But let's not get ahead of ourselves. There's always time for a quick snack on the way. And by snack I don't mean those shrivelled dried squid chunks that Mei and half the country seem to think are a suitable substitute for potato chips. Keeping an open mind is important when travelling, but so is carrying a piece of home with you, like a nice non-green tea, non-soy, non-miso flavoured vanilla icecream... This shot from the half way point on the journey into the wilderness - the quaint mountain village of Takayama.
Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? I'm sure it's just around the next bend... Are we there yet? Shut up and go back to gnawing on your dessicated squid! After more than a few hairpin turns and tunnels, the bus finally rolls up in the breathtaking valley town of Kamikochi. Town isn't really the right word though - the settlement is really just a collection of mountain lodges and ryokans nestled among the beech forests along the banks of the glacial blue waters of the Azusa river. Photos don't really do the magnificence of the scenery justice. Nor do my words. Jutting up on all sides of the river valley are the jagged peaks of the Alps, still capped with their winter snow. The lower slopes give way to first scraggly pines and then lower still beech forests, still blanketed in pockets of snow. Here and there the still naked branches are wrapped with shawls of light mist. The air still has a crisp winter freshness that makes the welcoming lights and log fire aroma of the waiting inns an enticing sight. As the weary travellers rush for their ryokan lodge, they pause just long enough to capture their first mountain shots. Above is the famous Kappibashi suspension bridge, a kind of focal point for the whole valley.
With the sun setting, and drizzle falling, there was just enough time before dinner to take a quick hike up the valley to the myojin-ike (myojin pond), about 40 minutes by foot. Now I'm not saying the pond wasn't picturesque and all, as the picture above will attest, but suffice it to say the travellers were more than a little shocked to find a ubiquitous ticket hut charging 300 yen for a look at the lake. Well, they shrug, that's not that much, and according to the pamplet the pond is sacred and the the fee goes to helping the monks look after it, so fair enough, right? Well, that's what they thought till they spotted one of the monks in question reclining in the back of the hut, feet up with a warm cup of coffee, about half way through watching a Return of the King DVD on what was undoubtably a very late model Sony LCD tv!
Been there, done that, paid 300 yen, and all I got was this crappy photo.
The good thing about staying in a mountain ryokan in the middle of nowhere is that dinner and breakfast are included. And what a dinner it was! A steaming plate of succulent tempura-ed prawns coated is a wafer thin crust of golden batter, a hearty bowl of miso and mushroom soup, a delectable assortment of sushi, a tender stewed pork leg... I could go on, but that would make me way too hungry...
Around noon on Day 7, the persistent drizzle began to subside and the sun finally started to roll back the blanket of fog smothering the valley. Just the opportunity our mountaineers needed to explore more thoroughly the valley. Full of confidence in man's conquest of nature, they strike up a pose for the cameras before plunging into the unkown.
The long march finally pays off when they discover a secluded pond that doesn't require 300 yen to enjoy. On the downside, there's no opportunity to be inspired by King Theoden's inspirational battle speech in full dolby surround sound glory at this pond.
A local refuses to let the sight of four giant intruders disrupt his lunch, dismissing them with a nonchalant shrug. He (or perhaps she) was the first of many snow monkeys to scurry across the path.
The sun slips below the craggy peaks as Day 7 comes to an end. But not before another photo opportunity on Kappibashi Bridge.
And another. This time looking back west towards the mouth of the valley, were the sun has just slipped behind the mountains.
After a long, cold day of tramping, there's no better way to unwind than with theraputic dip in a steaming onsen (a hot tub, remember?). Unfortunately, even in this secluded mountain valley one can't escape the paparazzi and their prying cameras. Just when Jared discards the last of his garments and slips into the soothing warmth of the onsen, they strike! Unfortunately for the female readers of tabloids around the world, a puff of steam at the wrong moment obscures what might have been... though some might argue, that's no big loss, there's not much to see anyway ;)
Having recovered his poise, Jared takes full advantage of the free coffee on offer in the ryokan's lounge. With the valley having opened only last week, we had the place to ourselves. Which is just as well, given Rock practically ran the coffee machine dry.
J and R model the latest in men's fashion from the Orient. This season's collections wow the discerning public with their innovative sash-tied-on-the-left feature. Tied on the right is soooo last year.
Why is it the weather is always perfect on the day you're leaving? Day 8 dawned crystal clear, allowing a few last photo opportunites before the bus rolled the adventurers back to civilisation.
Another angle on the Kappibashi Bridge.
And finally, one last shot of our ryokan lodge, nestled among a beech grove on the other side of the river. Definitely the coolest accomodation of the trip. Now, it's back to the bright lights of Tokyo for the final leg of our epic adventure. Join us again soon.
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