I went to Nagano on a trip. (Two weeks ago… posting now because work has been insane.)
Stayed at a log cottage called “Kanki” in Hakuba.
The plan: Tokyo colleagues and Nagoya colleagues each set out separately and meet up in Nagano.
We drove the car on the left in that photo. (Rental car — we chose a hybrid out of environmental consideration.)
We’d been to this cottage two years ago and loved it, so we went back.
Two years ago it was a heat wave, so the cottage felt pleasantly cool. This year the summer was cold enough that we actually felt a bit chilly there.
The Nagoya crew had a smooth drive with no traffic. The Tokyo crew got hit directly by the holiday ¥1,000 highway toll chaos — a 45 km backup around Otsuki on the Chuo Expressway. The Greater Tokyo Area is something else.
That evening, a colleague who loves to cook made curry rice and other dishes, and we had a proper party.
Someone even brought a Wii, and the accumulated stress just melted away. (At least for the night.)
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This time we added one activity: soba-making experience.
Add water, knead,
roll out and cut,
boil, and done.
For ¥1,500 per person, you make a full batch and get to eat what you made.
No heavy physical work involved, and very much a Shinshu kind of experience. A surprisingly good activity.
They show you a demonstration before you start, so it wasn’t as hard as it might seem — though I think I could do better next time.
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We also stopped by Hakuba Goryu in summer.
The gondola normally used for skiing in winter operates in summer as a mountain access route.
Took the Hakuba Goryu Telecabin up to the higher elevation.
Clear skies that day — distant mountains visible in every direction.
A total contrast to the daily reality of staring at computer screens in Tokyo surrounded by buildings.
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The Greater Tokyo Area, once again: leaving Nagano on Sunday afternoon, we hit a 20 km backup and then a 45 km one on the way home. Got back at midnight — a whirlwind trip. But full of experiences you can’t get otherwise. Worth it.
Want to go back.
Actually: need to go back.