Their shape probably have a meaning from the Jomon period, but their deformation is amazing even as modern art. I also like the clay figures with palms together of Hachinohe.
windbreak for save rice2
The current foothills of Mt. Yatsugatake are cool throughout the year, sometimes causing rice harvest failures. The water is warmed by a reservoir, and the crops are protected by a windbreak forest of red pines. The cabbage fields, buckwheat fields, and windbreak forest with Yatsugatake in the background are the best photo spots.
chino hightland2
soba field in chino
manhole cover at chino
jomon clay figurine museum
jomon clay figurine7 national treature certificate
As soon as you step inside, you will be greeted by a ”moss forest” that covers everything from the ground to the roots of the primeval forest. This scenery has been used in various TV commercials, so you may have seen it somewhere at least once. It is said that 485 types of moss live there, so I went in with a magnifying glass, but I couldn’t really observe each one individually.
shirakoma forest6 huge rocks
Anyway, as I climbed up to the Takami-ishi Hut enjoying the scenery I had never seen before, I suddenly saw a mountain piled up with large rocks that looked like they had been piled up by giants. If you drop something into a crevice between rocks, you will never be able to get it out, so be careful when climbing. When you reach the top of the rocky mountain, you can see the round Shirakoma Pond floating just below, and beyond that you can see a vast panoramic view of the Saku and Karuizawa basins, and even Mt. Asama with its volcanic smoke behind them.
shirakoma forest10 top left mt.asamayama
shirakoma forest11 top center saku karuizawa
shirakoma forest12 top right
We crawled down the rocky mountain, passed the mirror-like shores of Shirakoma Pond, and returned to the parking lot through ”Mononoke Forest”, which is also reminiscent of the world of Ghibli. It’s a different world for three hours above the clouds, but it’s a beauty that no amount of words can express.
shirakoma forest1 entrance
shirakoma forest2
shirakoma forest4 baby mushroom
shirakoma forest5 takamiishi hut
shirakoma forest7
shirakoma forest8
shirakoma forest9 shirakoma pond
shirakoma forest14 moss
shirakoma forest13
shirakoma forest15 butterfly
shirakoma forest16 shirakoma pond
shirakoma forest16 walking pass
shirakoma forest18
shirakoma forest17
shirakoma forest19
shirakoma forest20 mononoke forest
shirakoma forest22
shirakoma forest23
shirakoma forest24
shirakoma forest26
The largest lake above the clouds, “Shirakoma Pond”
shirakoma pond1 left
shirakoma pond2 center left
shirakoma pond3 center
shirakoma pond4 center right
Detour (View Point)
Midway through the winding descent on the way back, at a point where my fellow passengers were beginning to feel uncomfortable, we came to the Hinata-Koba Observation Deck. A resting place, not a detour. You can see the Yatsugatake Mountains to the east, the Southern Alps and Kiso Mountains to the south, the Northern Alps to the west, and Mt. Tateshina at the northern tip of Yatsugatake. I have never seen so many mountains in Japan in one direction. The weather was so nice that day that I could see the summit of Mt. Yarigatake and was very impressed.
hinatakoba viewpoint1 left yatsugatake
hinatakoba viewpoint2 south alps
hinatakoba viewpoint3 kiso mountains
hinatakoba viewpoint4
hinatakoba viewpoint6 right mt.tateshina
hinatakoba viewpoint7 front left kirigamine center back mt.yarigatake
Chino people cultivates the highlands at the foot of Yatsugatake mountains for farming, but the valleys are deep and it is difficult to get water on the highlands. This Yokoya Ravine is one of those deep valleys. On the other hands, during the season of autumn leaves, it is beautiful to look up from inside the valley, and from the high ground you can see the Central Alps beyond the carpet of autumn leaves.
yokoya ravine1 otome fall
From the Fairy Tale Road, take the side road to Yokoya Hotspring Hotel and first go down to Otome Falls. However, this is an artificial waterfall. They simply drop water by forming part of a waterway on a plateau where water is not available due to deep valleys. I ended up taking many pictures thinking it was a completely natural waterfall. Afterwards, we continued on the promenade for about an hour along the valley to the Ohtaki(King, directly translated) Falls, one of the highlights and the shape likes a crown, although we felt a bit uneasy along the way not meeting anybody.
yokoya ravine3 kirifuri fall
yokoya ravine4
yokoya ravine5
yokoya ravine7 eagle rock
yokoya ravine9 monolithic
yokoya ravine8 walking pass
yokoya ravine10 king fall
Oshidori-Kakushi(Pair birds hidden, directly translated) Falls, another highlight located upstream, can be approached from the only opposite bank, so it is efficient to descend to Yokoya Ravine after seeing Mishakaike on Yumichi Street. It is a dynamic waterfall with a large amount of water.
