Visiting Nagano is my long awaited dream and also the highlight of this entire Japan autumn vacation. Nagano is located in the center of Japan and surrounded by Japan Alps. Hubby and I both felt energetic and excited because we were going to stay a night in Yamanouchi, located in the Northern part of Nagano prefecture. Yamanouchi draws many visitors each year because of its Jigokudani Monkey Park as well as its abundant natural hot springs located in Shibu Onsen Town and Yudanaka Onsen Town. Shiga Kogen, the largest ski resort in Japan, who once hosted events during 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, also located in Yamanouchi. When summer falls, Shiga Kogen and other parts of Yamanouchi which are part of the Joshinetsu Kogen National Park, are popular spots for hiking and outdoor activities.
Never in my dream that one day I would be able to see God's amazing creation, with my very own eyes, discovering the wild nature which is inhabited with many Japanese Macaques or widely known as snow monkeys. I thought I can only watch them in National Geographic or documentaries. Pardon my vanity, if I include way too many pictures in this post. I personally find that snow monkeys are very adorable, each of the pictures from my well kept hard disc melts my heart every time I glance through those memorable moment.
So excited that we woke up early, had breakfast in a ramen shop in Shinjuku Station, operated with vending machine. It's a very normal sight in Tokyo, a simple no fuss meal done in a jiffy. All you have to do is to slot in the amount of money for the food which you wish to have. If you are not able to read Japanese, no fret, there's always pictures of the items on the vending machine. After which, a ticket will automatically drops out from the machine. Pick it up, and head towards the shop. Pass the ticket to any staff working in the kitchen. Your meal will be ready in no time, where you have to collect the food and find any seat available. Some prefer to stand and slurp down the hot bowl of ramen, especially during rush hour in the morning when people are rushing for work. It's more like a self service dining, where you pour your own drink (mostly plain iced water), get the utensils e.g.. spoon and chopsticks, and even table cloth to clean the table after you've finished the meal. Don't forget to bring your tray to the kitchen counter.
To get to Yamanouchi, first we took an Asama train which is also known as Nagano Shinkansen, from Tokyo Station to Nagano. Our train was scheduled at 8.56 am and after 1.5 hours, we reached Nagano. Upon reaching Nagano, we started to feel the dip in temperature compared to Tokyo. We had to change to Nagano Dentetsu Line to get to Yamanouchi Town.
While walking out from the JR Nagano Station, sweet smelling hot steaming buns wafted in the air. We dropped by to take a look. The locals call the buns as oyaki, which is a popular local food of Nagano. It's basically steamed or baked buns made from wheat flour, with typical stuffings ranging from vegetables, pickles, egg plants, sweet beans, pumpkin and others, depending on the seasons. There were so many types of stuffing that we couldn't decide which one to buy. Furthermore there's no English words displayed, so we just asked the auntie who tend the shop to pick the best selling oyaki.
We had 2 oyaki with different stuffing, one with pickled chinese mustard (mei cai) and the other one was some vegetable that tasted like shredded yam bean with mushroom. Both were fantabulous!
Once we stepped out from the JR Nagano Station, walked down a flight of stairs, and saw Nagaden Nagano Station signage. Walked in the tunnel where we boarded the Nagano Dentetsu Train.
Hubby bought 1-way express train tickets, cost 1230 yen per person to Yudanaka Station.
Some local grown vegetables on sale in the station.
During fall, it was apple season in Nagano. There were so many big fat delicious and juicy apples in Nagano.
Our train pulled into the station at 10.46 am. That was me in the picture below with our little luggage in tow, some necessities for a night stay in Yamanouchi.
Sit at the front row if you want to have unobstructed beautiful view of Nagano.
We saw many orchards lying around with fully grown apple and persimmon trees...with mountains backdrop. The view was so surreal and I found myself kept snapping DSLR shutter. Saw many withered grapevine as grape season was in July to late September.
The favourable climate and high elevation allow vast production of delicious fleshy fruits like apples, grapes, pears, peaches, blueberries, apricots and persimmons in this region.
