From late April, when the snows begin to melt and spring arrives in full force, the marsh plants burst into brilliant color. The white skunk cabbage and yellow marsh marigold are particularly lovely, bright against the remaining snow. With our visit being late May we were looking at a slightly subdued scene but it was still incredibly peaceful and enjoyable.
The marsh is only a short walk from the parking area, with a boardwalk offering easy access throughout most of the wetland. Visitors can enjoy walks along the Long Course (Full perimeter and inner marsh, 1.5 hrs) or the briefer Short Course (40 minutes).
Our wonderful Madarao Kogen Ranger guides.
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| Our guide describes sasa bamboo and how the roots are edible. |
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| A peaceful background, flora and fauna abound. |
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| A good track makes getting around easy |
Iiyama's butsudan, handcrafted Buddhist shrines, are fitted with intricately worked copper and brass fittings.
We were able to try our hands at metalwork using stamp-like chisels to decorate our own bookmark. (Especially recommended for kids.)
The next craft was to create our very own washi postcard. Iiyama City has produced uchiyama-gami, a type of traditional Japanese paper, for more than 350 years. The technique was relatively quick and enjoyable. By breaking the group into two we spent about an hour and a half all up having fun and being creative.
This area is known as one of the top three spots in Japan for practitioners of the Buddhist mystical sect Shugendo. The pathway to the inner shrine is lined with towering Japanese ceders, said to be 300 years old, and large moss covered boulders.
We didn't have time to make the climb but you can hike about an hour up the path from Satomiya shrine (shrine built in village area as a worship space) to find the inner shrine, perched on a cliff 900 meters in elevation.
We didn't have time to make the climb but you can hike about an hour up the path from Satomiya shrine (shrine built in village area as a worship space) to find the inner shrine, perched on a cliff 900 meters in elevation.
The village is quaint and pleasant to view some traditional temples.
Next trip I would like to learn more about the life cycle of rice, the paddy fields are everywhere.
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| Chikuma River |
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| Enoki mushrooms |
Part of our day included heading to the paddock to cut some asparagus for our dinner and breakfast. Little frogs with big voices are everywhere.
Juvankan is a lovely family run business that can sleep up to 30 guests in several large traditional style tatami rooms. Futon are set up at night and yukata are available for when you head to the onsen baths on the ground floor.
Our hosts were good enough to teach us how to make omochi. Steamed rice is put in the bowl and then we pounded it for about twenty minutes while our host regularly turned it. Following that we went to the kitchen, separated it into bite size pieces and ate it with soya sauce. Such fun!
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| Juvankan entrance |
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| Time to make sasazushi - ingredients include egg, walnuts, pickled ginger and mushrooms. |
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| Barbacue dinners are popular in Japan too! |
The treats below are know as wagashi - traditional Japanese sweets. These ones are made from potato and sugar. So tasty!