yokoya ravine (4)
yokoya ravine (2)
yokoya ravine (1)
yokoya ravine (10)
yokoya ravine (8)
yokoya ravine (9)
You can also see this valley from the top of the hill, then return to the Fairy Tale Road and enter the side road that leads to the Yokoya Kannon view point deck. After walking for about 30 minutes along a scenic promenade from the parking lot, you will arrive at the deck covered in autumn leaves. From here you can see Ohtaki fall from above. Furthermore, when I crossed the villa area on my way back to the Fairy Tale Road from Yumichi Street, I came across a family of deers many times. We cannot tell you where it is, but if you see one, please pass by quietly so as not to startle it.
yokoya kannon viewpoint (4) left
yokoya kannon viewpoint (5) center
yokoya kannon viewpoint (6) right
yokoya kannon viewpoint (1) approach
yokoya kannon viewpoint (2)
yokoya kannon viewpoint (3) terrace
yokoya kannon viewpoint (8) center back central alps
The pond that served as a motif in the painting “Green Echo” by Japanese artist Kaii Higashiyama.
(source: https://www.higashiyama-kaii.or.jp/)
Karamatsu pine trees change color with the seasons, and the tranquil surface of the water reflects them. It’s a very famous sight that everyone has seen it somewhere at least once, but when you go to the real site you will find out that it is actually an agricultural reservoir. Since the area is so cold that agar can form, there is a pond to warm up the water for agriculture.
misyaka pond (1)
misyaka pond (2)
misyaka pond (3)
misyaka pond (5)
misyaka pond (7)
misyaka pond (8)
misyaka pond (9)
misyaka pond (10)
misyaka pond (11)
misyaka pond (12)
misyaka pond (13)
Even when you go out first thing in the morning, photographers with super expensive telephoto lenses line up and take up space. That may not be interesting, but it’s definitely a sight you should see at least once.
misyaka pond (6)
Photography locations are limited to the west side of the pond, and in the afternoon the surface of the pond reflects light, making it unsuitable for photography. The best time to take photos is in the morning, because the pine forest on the east side of the pond acts as a light shield and prevents the early morning sunlight from directly reaching the water surface, making the water surface look like a mirror.
Naturally, travelers planning to visit Suwa will have researched the Onbashira Festival, which is held once every seven years, in advance, so I will omit any details about it.
suwa shrine kamisyahongu8 haiden
Shrines with a long history or, more directly saying, with the enough funds, are rebuilt in different near locations every 20 years. Some people think of this as the rebirth of life, but I think it’s an exquisite way of thinking from the perspective of passing down techniques and connecting people in carrying out festivals. With the same idea of rebirth of life, you can think of Suwa Shrine as having the pillars at the four corners surrounding the shrine replaced every seven years, but without changing the location. Some people think of these pillars as a barrier that marks the boundary between the divine world and the human world. Furthermore, there are four Suwa shrines with the same name in this area, and Lake Suwa is in the middle of these four shrines.
suwa shrine kamisyamaemiya2 onbashira
suwa shrine kamisyahongu6 onbashira
suwa shrine simosyaharumiya5 onbashira
suwa shrine simosyaakimiya4 onbashira
Let me mention here that there are shrines with the same name in various places. Shinto shrines are translated into English as one word ‘shrines’, but in Japanese they are roughly divided into several groups based on their relationship with the imperial family, those with special pedigree such as historical figures, the centers of local beliefs, and etc. The Japanese names of ‘shrines’ also change depending on the relationship, for example, ’Jingu’ like Ise Jingu shrine, ‘Gu’ like Kitano Tenman-gu shrine, ‘Taisha’ like Suwa shrine. They are further divided into several groups depending on the purpose they are enshrined. For example, there are about 30,000 ‘Inari’ shrines for agriculture or business, about 40,000 ‘Hachiman’ shrines for military luck (The head of it is Usa Shrine.), about 12,000 ‘Tenjin’ shrines for academics, and about 25,000 ‘Suwa’ shrines for agricultural irrigation. This is why the same name ‘Suwa Shrine’ is also located in Nagasaki, for example, which is not only Suwa. Four Suwa Shrines in Suwa region are the head of the group.
Suwa Shrine Kamisha-Maemiya (Chino city)
suwa shrine kamisyamaemiya1
suwa shrine kamisyamaemiya4 natural water source
suwa shrine kamisyamaemiya5 water source
suwa shrine kamisyamaemiya3 front
suwa shrine kamisyamaemiya7 cosmos
Suwa Shrine Kamisha-Hongu (Chino city)
suwa shrine kamisyahongu1 side entrance
suwa shrine kamisyahongu0
suwa shrine kamisyahongu2
suwa shrine kamisyahongu3 wood carving
suwa shrine kamisyahongu4 dragon
suwa shrine kamisyahongu7 ochozu
suwa shrine kamisyahongu10
suwa shrine kamisyahongu9 sculpture
suwa shrine kamisyahongu11 looking back at approach
Suwa Shrine Shimosha-Harumiya (Shimo-suwa town)
suwa shrine simosyaharumiya1 point of dismounting horse
suwa shrine simosyaharumiya2 gate
suwa shrine simosyaharumiya3
suwa shrine simosyaharumiya4 sculpture
Suwa Shrine Shimosha-Akimiya (Shimo-suwa town)
suwa shrine simosyaakimiya1 wash your hands at hot spring
suwa shrine simosyaakimiya2
suwa shrine simosyaakimiya3
suwa shrine simosyaakimiya5 looking down at suwa lake
suwa shrines locatopn
express kaiji at chino
Although you will not receive any blessings if you do not visit all four Suwa shrines, you can visit them all in one day. You can get off the JR train at Chino Station and rent a bicycle to visit Kamisha-Maemiya and Kamisha-Hongu, then move to Shimo-Suwa Station and rent a bicycle or walk around Shimosha-Harumiya and Shimosha-Akimiya.
