Month: April 2017

An Aokigahara Woodland- and Tokai Nature Trail-walk tour was conducted for a young American couple (Refer to GALLERY).  Although it was a little cloudy and hazy in the morning, the clouds cleared away by the time we started climbing.  We were absorbed by the grandiose presence of Mount Fuji and impressed with the magnificent scenery of it and its surroundings at the Koyadai Rest House and the Sankodai Peak.  We had a toilet break at the Koyadai Rest House and a lunch break at the Sankodai Peak.  In the end, we had skewered and grilled-salted trout at the parking lot of the Bat Cave.

A preliminary visit for the Aokigahara Woodland- and Tokai Nature Tail-walk tour was made.  The weather was cloudy and windy.  The Bat Cave was a little wet and slippery.  The walk in the Aokigahara Woodland was very comfortable.  The climb to the Tokai Nature Trail and the descent from it were steep but manageable.  Although it was windy and chilly, the scenery from the Koyodai Rest House and Sankodai was magnificent.  The thick clouds and the movement of them in the sky created a mysterious atmosphere (Refer to GALLERY). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aokigahara)

Aokigahara Woodland and Lake Sai, Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi, 4/26/2017

A bus tour to the Minamoto Masu-no-Sushi Museum in Toyama and the Takaoka Mountain Zuiryuji (Zuiryu Temple) in Takaoka was conducted.  The guests enjoyed the factory tour of the masuzushi (trout sushi) making process and purchased a lot of bento (lunch boxes) and souvenirs (https://www.minamoto.co.jp/museum).  In the Zuiryu Temple, the guests were mesmerized by the subdued but authentic beauty of the Zen structures (https://www.zuiryuji.jp/).  Especially, the demonstration of the Zen-sitting meditation (zazen) practiced by the Soto Sect of Zen Buddhism caught attention, and the thoroughness of reaching the peaceful mind was admired by the guests.  One guest enjoyed matcha (green tea).

Zuiryu Temple, Takaoka, Toyama, 4/21/2017

Fact Sheet

Guest Capacity: 2,670 lower berths

Tonnage: 115,875

Number Cruise: 1,100

Length: 952 feet; Height: 205 feet

Beam: 164 feet (including bridge wing); 123 feet (excluding bridge wing)

Guest Cabins: 1,337 (960 outside/377 inside) total

A preliminary visit for the bus tour to the Minamoto Masu-no-Sushi (trout sushi) Museum and the Zuiryuji (Zuiryu Temple) was made.  On the way to Toyama, I had to cross the mountainous passes and numerous numbers of tunnels.

The Minamoto Masu-no-Sushi is the most successful brand for the pressed trout sushi that is found in most train stations and other bento (lunch box) shops in Japan.

Takaoka Mountain Zuiryu Temple belongs to the Soto Sect of Zen Buddhism (Refer to GALLERY).  This temple was built by Toshitsune Maeda (the third Lord of the Maeda Feudal Clan) to mourn the death of his elder brother Toshinaga (the second Lord of the Maeda Feudal Clan) 360 years ago.  Three buildings of this temple, the Main Gate, the Buddha Hall, and the Living Quarters Hall have been designated as National Treasures.

Zuiryu Temple, Takaoka, Toyama, 4/21/2017

A bus tour to the Mount Fuji area was conducted.  Leaving Shimizu in the early morning, we visited the Shizuoka City Tokaido Hiroshige Museum of Art in the Yui Honjin Park (https://tokaido-hiroshige.jp/en/), the Mizugatsuka Park at the 2nd Way-point of Mount Fuji (https://shizuoka.hellonavi.jp/tourist-attractions/mizugadukapark; https://hellonavi.jp/detail/page/detail/1396), and the Fujisan Jukuu-no-Mori Park in Gotenba (https://jukuu.jp/).  Then, we moved to the Rose Terrace Restaurant in Fuji and had three layered Japanese-box lunch (https://www.nasubi-ltd.co.jp/rose/index.php).  After that, we visited the Fujisan Hongu Sengen Shrine in Fujinomiya (https://www.japan.travel/en/spot/1306/).  The weather was rather cloudy in the morning; however, the clouds cleared away by the time we reached the 2nd Way-point of Mount Fuji.  The guests enjoyed every minute of the magnificent scenery of Mount Fuji.

Shimizu Port, Shimizu-ward, Shizuoka, 4/19/2017

The cherry-blossoms season has finally arrived here in Nagasaka.  It rained and was windy yesterday; yet the cherry blossoms surrounding Ushiike Pond are still beautiful.

I made another preliminary tour for the bus tour by myself.  I visited the Mizugatsuka Park at the 2nd Way-point of Mount Fuji, the Fujisan (Mount Fuji) Jukuu-no-Mori Park, and the Fujisan Hongu Sengen Shrine.  The Fujisan Hongu Sengen Shrine is one component of Mount Fuji’s UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fujisan_Hong%C5%AB_Sengen_Taisha)

Susono & Fujinomiya, Shizuoka, 4/16/2017

A preliminary visit for the bus tour in the Shimizu area was organized by my acquaintance.  We met at the Asagiri Highland Road Station in the city of Fujinomiya, in Shizuoka Prefecture.  We visited Shimizu Port, the Shizuoka City Tokaido Hiroshige Museum of Art, Mount Kuno Tosho Shrine, Sunpu Castle Park, Shizuoka Sengen Shrine, and the Grinpia Makinohara tea factory.  The Mount Kuno Tosho Shrine has been designated as one of the National Treasures.

Shimizu-ward, Shizuoka-city, 4/14/2017