There were just too many first time experiences in Nagano, that's why a side trip to Nagano from Tokyo will always leave the most beautiful memory in my travel journey ...my first dip in near scalding natural hot springs, my first encounter with cute furry creature of snow monkeys, my first experience having a Japanese haute meals of Kaiseki...and my first time seeing so many apple trees! Those red juicy apples looked sooo... inviting from far. I kept telling hubby that I wanted to alight from the train and went for apple hand-picking! Hubby convinced me that in near future we would bring our kids back to Nagano for some fruit picking and snow monkey watching definitely! I can't wait to get back there AGAIN!
Finally, we reached Yudanaka Station after 50 minutes ride on the express train. The quaint looking Yudanaka Station with a big round old-fashioned wall clock.
There's a bus depot just in front of the Yudanaka Station.
..And also Snow Monkey taxis...:D
Instead of taking the public bus, we took a cab to get to our ryokan or traditional Japanese inn to save all the hassle.
It was a short ride, less than 10 minutes, to our ryokan, tucked strategically in Shibu Onsen. The check-in time was at 3 pm. Thus, we dropped our luggage and went for a stroll around the vicinity. Saw onsen tamago, a traditional Japanese boiled egg which is slow cooked in the water of onsen hot spring, cost 100 yen each. Fancy a tamago? Simply take one or more, place them in a plastic bag provided, and don't forget to put the correct amount of yen into the small rattan basket.
A convenience store which also sells souvenirs, local products and snacks.
Walking on distinctive narrow cobbled street of Shibu Onsen with a deep sense of nostalgic feel. The town was a quiet quaint place with a few shops and eateries. Occasional echoes of chuckle and tourists chatting away, which literally broke the silence of the peaceful ambience. Shibu Onsen is known for its healing hot springs which was first discovered by priests from Kyoto temples, back in 1303.
It was 12 noon, temperature was around 5 degree celcius. We passed by an eatery and hubby suggested to have lunch there. We were soon greeted by a middle-aged man, and he handed us a very simple hand-written English menu after we asked for one.
This eatery was operated on one-man show. He tended almost everything, from a cook, waiter to a cashier.
He was a typical Japanese, super efficient by the way.
Here were our order: Hubby had shoyu ramen, while I had dry ramen with side dipping sauce. We wanted extra ingredients like the chasu or sliced pork, but ended up our ramen came in a big portion too other than extra pork, so huge that we couldn't finish the ramen. Had chicken kaarage or deep fried chicken cutlets, which was fried perfectly...crispy on the outside and juicy inside.
Along the streets, we saw many onsen bath houses. There are 9 natural onsens in Shibu Onsen. If you love to dip in onsen, then Shibu Onsen is definitely a place for a retreat. Each bath house, was provided with separate ladies and gent, side by side. There were times when hubby and I chatted while we were soaking in the bath, as the wall was merely a partition to separate the ladies and gents.
The stamp and red ink used on a special towel purchased from our ryokan, each time after we showered in a bath house.
The map of all the bath houses located in Shibu Onsen, which you can see that they are well located along a stretch of street. It was so convenient to hop from one to another, without having to walk and search high and low.
Posing with a manhole with snow monkey engraved cover.
Autumn colours of bright golden yellow in Shibu Onsen.
Each bath house, with different minerals content, is said to have different healing effects. Bath house number 3 (Watanoyu), believed to heal cut, scar, and skin disease.
A flight of stairs leading to a temple, where bath house number 8 was close by. The solitude walkway in Shibu Onsen.
Fooled around as there's no one looking...
Paced slowly back to our ryokan, Senshinkan Matsuya Ryokan, a family owned ryokan, operated by a pair of Japanese husband and wife.
Placed our shoes in a designated shoes cabinet before changing into their sandals.
As time was still early, we requested our ryokan's owner, the husband, in getting us a cab. Time was around 2 pm, we went uphill in a cab, through a forest, heading towards the Jigokudani Monkey Park. It was a 10 minutes or so ride, which was quite a short distance. We were told that there were people who walked uphill from the ryokan to the park during fine days.
The cab stopped us here, where the rest of the journey was on foot. It drizzled lightly, and the pathway was wet and slippery.
There was the solitary silence blanketed the misty forest because of the coldness. Temperature was around 4 degree celcius. We were lost in thought, deeply immersing ourselves with the wonderful nature around.
Some notice placed along the path, "No eating while walking in the forest", "No feeding of food to monkeys"..as to take precaution not to attract the monkeys who would snatch them away. A thundering sound of fast flowing stream in the forest, was the only echo heard while we passed through.