miya river1
The two Shimosha shrines are similar in structure, so if you don’t have time, you can lie and say you visited both shrines even if you only visit one. Only God knows! If I was really short on time and had to choose one of the four shrines, I would choose the most rustic Kamisha-Maemiya. There is another reason to chose it, Matsuki Agar Industry is right in front of it. Being an agar-producing area means that there are harsh winds in the winter, but the factory here lets you try plenty of samples, and you can get agar at a cheap price.
suwa shrine kamisyamaemiya6 yatsugatake from shirineagar factory direct sales store at chino
You can make delicious milk agar at home using just canned pineapple, granulated sugar, and milk. First, soak one stick of agar in 300ml of water, heat until it dissolves, add half of the canned syrup and 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar, heat further, turn off the heat, and slowly pour in 500ml of milk. Sprinkle finely chopped canned pineapple in a container, add melted milk agar, and serve.
daiya sake brewery1
daiya sake brewery2
dropping point1 of big tree stem on onbashira festival
dropping point2 looking down
dropping point3 demonstration
dropping point4 at harumiya
The Onbashira Festival is a series of events in which a pillar of a fir tree weighing 10 tons is cut down from the mountain, dragged by hand on the road, descended down a steep slope with many people straddling on the pillar, and finally placed at the four corners of the shrine. Therefore, if you don’t come across it once every seven years, you can find it on a dragged road (Onbashira road, especially the sharp curve in front of the Tamagawa post office), on a steep slope (Kiotoshizaka, near Toda Sake Brewery of Chino, Daiya-Kiku) or on the flat side of the dragged pillar in shrines. You can think about the grandeur of the festival by looking at them. There is also a demonstration at Onbashira-kan near Suwa Shrine Shimosha-Harumiya where you can ride a pillar and feel going down a steep slope, so be sure to try it out.
Onbashira Festival （source: suwataisha.or.jp）
suwa shrine simosyaakimiya1 wash your hands at hot spring
Also, at the entrance of the shrine there is a place to wash your hands to purify yourself, but I was surprised to find out that the water at Suwa Shrine is hot spring water.
Detour 1 (Ghibli World near Shimosha-Harumiya )
Manji’s stone Buddha statue reminds you of the robot soldiers in the world of Ghibli, “Laputa: Castle in the Sky”. There is a legend that when trying to put a chisel into that stone while making the torii gate of Shimosha-Harumiya, blood spilled out. So the stonemason used that stone to carve a stone Buddha.
laputa in the sky1 approach
laputa in the sky3
laputa in the sky2
Detour2 (Real hot spring)
The old road from Shimosha-Harumiya to Shimosha-Akimiya remains. Spring water is everywhere, and most of it is hot spring water. There is a public bath called ‘Tanga no Yu’ with hot water being poured of 52 degrees. The hot springs are colorless and transparent, but once you dip one foot in, you’ll be hesitant about putting the other foot in. It’s more than just a good bath, it’s a test of patience. When I came out, I felt the woman at the reception desk look at me, as if to say, oh, you’re already here, you’re early. Someone please look back. By the way, one person who appeared to be a local was soaked up to his shoulders! Brave !
suwa town1 hotspring water
suwa town2 turtle shell pattern
suwa town3 dedicate rice to a shrine
suwa town4 too hot spring public bath tanga
suwa town5
suwa town6
suwa town7 hotspring public bath in the town
Detour3
There are various places to view Lake Suwa in its entirety, but if you are driving, the best option is to go up the narrow road that leads to the back door of Suwa Lake Service Area building (used mainly by employees) without entering the expressway. You can take fine photos with the sun behind you.
suwa lake1 suwa service area
suwa lake2 yatsugatake
Takashima Castle is located on the eastern shore of Lake Suwa, and the cherry blossoms surrounding the moat are spectacular in spring. There is a record that it once faced Lake Suwa, but the special feature is that the roof tiles were broken due to the cold climate, so at that time the roof was changed to shingled roof. The famous historical building with shingled roof is Ginkakuji Temple in Kyoto.
(source: https://www.higashiyama-kaii.or.jp/)
