Wasabi and Kamikouchi.

We’ve done a couple of things today, but to be honest the drive between them has been the highlight.

We set the gps to no toll roads and yes it took longer but oh so much more interesting .

A lovely drive from our accomadation through rice fields and rural neighbourhoods. Some of the gardens are so manicured with topiary tress abounding in many front yards. Daio Wasabi farm. Acres of wasabi, growing under shade cloth in a water course. They serve it with nearly every meal so I guess they need a lot of it.
We had a wasabi Ice cream while we were there which was obviously tamed down because you couldn’t taste any heat in it at all.
Lovely grounds though with a walk through the farm and of course a gift shop for whatever wasabi flavoured thing you desired.

Only 42 klms on from there is Kamakouchi National Park. Another slow but interesting drive to the national park. I think we drove through the fruit bowl of Japan. Apple trees, peach trees, plum trees, grapes. Fruit farms for miles and still rice paddies.
After an hour or so we eventually got to Kamakouchi.

The Japanese know how to commercialise a natural attraction.
It’s free to enter the park, you just have to pay an arm and a leg to get the bus there. No private cars are allowed to enter the park, although we did see plenty of taxis and hotel pickups. So many hotels in there too.

Today started off beautifully but as the afternoon has gone on the clouds have started to gather and just as we arrived the clouds started closing in on the mountain.
We did an hours walk with umbrellas through the mist to different views of the river but the clouds persisted.

One thing that stood out was the clarity of the water. I’ve never seen a river so clear. You could easily see to the bottom of even the deepest areas. So beautiful.

It’s only about 15 klms to our accomodation. Umm this one is not a standout. Thank goodness it’s only one night.Read more