The walking journey from the starting point where the cab dropped us to the Monkey Park, took us approximately 30 minutes, in a slow paced manner with some photos taking in between. Up the hill and stairs. Can you spot me, panting my way up the stairs? The stairs were steep, narrow and slippery that I held on to the siderail tightly.
Braving through the woods, where the pathways were sometimes covered with monkeys' poo...hence, be careful not to step on them though there are times you might find yourselves giving way to the enchanting beautiful scenery around.
I personally think that the best time to visit the park is during the transition of autumn to winter. Trekking up the thick snow trail in winter at an elevation of 850 metres, for 2 km, is indeed a challenge and quite dangerous.
We were almost there....after seeing the entrance signage to Monkey Park.
Some important things to note:
1. Don't touch or scare the monkeys.
2. Don't feed the monkeys.
3. Pets are not allowed in the park.
4. Photography and video are allowed.
Paid for the Jigokudani Monkey Park tickets which cost 500 yen per person.
The entrance tickets....
Just before we were going to march towards the park, there was a fury of snow out of a sudden. I was elated and couldn't help but to pose for a picture under the snow. Can you see white 'dandruff' look alike thingy, floating in the air?
Tadaaahhhhh....finally, I couldn't believe my own eyes, standing in front of me were troops of snow monkeys everywhere. They literally roaming every nook and cranny in the park. They were amazingly and crazily adorable! I took plenty...ok...hundreds of pictures!
The only man made hot spring (onsen) in Jigokudani Park (shown as below picture), where wild Japanese macaques or snow monkeys will descend from steep cliffs for a warm dip. In summer, is hard to see monkeys soaking in the onsen as they would probably foraging the nearby forest, rather than dipping in hot onsen! I tried to test the heat of the onsen water, dipping in my fingers, it's not as hot as those 9 onsens I had in Shibu Onsen. I might say it was probably at around 40 degree celcius.
I tried to approach the monkeys cautiously, so I could pose near them. But there was one which didn't look too inviting...it got provoked and looked angry....and of course it scared the wit out of me!
The shy one and the innocent looking one....aawwww...
Look at those snow monkeys.....they would look even cuter in winter with thicker and fuller coats of fur covered with snow, surviving winter temperature of -15 degree celsius! Japanese macaques have brown grey fur: red face, bottom and hands, and spotted with short tail.
People who don't really know me, would think that I am a girly, 'princessy' type of personality who love pigging out on good food, shopping and splurging on luxurious brands whenever I travel, BUT they are seriously WRONG. I am a girl with heart close to nature, admiring culture and GOD's wonderful creations. That's the REAL ME!
Look deep into their eyes..."A penny for your thoughts, Mr. Monkey?" ...LOL
Isn't this little creature (baby monkey) look too adorable?
How not to doze off in a warm comfortable onsen....you tell me? Zzzzzzz.......
Monkey: "Hey, you intruder, why are you keep snapping pictures of us?"
The one being challenged, the mummy and the young pair...
They appeared so blissful dipping, lounging, grooming and monkeying around in the onsen....
Caught red handed...this mischievous baby monkey was biting and nibbling on the live camera's cable. The camera monitors every action around the onsen, and it snaps picture at every one hour interval.
Below is the picture taken on the live camera, where hubby was wearing black on the right corner, while me (wearing red) at the far left, engrossed in snapping pictures.
Having stayed with the monkeys for nearly 2 hours, we trudged back downhill. On the way out, there's a steaming hot spring shooting out from underground. The name Jigokudani means Hell's Valley, where steam and boiling water that bubbles out of small crevices in the frozen ground, surrounded by steep cliffs, cold and hostile forests.
Behind me is the steam of hot water spurting out from the ground, and I was holding a can of hot coffee to warm my freezing hands....bbrrrrrrr.....my cheeks, nose and ears felt numb!
Stepping down the stairs and passing through the stream....
The wonder of nature.....I found myself lost in thought, welcoming the solitude and calmness....
Reached the guard house at the entrance of Jigokudani Monkey Park, where we requested an uncle who was on duty to call a cab for us.
Piles of snow....
Got back to our ryokan, and our host helped us with the check-in procedure....while we were served with mid-noon snack of red bean paste mochi and interesting seaweed infused green tea...with hint of saltiness due to the seaweed..I guess.
