More Japan by Campervan 2024

Moving on from our last post, we travelled NE on the main island Honshu. In the comments the person who contributes the the most is called anonymous. We both would love to know who the comments are from. If you could sign off with your name that would be great.

Our travels so far

To get in the mood for Jane’s course in mokuhanga (wood cut print making) we visited Echizen a historic paper making town.

And Jane spent an hour or so and with guidance from an young artisan paper maker at Udatsu Paper mill made a couple of big fine but textured white sheets of paper, Washi. This paper will great for printing on back on KI. The fibre was Mulberry bark, hemp and Mitsumata. A very time consuming process to prepare the fibre (done earlier) but to watch the thin soup of fibres wash across the deckle mold and produce a sheet of paper was intriguing to say the least. It's definitely trickier then it looks.

Paper making at Udatsu, Echizen

After Echizen we encountered an amazing tunnel and flyover system. Google maps shows it a little but it was more than that. Firstly as we descended a hill we entered a tunnel which in two sections took us steeply down and a 360 degree turn (circle). We popped out of the tunnel straight onto a flyover that did another 360. So in very short order we lost a lot of altitude, did 720 degrees and were almost directly under out start point. 

We are constantly amazed by tunnels, bridges, mountain stabilization and then a rough narrow road through a village of lovely houses, except for the one falling apart!

Flyover Japan style

Loop de loop

Lots of huge high roads on the sides of mountain sides

More big road building, but this one looks a bit dangerous until it is finished!

 

A well maintained proper house

And next door a derelict house

We made a side trip to an old town Tsumago-juki which is a postal town on the old Nakansendo mail route. There is a walk uphill to Magome-juki  the next town. It was a fine Sunday and plenty of overseas visitors and Japanese had the same idea. But even with lots of walkers it was lovely. Historic original houses, flowers out, complimentary (donation) green tea the top of the hill and way less glitzy signage that we find in most towns. About a 12km walk and lunch to follow.

Ants pouring his green tea

A welcome stop at the top of the route

A friendly bear

Love those sculptured trees

Spring is everywhere

This was a quaint detour sign, but very logical

Whilst Jane was doing her Mokuhanga course we stayed at a mountain campground for 5 days. There were never more than 2 sites occupied. Us plus one, but no one except us stayed more than one night. Lovely setting, toilets, basic kitchen hut with hot water and a 24 hour shop. But no showers! Certainly camping is done quite differently here. Car camping is not the norm. 

But tonight we are in a free council (prefecture) campsite. Toilets with heated seats, a waterfall, monkeys but only us. 

Back to Happudaira Camping Ground, sites for probably 100 people, cabins, a lovely stream, mountain views and about 4000¥ (40 dollars) a night for us. And the 24hour shop. Lit up, plenty of stock, food, firewood, alcohol, honour system because no one on site. The shop was only 20 metres from a road and very obvious to passing traffic. The manager lived 30 minutes away. Lovely trusting attitude. At Jane’s school there were 3 bikes for her to borrow. They were left in the public street with the Dutch style back wheel keyed lock. But the key was left in. Jane only had to remove the key at the supermarket in case someone was lazy and wanted to ride home.

The Mokuhanga School and tuition were great Terry McKenna the teacher was patient and thorough.

Brushes for inking

Carving one of the blocks

Inking up the plate

My first Mokuhanga, a Koi. My Instagram has more about the Mokuhanga Janelouise.evans 

The mountain campsite.

Our camp near Karuizawa for 5 days

The mountains near our camp

We went for a walk one morning and came across an interesting scat. We thought maybe bear poo, and later confirmed as such. The campground manager said we should always take a bell on walks in the hills, and plenty of people do. 6 people were killed last year so a bit like the risk of shark and snake bight in Oz. And warning signs everywhere.

On our bear hunt

Bear Poo (confirmed)

The forest near our Campsite

Our campsite for 5 nights

Ants came across this inquisitive Serow 

A very unusual spring/waterfall which is emerging in a defined rock strata

A sign at a trailhead。。。note bear！

And another warning sign

Food has been interesting to say the least. The supermarkets in what seems to be a small regional town can be huge. A huge selection of generally over packaged food. A lot of it is not for us but plenty we are happy with. Good fruit and vegetables and depending on the item quite cheap. Bean sprouts might be 20 yen (that is 20 cents) a packet and with a 40 yen block of tofu (yes Cheryl tofu) and some of the eggs at 200 yen for 10 and a package of pre cut greens a pretty simple stir fry for next to nothing. Trays of Shashimi fish of multiple varieties for 400¥, beer at 25 dollars a carton and Jane’s Gilbeys gin for 12 dollars AUD.

Most days we are eating lunch in restaurants, that is what he norm here. Yesterday we had lunch sets and both of us had 7 plates on our table tray. Pickles, noodle things (hot and cold) miso soup, rice and the main dish. Green tea to start and coffee (help yourself) all for 1600¥ (that’s 16 dollars) for 2 of us.  We are normally not in towns at night but in Karuizara we went to a pub for dinner. Noisy, small, friendly and great atmosphere. That night with shashimi tuna, prawns, octopus, rice, avocado with melted cheese and beers we actually managed to spend 48 dollars.

 Did I mention Spanish red cask wine at 400¥ a litre. 400¥ is 4dollars AUD.

First Japanese Pub meal

Cafe lunch Set times two

On Sunday night we were aiming for a camp on a river in the mountains. We were directed by Google maps up a road with a “closed from 18.00 to 06.00 hours” sign at 17.20. The road became 8 tunnels the last one being 20 kilometres long and the time nearing 18.00 and we were going up. We popped out in a very snowy car park at the very end of the road at a ski resort, hydro electric dam and luckily huge car park and toilet. The only people there were trout (catch and release) fishermen car camping next to the dam. Just magical. The next morning after a snow walk to the greatest alpine lake view (albeit it man made) we went back 10km down the tunnel to a “T” junction we missed the night before and popped out at a flowing mountain stream in a snow landscape with more fishermen. We also found an onsen with an outside bath and snow all around. 9 out of 10. Still looking for the hot spring in a river bed.

The man made huge hydro lake note the fisherman and boat on the pontoon

The back of the dam wall 

In our snowy, nearly empty, carpark

A morning walk to the dam wall

The onsen with the outdoor pool behind the second level bamboo screen with a great view of snow topped mountains 

A flowing potential trout haven

A bit of 20kms of fairly narrow tunnel 

So we go from a snowy mountain down to lower altitude and everything becomes green. We drove up a river to a small free campground maintained by the prefecture. We parked under 2 flowering cherry trees and no one else there, except for a few monkeys who obviously enjoy eating cherry blossoms.

Our lovely riverside camp

Monkeys in the trees at our campsite 

So a lot has happened over the last 12 days and still 2 weeks in Japan. We are loving it. If you fancy more Japan trip photos and short reels Jane's Instagram has some, here's the link /janelouise.evans/

Japan is a land of contrasts, flat fertile valleys full of productive farmland, rice fields, factories, houses, industry and construction compared with steep, dense forest covered and snowed topped mountains compared with rugged coastline protected by concrete breakwaters and somewhat spoiled by plastic strewn beaches contrasted with serene, beautiful ancient temples, ruined castles and moss covered shrines.