Earthquake but we survive!

A big earthquake attacked North part of Nagano prefecture at 22:08 on Nov.22th 2014. It was a big one of Magnitude 6.7 and occured around 5kms depth. We were shaken as well for a while. Some dishes, bottles were broken, a tiny bit of wall paper fell. That's all, we survive. Lifelines work alright in this area. In some areas they seem to have some difficulties at the moment. Some roads are closed, you need to check it out when you need to do. It was a quite big shake, I have never experienced that big one yet. But none was gone, no fire anywhere. It was miracle. We can shut down fire by fire extinguishers but we can't stop earthquakes. I thought this and that while I was shaken. Now I feel it happy to be alive when I wake up in the morning. I would like to thank every message, phone call and e-mail to encourage us. Now I clean houses by throwing broken cups and stuff. Also check things are alright. Maybe I am now more nervous than needed against shakes when it happens. I hope it'll go better in short. Earthquakes could happen everywhere in Japan. You never know when and where. Better prepare thing which protect you. Hayaokidori website

A new comer hot spring "Kita one no yu"

The subject line says it all, now another hot spring is available at the middle of Happo one. Guess perhaps the view from there would be awesome. Have to check it by visiting there as soon as possible. Check our facebook page for the details. https://www.facebook.com/hakubafan/posts/10152385183994958
Hayaokidori website

Shoya Maruhachi - an old Japanese house for cafe and restaurant

Shoya Maruhachi is located at Shinden, Hakuba Iwatake. An old farmers house which was built in Edo era. Took the American high school students there when we accepted them as a host family last month after experiencing EX adventure. When we entered, the front area was renovated but still thick old pillars and structures were also there. You can order some drinks and cafe there. Also you can have some dinner at night. Shoya Maruhachi English website
Hayaokidori website

JR Chuoh line train service is available again!

Due to an avalanche of rocks and earth occured last month, JR Chuoh line train service had been unavailable for about a month. But they are available again from today. Limited express Shinano trains are also available. What a quick restruction! I wonder what I can do only for a month...
Hayaokidori website

Hydrangea and gypsophil

　We have many kind of flowers in our garden. Just cut some hydrangeas and gypsophils to put in a pot at the front. We like to have this kind of blue and white arrangement in summer to provide cool atmosphere. Hydrangea is a shrub,gypsophil is　a perennial plant. We thought they were easy to have but reality always goes different! They also need our attention, we need to cut their branches when they grow a lot, we need to get rid of weeds around their bottom. Much harder than expected. Maybe one year plants could be easier to have because we just need to put them into flower beds and pull them out when they die! Neighbours' glasses always look greener :) 　 Hayaokidori webiste

Hakuba EX adventure

We tried to be a host family for 4 American high school boys the other day. They are around 14 years old saying their parents are younger than I!. That gave me a slight shock :) We got a chance to experience Hakuba EX adventure. I just escaped because I don't like to get higher than ground. But anyway it's awesome being young. They yell a lot while they go ahead. It seldom happens when one gets old like me! We old people often complain our hands hurt, our knees hurt etc. It reminded me of my younger days when I was with them. Thanks staying with us, boys!
Hakuba EX adventure。
Hayaokidori website

Round shape egg plants

Long time no see！I hope everyone　is　alright.　I　got　a　couple　of　egg　plant　today.　They　are　called　"maru-nasu"　(round　shaped　egg plants). Usual stuff here in Nagano prefecture. I am originally from Osaka where smaller round shaped egg plants that are called Kyo-nasu are available. Maru-nasu is a lot bigger than Kyo-nasu. Marunasu is a bit harder for your teeth than long shaped egg plants. One of regional food Oyaki has this flavor and personally I like to steam this round shaped egg plants to have some with mastard soy sause. But guess probably not good for mahbonasu, too hard for it. Hayaokidori website

Hakuba Goryu ski slope 2013-2014

Hakuba Goryu ski slope Alps-daira is getting in business from today. 80cms snow there. See details.　2013-14 season is coming. We provide "Early ski pass package", Check room availability in our website. Looking forward to meeting you in our place.Hayaokidori website

Chervil

It has been hotter or colder than usual this year, a bit strange weather here and there in Japan. Everything seems to be harvested less than usual, our black beans in the tiny farm have not been ready yet. But chervils in some of our pots grow alright. As you see, they look sensitive and weak but actually they grow well you provide everything they like. They survive in the snow! Most herbs love strong sunshine but they are one of a few exceptions. They prefer cooler place where there's some shades like just a bottom of big trees. They prefer moist and fertilized sand. We put some leaf mould for it to keep them that way. If it's November, strong sunshine like in summer never kills them, so sometimes we put them in sunshine to grow.
They smells good in your mouth, just slightly though. One of our favorite herb for cooking :-)

Hayaokidori website

Petunia

Summer flowers don't grow right maybe due to the heavy rainfalls.(><)Flowers we always have don't grow alright, so tried petunia for the first time. They say it does not grow good if it gets rainfalls. We put the pots at the corner of our garden where there are no tree branches above so that it never gets raindrops from the tip of the branches. It seems ok at the moment We got them after the rainy season was over, so if we got them before the rainy season, it might have been different. Lately some new comers are also available e.g prietta but even the prietta has not grown good this summer. By the way, we hardly have the typical rainfalls like silk in rainy season lately like we did before. It always goes like tropical rainfalls which starts all of sudden for a quarter to an hour. What's going on? Those tropical hard rainfalls often bring disasters.... Hayaokidori website

Cleaning the HO gauge model train layout.

