Kiha 81 retiring day

The pioneer of DMU limited express train kiha81. Debut for "Hatsukari" which connected Ueno terminal in Tokyo to Aomori in 1960. After "Hatsukari" got EMU in 1968, this DMU was transfered as "Inaho" and "Hitachi" then finally "Kuroshio". Less than 20 years life.



Probably this design was affected by EMU 151 series control car at that time which connected Tokyo and Osaka before Shinkansen (bullet train) started providing their service.

Hayaokidori website

English L and R

Tough for Japanese to make difference on pronouncing them.
Found some You Tube clips which are great!

One

Two

Three


Hayaokidori website

Harvesting herbs

As herbs started grwoing again as autumn had come. Have to harvest them as well as thining out.

Lemonthyme which has grown a lot.


Cut many branches enough to decrease its burden to survive winter.


Sometimes branches of thymes touch the sand in a pot, then some roots show up from joints there. If you cut the branch at the original root side, you can grow the new born roots as another pot by transplanting it. This sometimes happen for thymes, mints if you don't care for them enough lol.... :p



Sage harvested in our tiny farm. We hang sages and thymes in the shade to dry them out for latter cooking. We can harvest thyme anytime through the year, but if it's winter, it's not like fresh young ones like from spring through autumn as they grow slower in winter.

Hayaokidori website

Wanna play?

Not sure if this dragonfly said it or not lol..... At this time of the year, they get really careless. I think my digital camera was almost only 5cms apart from the dragonfly, but it didn't go away. When I do something outside, many dragonflies show up and get close to me. They are curious about what I do. I talk to them

"Do I look so yummy?"
Also not sure if they say "Huh?" or not , but they incline their heads:-)

Hayaokidori website

Togakushi

There are many craft shops which sell some bamboo and cane stuff in Togakushi as well as soba restaurant. There used to be shops like this here and there in any towns in Japan in good old days though......


There are 3 shrines - Nakasha, Okusha and Hokosha in Togakushi.


Naka-sha is located very close to the soba restaurant "Gokui" I always pit in, the stone stairs are a bit tough to keep going :(


At the bottom of the stairs, there is a washbasin what we call "chouzu"


Correct way to use some water at the washbasin.
#1. Wash your left hand first.
#2. Wash your right hand.
#3. Catch some water by your left hand to wash your mouth, then wash your left hand again.


A warehouse besides the washbasin. Soba restaurant "Gokui" is just behind it.


Shinden - Sanctuary


Shrine office.


Komainu ( watchdogs at gates for shrines ) They have a kind of scary faces, so when I was a kid, I felt they were scary creatures.


3 big Japan oedar trees. Looks very tall.


It says the tallest one of the three is approximately 42 meters tall, but it looks a lot taller than that.


Back home via Nagano city by passing through this Togakushi bird line. A lot of birds from southern countries fly over here in summer to breed, you can hear them singing. Lovely place.

Hayaokidori website

Soba season

Soba is one of traditional Japanese noodle. Harvested mainly in some cold regions like in Nagano. This pic left is what I had at "Gokui" soba noodle restaurant when I visited Togakushi back in May this year when I visited Kinasa to see skunk cabbage flowers ( Mizu basho in Japanese ).
Autumn is the harvest time for soba as well, it's fun to have some again soon.

p.s. Some people have very tough allergic to soba, you'd better know if you had the allergic to soba or not before you try. ( But wonder how.... )

Hayaokidori website

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