Nagano and wasabi

A big day of travelling from Mt Fuji Five Lakes area to Nagano prefecture, via Lake Suwa , a wasabi farm and onto Jigokudani Monkey Park to visit the Japanese Macaques also known as Snow Monkeys. Finally returning to Matsumoto for the night which we had travelled through earlier in the day. 

First stop was lunch at a buffet Japanese BBQ where you individually cook your selected meat over a hot grill in your tabletop. Note the notice about “No talking in the Buffet area”.

Then a little further on a wasabi farm The wasabi is grown in paddocks. It starts off by being flooded with water fed from the Japanese alps mountains at a constant 13 degrees. Two to three years later it is harvested. A board covered in shark skin is used to grind the root up. 

The wasabi ice cream was a highlight - not nearly as bad as it sounds! And it was moving to see the statue of the Great Wasabi.

We were driving via the Japanese Alps so large mountains and many towns and cities in the valleys. The landscape very modified by mankind. Made you realise how fortunate we are in NZ. But in many ways the Japanese and New Zealand landscapes are quite similar with both being long thin island nations with a mountain spine and volcanic activity.

A few photos taken through the bus windows to show the scenery.

The Snow monkey visit involved a 1.8 km walk each way, uphill through a cedar and pine forest, following a river until you reach the monkey park. The monkeys are Japanese macaques, an endangered species. This is apparently the only place where the monkeys bathe in a geothermal hot pool to keep warm. They are feed by park staff which helps keeps them nearby. There were still a few spring time pockets of snow on the ground. The track was muddy in places so once returned the park staff had provided a place to wash your shoes. 

Only Phil made the trek up as Janet’s health prevented it. 

Then we drive back 90 mins back to Matsumoto for dinner in the mall at a restaurant where we cooked sticks of meat and vegetables in hot oil. First rolling them in a batter and panko crumbs. Finally reached our hotel at 8:00pm.