When you get off at Agano Station, you will see the station plaza, which is not very popular for sightseeing. Following a group of energetic elderly people who have finished their warm-up exercise in front of the station, we follow the group up and down the narrow cliff-top path and mountain path along the railroad tracks until we arrive at the entrance to Togo Park.
seibu railway agano station
seibu railway walk along rail1
seibu railway walk along rail2
chichibu mitake shrine entrance
chichibu mitake shrine3 black cat
chichibu mitake shrine2 cosmos
togo park2
Chichibu Mitake Shrine and Togo Park coexist there. A little further up, you will see a blanket of bright autumn leaves surrounding the bronze statue of Marshal Togo. From there, the autumn leaves continue all the way to the mountain.
togo park1
Along the way, the actual deck of the battleship Mikasa, which was the flagship during the Russo-Japanese War, is on display, with many holes punched by cannonballs. This is also the shrine that deified Mr. Togo Heihachiro, who defeated the Russian fleet.
togo park4 deck of battleship Mikasa in Japan-Russia war
At the top of the stone steps, you will reach the main hall of the shrine, but it can be flinching to climb up such a steep slope. You can enjoy the autumn leaves without even climbing. I have never seen a mountain so bright red during the autumn leaves.
togo park6
togo park5
togo park7 long stairs
togo park8 chichibu mitake shrine
togo park8 view
togo park9
togo park10
togo park11
By the way, there are many names of places near the mountains of Saitama Prefecture that are reminiscent of Korea. It is said to have originated during the Nara period in Japan, when people who fled from Goguryeo, which had been destroyed by the Tang Dynasty, were given a place to settle from the goverment. This kind of history is not learned in Japanese history. There has been a lot of exchange with the mainland since ancient times.
(*)There is a road that goes into the mountain along the railway from the Agano mining site. Believe in yourself and move on.
Goal to Chichibu (detail of Soba restaurant “Nagomi”)
The only way to get to Nagomi is to walk 20 minutes along a mountain path from Bushu Hino Station on the Chichibu Railway. However, it is a soba restaurant that is worth the walk. The restaurant serves only 50 meals a day, and for the first meal, the owner gets to sample the finished product. On the way, I don’t think I’m the only one who gets surprised when someone calls out to me, “It’s dangerous,” when I cross an unmanned railroad crossing. Who is that voice?
Arashiyama is a famous tourist destination in Kyoto. However, the place name “Ranzan”, which is pronounced in original Chinese reading but written the same character, is said to have originated from a famous scholar who tweeted that it was Musashi-Arashiyama. I haven’t walked all the way to Ranzan Valley, so I don’t know what it feels like, but there are lavender fields just before the valley.
ranzan1
ranzan3
ranzan5
ranzan4
ranzan7
sunflower from the stand
It is common for high stands to be set up on the field to create a photo spot for Instagram photos (often seen in sunflower fields), but the real cultivated land is surprisingly small. If you are in the Provence region of France, the field will fill your field of vision, but since the petals of lavender are small, it is difficult to take pictures that fill the screen with lavender. The shoot ends early, and the lavender stick making process, which takes place in a tent that blocks the sun, takes just 30 minutes, making it a reasonable time option in the hot early summer weather.
ranzan8 lavender stick
ranzan9 lavender stick
ranzan10 lavender stick
Ogawa Town is a member of the National Kyoto Conference, so it calls itself Little Kyoto. The history of handmadeJapanese paper, Washi continues, and the brand Hosokawa paper is registered as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. Many historic buildings remain, and the town is just the right size to get around by renting a bicycle in front of the station.
ogawa town1 old stone storehouse NESTo
ogawa town2
ogawa town3 co-workspace inside
ogawa town12
ogawa town13
ogawa town14
ogawa town17
ogawa town18
ogawa town15 left
ogawa town16 right
Japanese paper as label of sake
If you go a little further by bicycle, there is a sake brewery which brews delicious sakes, Mikado-matsu, and you can also tour it’s inside. Knowing that the label on this sake bottle is made from Washi paper from Ogawa Town is proof that you are well versed in the culture of this town. Enjoy the rice malt dishes and desserts made with Daiginjo at the attached restaurant.
sake brewery3
sake brewery4 hard water without iron for sake preparation from 130m underground
The literal translation of the Japanese word Onikobe into English is the head of a demon. The name Onikobe comes from a legend that during the Heian period, the heads of powerful people from the Tohoku region conquered by Sakanoue Tamuramaro were flown to this area. A little further back from Naruko Dam is Onikobe Hotspring, which is famous for its geysers.
naruko dam (2)
naruko dam (1)
Hell valley is nearby, but I’ve never seen many tourists on it, and it’s a wild trail with geysers all over the promenade that erupt out of too hot water as you walk. There is a puddle of hot water in the middle that continues to bubble up, so if you put a raw egg in there and pick it up on the way home, you’ll end up with perfectly soft-boiled eggs. If you don’t prepare a spoon or chopsticks in advance, the boiled eggs that cannot be removed will end up becoming manure in the fields.
hell valley (5) before geyser
hell valley (6) caution with arrow
hell valley (7)geyser
hell valley (1)
hell valley (2) scared
hell valley (3)
hell valley (4)
hell valley (8)
hell valley (9) eggs boiled
hell valley (10)
Detour 1
Naruko Gorge in late autumn, a month after the peak of its autumn leaves, has a dry look. The deep cliffs of the gorge give it an even more rugged look.