After that, we were shown to our room upstairs...the narrow wooden floored passage way leading to our room.
This is our humble yet cosy and neat Japanese styled Superior Twin Room, with views at the balcony. It's air conditioned, which we didn't use, with tatami (straw woven) floors and completed with Japanese futon bedding.
Before and after changing into yukata (Japanese bathrobes). The only difference when staying in a ryokan compared to a hotel is that we have to wear yukata and geta (wooden clogs) provided during the stay.
Inside the red envelope, there is a long piece of towel, cost 300 yen, which we could stamp on each bath house after we had dipped in. Our room key numbered 202 and the wide wooden block which hold a key, access to all the 9 public bath houses in Shibu Onsen. The entrance to the bath houses is free for staying guests in Shibu Onsen.
Since our kaiseki dinner would only be ready at 7 pm, we went for our onsen quest...off we went to conquer all the nine onsens! Its still drizzling, that's explained the brolly which I held in hand.
Though it's drizzling, people were seen wandering along the street, holding on to the same mission like us....*wink*
Bath house number 1 (Hatsuyu), which heals stomach and intestines problems.
The first stamp on the onsen quest towel.
Bath house 1 (Hatsuyu)
The quiet street at late evening, with echoing sound of geta worn, clapping against the cold cobbled street.
Can you spot any nudity in this picture below? ;) Btw, it's a female bath house...to answer your wild guessing, yes...all the bath houses in Japan are communal which means shared by everyone and done in total naked or in short, skinny dip! But among conservative group of older Japanese, if you have tattoo inked on your body, then you might invite troubles if you aren't lucky. Some are said being chased out from the bath house because tattoo some how shows gangsterism in Japanese society. There's once I got this stare from a few obasan (aunties), which made me feel very awkward, where I had to crab-walk to the side into the bath, trying to hide mine behind me! So stressed being with this obasan group!
Natural HOT spring...indeed they were so hot that we had to keep the pipe water running for a while, test the water first, before slowly immersing ourselves into the hot bath. There were times, I screamed at high pitch because the heat was just too unbearable. I could only squat at the side of the bath, dipping my little toes in the water. I couldn't bear to force myself in and got scalded like a cooked lobster!
A foot bath near bath house number 8
Picture of us soaking our feet...
We were just in time for kaiseki dinner, prepared by our host. Kaiseki is a Japanese spread mostly prepared using seasonal local ingredients. Our one night ryokan stay includes kaiseki dinner and breakfast. On top of that we had one bottle of sweet sake and one dry sake....our host explained that sweet sake suits girls better. So I gave it a try.. Before we dug into the food, our host spent time explaining to us what were those dishes rather than leaving us guessing...so heart-warming, right?
The teapot which contains mushroom clear soup with squeeze of lemon.
Floor seating on tatami....a disaster for hubby because he complained of legs cramp most of the time!
Starter of some wild enoki mushroom with their in-house made persimmon wine. The little black stuff which look like black beans at the backdrop were actually wild mountain potatoes served in miso.
The appetiser, raw salmon nose, the texture was crunchy with sweet sour dressing.
Raw oyster
Guess what's inside?
Yes...it's buckwheat soba, with shredded nori, scallion and the other small part contains the soba dipping sauce.
The main dish which is chicken thigh cooked with melted creamy cheese and tomato, in hot pot.
Tempura with green tea salt dipping...
Semi torched salmon, sprinkled with black pepper.
Our sumptuous kaiseki dinner ended with dessert, pear consommé in red wine, with dollop of sour cream...so yummy!
Continued with our onsen quest....Bath house number 8 (Shinmedakinoyu), heals organic disease.
A simple bath instruction, with kawaii snow monkeys pictogram....
1. Wash or rinse your body.
2. Adjust temperature with tap water. Don't forget to off it before leaving.
3. Wipe your body before going to changing room.
4. Drink enough water.
Bath house number 7 (Nanakurinoyu) for injury.
Bath house number 6 (Mearainoyu), heals eyes and soften skin.
Bath house number 5 (Matsunoyu), heals neuralgia.
Bath house number 4 (Takenoyu), heals chronic gout.
Skinny dip with only a small little towel just enough to cover your top or bottom but not both....hahaaaaa
Mission accomplished! We had stamped on all the 9 onsens in Shibu Onsen..YIPPEEE!!
