Nagano

Our tour guide, Sun Yu, was very nice! Kurobe Alpine Route was quite unique! The hotels we stayed at were all good! Overall, a very good experience!

You can take a trip to the countryside; the scenery is beautiful, and the temperature is cooler. The waterfalls, Yunchang Pool, and the outlet mall are all fantastic. However, the only downside was that the tour leader seemed to lack professional knowledge and didn't explain much about the relevant culture.

I won a hot spring trip in a contest, and my destination is Togura Kamiyamada Onsen. On the way, I visited Matsumoto Castle and enjoyed Shinshu soba noodles at "Yamato" for lunch. At Togura Kamiyamada Onsen Yamafuso, I relaxed in the hot springs and washed away the day's sweat. Tomorrow, I'll go grape picking in Shiojiri, have lunch along the way, and then head home.

The meeting point was next to a convenience store, where you could buy water or drinks for the journey after checking in. It was my first time visiting Kamikochi, and it was raining, which added to the experience. The air was fresh and the environment was serene; it must be a great place to go in the summer. Our guide, Xiao Yu, was very attentive and provided detailed explanations. On the way back, he even recommended some Nagoya restaurants.

It was a rainy weekend in the Tokyo metropolitan area, so I headed to the Komagatake Ropeway in search of blue skies 🚡 The flower season is over, but I enjoyed the refreshing blue sky and the dynamic view of the sea of clouds and mountains 🤩 After descending the mountain, I enjoyed a variety of local beers and the famous katsudon with sauce at the Minami Shinshu Beer direct-operated restaurant near Komagane Station 😋 I also washed away the sweat at Komakusa no Yu hot spring and bought some fruit at the Komagane Farms direct sales store, making it a truly fulfilling day 🍎 I'll have to come back soon to see the autumn leaves at their peak!

An interesting experience. The view from the top of the mountain was pretty good, but there weren't many places to explore.

This time, because we arrived at Sendai Station after the counter service hours, we had to come back the next morning to exchange our tickets. The counter staff were very helpful. Over the next few days, we made good use of the tickets, traveling radially from Sendai to Aomori, Akita, Tokyo, and so on. However, we encountered a problem: this ticket must not be scratched, otherwise it cannot be scanned on the green machine; it will be ejected as soon as it is inserted. We had to go to the service counter for assistance (oddly enough, all their machines could read it). In addition, the complimentary Tohoku Enjoyment Ticket allowed me to exchange it for Matsushima ferry tickets and a handful of snacks and drinks, which was quite nice.