naruko gorge late autumn (2)
naruko gorge late autumn (3)
naruko gorge late autumn (4)
Detour 2
Iwadeyama was once the stronghold of the Sendai Date family, and its descendants established an academic school called Yubikan. There is a wonderful garden with Iwadeyama Castle in the background.
yubitei in iwadoyama (1)
yubitei in iwadoyama (2)
yubitei in iwadoyama (3)
yubitei in iwadoyama (4)
yubitei in iwadoyama (5) castle in the background
yubitei in iwadoyama (6)
yubitei in iwadoyama (7)
yubitei in iwadoyama (8)
yubitei in iwadoyama (9)
yubitei in iwadoyama (10)
Detour of Detour
A balloon festival is held in late November mainly on the riverbank at Iwadeyama. In short, there are no obstacles around, the wind is good, and the crops on the large cultivated land have finished harvesting, so this is the time. There are events where you can ride a balloon moored and see it from above for free. However, only 150 numbered tickets will be distributed in the early hours of the morning, so you will need a lot of guts. Moreover, tickets are only given out to people who lined up to get numbered tickets, so even if you line up alone, you won’t get a ticket for your family. If you bring children, it’s a good opportunity to test their mettle, but if the weather is bad, you should be prepared for the fact that the numbered tickets will only serve as souvenirs.
For backpackers coming from Sendai, I recommend getting off at the next station, Nakayama-daira Onsen, instead of Naruko Onsen Station (2.5 hours by JR from Sendai). The reason for this is that you can briefly glimpse the core of Naruko Gorge that you are about to see between the tunnels passing through the gorge, and the walk from the station to Naruko Gorge is short (about 30 minutes) and there is a flat footpath.
naruko gorge from train (2)
However, as soon as you get off the train, you’ll see a quiet village that makes you wonder if you’ve made a mistake. On the way to Naruko Gorge, you can see the steam rising from the hot spring village where the hot springs are gentle on the skin. You can stop by on your way home.
walk from nakayamadaira station (1) hotspring
walk from nakayamadaira station (2)
walk from nakayamadaira station (3)
walk from nakayamadaira station (4)
walk from nakayamadaira station (5)
walk from nakayamadaira station (6)
Naruko Gorge suddenly appears at the end of the pine forest. When viewed from the top of a steep cliff, it looks like a series of folding screens of autumn leaves.
not just naruko cover photo
naruko gorge view point (1) left
naruko gorge view point (2) center
naruko gorge view point (3) right
naruko gorge upper (4)
naruko gorge upper (3)
naruko gorge upper (5)
naruko gorge upper (6)
naruko gorge upper (2) train
In the gorge at the bottom right, you can clearly see the railroad tracks that the train passed through earlier. Many photographers are ready to take pictures of the train coming out of the tunnel exit on the cliff covered in autumn leaves.
Feeling depressed about the prospect of climbing back up, I descended from the steep cliff for 15 minutes and arrived at the deepest part of the gorge surrounded by cliffs covered in autumn leaves (Kaiko Bridge).
naruko gorge deepest part (9)
naruko gorge deepest part (1)
naruko gorge deepest part (2)
naruko gorge deepest part (3)
naruko gorge deepest part (4)
naruko gorge deepest part (5)
naruko gorge deepest part (6)
naruko gorge deepest part (7)
naruko gorge deepest part (8)
naruko gorge deepest part (10)
naruko gorge deepest part (11)
naruko gorge deepest part (12)
Returning to the top of the cliff, you can see the deep meandering of the Otani River, which created Naruko Gorge, from the midway point of Ohfukasawa Bridge, which is located directly above the Kaiko Bridge.
naruko gorge from ohfukasawa bridge (1) panoramic view
naruko gorge from ohfukasawa bridge (2) left
naruko gorge from ohfukasawa bridge (3) left
naruko gorge from ohfukasawa bridge (4)
naruko gorge from ohfukasawa bridge (6)
naruko gorge from ohfukasawa bridge (7)
naruko gorge from ohfukasawa bridge (8) directly below
naruko gorge from ohfukasawa bridge (9) right
Beyond that bridge is the entrance to a quiet road that Edo period haiku poet Matsuo Basho wrote about in his travelogue on Oku no Hosomichi (about 45 minutes on the Ohfukasawa Promenade). There is “Shitomae barrier for defense” nearby.
ohfukasawa promenade (1)
ohfukasawa promenade (2)
ohfukasawa promenade (3)
ohfukasawa promenade (4)
ohfukasawa promenade (5)
ohfukasawa promenade (6)
ohfukasawa promenade (7)
ohfukasawa promenade (8)
ohfukasawa promenade (9)
ohfukasawa promenade (10)
ohfukasawa promenade (11)
ohfukasawa promenade (12)
ohfukasawa promenade (13)
ohfukasawa promenade (14)
ohfukasawa promenade (15)
ohfukasawa promenade (16)
“Shitomae barrier for defense”
The literal translation of the Japanese word naruko into English is a crying child. There is a theory that Naruko was named after the cry of a child that Minamoto no Yoshitsune’s wife gave birth to while he was on his way to Hiraizumi, and that the place was named “Shitomae barrier for defense” because the child urinated there for the first time.
Basho is said to have been suspicious of this barrier official when he was leaving for Yamagata, and he also wrote a poem in which he woke up to a horse urinating on his bedside in the stable of a private house where he was staying in the constant rain. However, it is said that this is just an exaggeration since they probably won’t be able to sleep in the stables. When I read that haiku for the first time, I believed it with all my heart.
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/)