Cleaned our HO gauge model train layout very hard today. When I use a vacuum cleaner for it, it always causes to repair structures, figures etc. Reparing them is very sensitive work, I need to do anything very carefully. Probably it is harder than making them for the first time. But can't complain, if I don't use a vacuum cleaner for it, probably much harder! Hayaokidori website

Igloos for candles

While I played with my buddy da snowblower II, I made some igloos for candles by using a bucket. Put candles going on in them and placed around the front. When candles are going on, the fire make our heart warm! Actually snow removing is a tough job but if it's only tough tough tough and no fun, it's no fun. I always try to find something fun when I need to do something boring or hard :) Check the detail in our Facebook page Hayaokidori website

A Happy New Year 2013

A Happy New Year from Hakuba! Tried to put some new year decoration with a kind of ivy and a mini tree in a tiny pot. We hope this year will go alright with everyone. Hayaokidori website

Watching Geminds

We can find even milky way clearly in the sky here in Hakuba. They say Geminds will be visible around Dec.13th-14th this year, would you like to watch them in Hakuba with us?

Our guests can join a star watching for free at the night of Dec.13th, an unique and special chance to watch stars with an astronomer Mr.Watanabe co-operated with Hakuba Goryu sight seeing association.

Schedule for Dec.13th : Never fail to be held, rainy or cloudy it does not matter!
17:00 Reception and explanation for Geminds
18：00～20：00　Free time - maybe dinner time for you.
20：00～Watching stars for about one hour.

4:00 a.m. on Dec.14th : Watching Geminds （Only for attendants on 13th who "would like to" join. Will be canceled if it's rainy or cloudy）

Hmmm.. 4 a.m.?? I am not an earlybird. (Hayaokidori means earlybird though...)　(^^;;

You can check room availability and rates through our realtime online booking engine which is located in most of our web pages.
For exampleEnglish top page　

Actually joined a star watching held in the middle of this Nov. 2012. Mr.Watanabe patiently explained this and that stars to us. I enjoyed the time after a long interval. It's already cold enough here, so please have enough clothes with you.

Hayaokidori website

When wind changes

Autumn wind invited me to walk around, so I did. Found rice paddles look yellower than before. Didn't notice it at all as I had not paid enough attention to it. I guess perhaps when wind changes, it's a sign to inform us the season changes.
A Youtube clip by Hakuba sightseeing association. http://youtu.be/z6_7NldVuq0 We had fewer rainfalls in this previous rainy season and now we have usual rainfalls in this September. No worries at all any more for water supply, I guess farmers wanted more rainfalls in rainy season when their vegitables and stuff grow than in harvesting time. They say a typhoon is hitting Okinawa region this coming weekends, I hope people there talk about where to escape to share the information just in case. Hayaokidori website

Toyoshina I.C is scheduled to be renamed as Azumino I.C

On Oct.7th 2012, they'll renamed the I.C. Check it out and note it when you drive this area. Have a safe trip!

Hayaokidori website

Forget-me-nots and violas in our flower bed.

Forget-me-nots and violas are in bloom in our flower beds.Tried to take some pics using some functions in my digital camera. This setting seems to be called "Pop". Maybe for ads. This seems to be called "Pin hole". Bright in the middle, shadow in the corners. Fresh eye. They say fish see things like this. Wonder if I were fish, perhaps I would get headache if I see everything like this lol I am not good at using every function, but it's important to try. Hayaokidori web site

Step rice paddles at Tochikura, Nakajo

Went to Tochikura in the former Nakajo village which is now a part of Nagano city to see the scenery. This is one of a hundred nice step rice paddles in Japan. It's Saturday today, so most families there are at work to transplant rice pots into paddles. This scenery makes my mind very calm. Looks as if it were an original farmers' place in Japan. Hayaokidori website

Customers who enjoyed our HO gauge layout

A　family stayed in our accommodation during the GW (What we call Golden Week : The end of April -- May 5th) had their own trains to enjoy our HO gauge layout. They have some former JNR trains and Seibu private railways train. Nice to share the hobby among family members. Hope to see them again. Hayaokidori website

Powder again!

After a couple of powder snowy days, it's fine all around today. Never thought I had to play with my snowblower at this time of the year to remove snow. It's always awesome to see a fine day after a bunch of snowfalls.
　In some southern regions in Japan, they say they have already seen some cherry blossoms while we still have some snowfalls. Many types of climates in this tiny country.


Hayaokidori website