Views at Jigokudani, Nagano-ken
Me and My New Friend
The first weekend of February I went on a spontaneous trip to Nagano Prefecture with my friends Alicia and Brian. All three of us had been wanting to see the infamous Jigokudani, which translates to "Hell Valley," but really I call it the Monkey Onsen Park. We spent the night in Nagano and were able to see a large handful of monkeys, a lantern festival and of course eat our hearts out with local cuisine featuring handmade soba, chestnut rice, miso flavored goodies and apples!
Also, I made my second GoPro video this morning. It's shorter than my first, but I took the necessary YouTube precautions and bought the license for the song so it won't get taken down. Enjoy!
Alicia, Brian and I Chilling By the Monkey Onsen
The Monkeys Get So Close!
After driving about two hours from my place to Nagano, we explored Jigokudani for several hours. It takes a significant amount of time to get to the actual valley, but the slippery trek was definitely worth the countless photographs and glorious views of these creatures. The monkeys are clearly used to people. They get suspiciously close to you and are definitely not camera shy. The real challenge is capturing a photograph with them actually facing in your direction.
It was so much fun and challenging photographing these creatures. I thoroughly enjoyed waiting for more of them to hop in and out of the the natural onsen. As you can see from the selfie of Alicia, Brian and I - this is where all the tourists flock making it almost impossible to capture your shot. Least to say it was a nice dose of fresh air and truly an enjoyable experience. Or as Brian calls it, "A life changing Japan experience."
Homemade Soba
We were all pretty "hangry," after the monkey park though and were determined to find some local soba. Alicia found a great place that was not only delicious but aesthetically pleasing. The soba noodles were exceptional and clearly made from scratch. Additionally, Alicia and I both ordered the local yasai tempura that was adorned with leaves and plants. I have never seen this type of tempura in Japan. They were all crispy and flavorful though.
Lantern Festival
At night we went to the lantern festival at the nearby temple. I admit I mainly used my GoPro when we were here so I didn't capture that many photographs. The highlight was lighting up different parts of the temple, as well as walking down the street to view these handmade lanterns. We bopped in and out of lots of shops and I was able to find some great omiyage for my family here.
Nagano Brunch of Champions
Restaurant Photograph Credit to Alicia
Restaurant Photograph Credit to Alicia
I call this the brunch of champions. These sets were huge, and even though we were all a little hesitant about indulging in this much food, we caved pretty quickly. This restaurant came highly recommended from the owner of the Ryokan we stayed at. It did not disappoint. We continued to indulge in local specialities. My personal favorites were again the soba, tempura leaves and chestnut rice. Also the side of pork was a genuine surprise for me.
Photo Credit: Brian
Least to say it was another successful trip for me! It was really fun exploring a neighboring part of Japan and seeing new sites. It was also great to travel with new people. Alicia and Brian were probably the most flexible and easy-going folks I've traveled with yet. They were both helpful and kind about giving me directions everywhere we went, despite being cramped in my tiny kei car. I had a great time with these two and hope to continue exploring various parts of Japan in the near future.
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