My 14-Day JR Pass

Japan : Tokyo, Kawagoe, Nagano, Matsumoto, Hakuba, Osaka, Kyoto-Mount Inari & Nara

Winter 2023

Day 11: On the Mount Inari hike trail.
(Record: 1:36H-top; 4.5 km, 12000 steps, 10000 torii-gates)
(jan, feb-2023)

Journal Entry... Cheers! to a post-pandemic travel reboot out of the country. Slowly, but surely. Must I add, safely? With or without mask, we take flight to Japan.

Journey to Jigokudani-- Hell Valley

Japan : Tokyo, Nagano
Winter 2018

Snow monkeys everywhere at Jigokudani Park in Nagano
(Jan-2018)

Journal Entry... What's in a place? Fear not faithfuls. Jigokudani, meaning "Hell Valley", is only a description for the steam and boiling water bubbling out of crevices in the valley amidst surrounding steep cliffs and hostile forests. Jigokudani is famous for its wild Japanese macaques, or snow monkeys, that descend to the valley during winter, in troops, to sit in the warm onsen, or hot springs.