The night was supposed cold at 4 degree celsius, but somehow we didn't feel freezing after so many onsen dips! Walking up the stairs towards a temple, near the Bath house 8.
The eery looking temple. The surrounding was pitch dark and so quiet. My mind kept thinking of all the nonsense!....Hubby quickly stamped on the towel for the temple which we had visited before leaving with no turning back!
There goes the completed stamped towel! So happy! Just have to write down the date of completion on the bottom right corner.
Just before we walked back to ryokan, we had some onsen tamago for supper. Creamy wobbly yolk and soft firm white..so nice!
Woke up to a fresh morning, took a shower. Many ryokans have communal bathroom which are shared, with separate women and men bathrooms. But some ryokans do have rooms with private bathrooms.
Senshinkan Matsuya provides only communal bathrooms, which looks like this for women. Stools, wooden buckets, and toiletries are provided.
The hot spring in our ryokan which is above 50 degree celsius! OUCH!
Bathrooms: Red curtain for women and blue curtain for men. Inside the bathroom, there were a long dressing table completed with wide lengthy mirror, hairdryer, weighing scale, and body lotions of all sort. I saw my host naked, at the changing area. Though it was a norm to see naked bodies in a communal bath house, but I still found it awkward and shy! Automatically, I apologised and stepped out, which I need not to....so, embarassing!
Had kaiseki breakfast.....which looks like this. The main which came with Japanese short grain rice, miso soup, some cold dishes (appetizer), salad, and the dessert fresh blueberry yoghurt which was so nice!
The main which was egg and ham hot pot.
The check out time was 10 am but we did it earlier coz we wanted to return to the Jigokudani Monkey Park for the second time, to bid them farewell....LOL. While waiting for our bill, a platter of yummy Shinshu apple and persimmon awaiting us.
Braving the cold outside of -1 degree celsius, I quickly posed for a picture before leaving the ryokan.
The family-owned ryokan which is normally hosts by a female owner dressed in kimono. This was our friendly and soft-spoken host, or we called her as landlady, Keiko Kodama san. She would take care of our luggage and sent it to Yudanaka Station so that we didn't have to return back for our belongings. We could go straight to the station from the Monkey Park afterwards. We called a cab and headed to Jigokudani Monkey Park again. She sent us to the doorstep and bid us goodbye.....
Are we going back to Senshinkan Matsuya, if you ask me? Definitely! Reasons are:
1. The location is strategic, all the 9 onsens are easily accessible. The Jigokudani Monkey Park is quite nearby.
2. There's Wifi provided in the room.
3. The kaiseki meals are an unforgettable spread.
4. The room is kept spick and span.
5. The host is friendly and helpful.
Another freezing morning, venturing through the forest in the park. Even the puddle of water turned into crystal.
Only a few monkeys were in sight on the freezing morning.
A baby monkey hugging tightly on its mummy's back.
Again, I was captured in the live camera....with me holding a DSLR, shooting my cute furry friends.
So cold that we had to rush to a nearby shelter to warm our shivering bodies.
After had enough with the monkeys, we cabbed to Yudanaka Station. Coffeshop Miyako, where we picked up our luggage. Posing and taking in beautiful scenery of snow capped mountains.
Limited express train departed from Yudanaka Station to Nagano Station.
Very appealing red juicy shinshu apples, sold in Nagano Station.
Some snacks which we bought...the pastry filled with anpan (red bean) and oyaki buns again.
Favourite oyaki buns, best eaten when they were still steamy hot.
With some curry flavoured pumpkin puree....sweet with hint of spices.
Had sushi in a conveyer-belt sushi restaurant for dinner in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Surprisingly, there's no sushi turning around on the moving belt, only menus on laminated cards. So we made our order by looking at the pictures of sushi moving around the table. This helps to retain the freshness of the sushi because the food was kind of made-to-order in here.
Tuna belly sashimi, hotate sushi and scallop sushi.
Seasonal shirako, Japanese fish milt.
Some others we had...
After sushi meal, we went to Harajuku, the KiddyLand for toy shopping.
Stopped by a drugstore in Harajuku for 2 hours shopping for cosmetic, beauty products, and health supplements.
Things which I got from Kiddyland and snacks from Nagano, prawn crackers, Shinshu apple and red chilli pepper flavoured KitKat.
