A new onsen debut in Hakuba - Obuya

Obuya onsen is now available, within 10 minutes walk from our place.

Huge barrels welcome you at the front.


There is an old traditional passenger carriage what we call "Kago" (Basket if translated) in the air. 2 men (Hikyaku) carried one holding the bar on their shoulders in old era when samurais brandished their swords :-) Very long ago, not available any more.


Doorways for onsen bath tubs. It was crowded when I visited there, so I didn't take pictures of bath tubs there that time. Obuya onsen is available from 10 a.m. through 10 p.m. (Reception 'til 9:30 p.m.) daily except Tuesdays as of October 1st 2007.


Exterior picture when it was still under construction.

Obuya web site (Japanese)

Hayaokidori website

Harvesting rice

Time to harvest rice! People do the job here and there.

Rice and soba flower ( to make soba noodle - one of traditional Japanese noodle)


When it's done, time for us to see autumn foliages come down the mountains then snow. Also time animals to stock something to eat for winter.

Hayaokidori website

One year for rosemaries

I transplanted 2 rosemaries into bigger pots 1 year ago ( September 2006). They looked like this below, then.



This below is at the moment.

I guess perhaps they grow little by little but while I see them everyday, a bit hard to notice it. It's good to know your plants still grow but at the same time honestly would like them to stop doing because it's hard to move them outside to get sunshine when it's fine and inside to avoid rain and snow.

Hayaokidori website

Lasagna

Cooked some lasagna, sprinkled some fresh rosemaries on top of the half of it to help digesting and to enjoy the flavor.



Common thyme topping at the rest half.

Better have it while it's enough hot.

Hayaokidori website

Hakuba model train - ED75&EF65 running the layout

Some customers brought their own model trains to enjoy the layout.
ED75 ( the red one at the elevated track ) pulls some old passenger cars, ED65 ( the blue one at the ground level track ) pulls 14 series night train cars. They enjoyed slower speed as they are. Some boys who do snowball fight near the EF65 fall down by being surprised the locomotive passing through?

Hayaokidori website

Harvesting & tasting herbs in our garden.

Harvested and tasted some herbs in our garden.

Pepper mint, common thyme, rosemary.
Cellfille, spare mint, lemon thyme.
Like as usual, we roll a piece of fried pork, sauce and favorite herbs with sunny lettuce to eat.

Hayaokidori website

Hakuba regional autumn festival 2007

I am in charge of community activities this year. So every time they hold some events, I have to plan and organize something. There was an autumn festival in our region this past weekends ( Sep.16,17th 2007 ). It's a festival to celebrate the harvest. So probably like a thanksgiving?


Mikoshi - a portable shrine. Carried by some people on their shoulders.
To explain what I was in charge of.....


To control the speed by pulling the white rope tied to this Dashi full of kids who play the music there especially when it's on a downhill. I am not a brake!!! :o
When I think about my life, friends asked me to be a goalkeeper when we played soccer in my school days.... In short, my life is like to stop others or obstacle others by my bulk and heavy body ( bulk and heavy as a Japanese boy, I've learned that I am not bulk and heavy if it's universal standard :p )... something like that! LOL. And still on the way...... life might be hard to be changed :o
Before starting going ahead, I needed to replace my position at the left forward to control the Dashi.
Dashi tends to go fast if it's even a slight downhill, a tructer pulled it from its back. I just paid attention at kids around me not to injure any.


An old traditional straw roof house on the way. There are a few of this kind of houses in our area. Would like to live in this kind of house once but wonder it's tough to maintain the roof as there are few professionals to replace the straw when it's needed.


Nobori - flags for each group in the community to celebrate what farmers harvested.
We parade some distance with the Nobori.


Girls as miko ( dancers ) for Urayasu-no-mai. They became tense but anyway girls seem to like to dress and make up :)

Hayaokidori website