{"id":107856,"date":"2018-02-28T17:30:45","date_gmt":"2018-02-28T08:30:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/?p=107856&lang=en"},"modified":"2018-02-28T17:30:45","modified_gmt":"2018-02-28T08:30:45","slug":"shiojiri-winter-in-japan-experience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/en\/shiojiri-winter-in-japan-experience\/","title":{"rendered":"Shiojiri – Winter in Japan Experience"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Just 85 minutes from Fukuoka<\/em><\/p>\n

Fukuoka Now readers might be wondering, why are we introducing Shiojiri, Nagano Prefecture this month? Well, because Japan is a land of four seasons, and Kyushu\u2019s winter is, let\u2019s be honest, not quite the \u201creal deal!\u201d Just 85 minutes on a non-stop flight to Matsumoto and we were ready to get deep into Japan\u2019s wonderful winter and deep into fresh snow! We just got back from Shiojiri and loved it. You will too!<\/p>\n

Narai-juku<\/strong>
\nNarai-juku is one of the longest (1 km) post towns in Japan and the 34th post town amongst 67 along Nakasendo. In the Edo period, travellers preparing to cross the Torii Pass rested here and the town flourished. In 1978 the street was decreed a historic site and the inns, shops and other buildings have been preserved beautifully. There are no telephone poles, vending machines, or other modern-day distractions. Even better, winter is the off season and ideal for strolling peacefully and taking photos. Several minshuku<\/em> offer accommodation, so spend the night if you can.
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Toji-soba<\/strong>
\nThe Kiso Valley area is famous for its production of soba<\/em> (buckwheat), so Toji Soba is our recommendation as a must-have meal in Narai-juku. Use a bamboo basket to dip soba<\/em> noodles into a hot-pot of chicken and vegetables. It\u2019s similar to shabu-shabu<\/em>, but with soba<\/em> noodles. There\u2019s usually a side dish of tempura<\/em> and pickles too.
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Irori<\/strong>
\nFinding an irori<\/em> (sunken hearth) today is like finding a treasure; fortunately Shiojiri has several open to the public. Filled with ashes, the irori<\/em> is multifunctional; used for heating the home, providing light, boiling water and light cooking. Feel the warmth of irori<\/em> at several restaurants and inns including Tokuriya where you can try goheimochii<\/em>, a sticky rice cake snack with sesame, walnut and sansho miso<\/em> sauce.
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Nakamura\u2019s Residence<\/strong>
\nA former merchant\u2019s house and now a museum, guided tours of this well preserved period building gives much insight into life here in the Edo period and also an example of the day\u2019s clever architectural features. Many artefacts of the original owners including many lacquered combs are on display.
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Chosen-ji Temple<\/strong>
\nLocated behind the main street of Narai-juku, this Soto Zen Buddhist temple is worth visiting if only just to see the huge painting of a dragon on its ceiling. The head priest claims that as a child, he could hear the dragon roar when he clapped his hands under its eyes. The temple also offers Zen meditation experiences (20 minutes) with advance reservations.
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Kiso Shikki (Lacquerware)<\/strong>
\nThe area of Kiso has long been associated with the production of lacquerware, beginning in the Edo period where lacquerware made from the areas\u2019 prized Hinoki cypress trees were popular souvenirs. The area continues to be a major producer of lacquerware and Kiso shikki<\/em> is an officially recognized traditional craft of Japan.
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Magemono<\/strong>
\nAnother local specialty product is magemono<\/em> (shaped wooden boxes). The oval shaped boxes are made of thinly cut Hinoki or Sawara cypress which, after being heated with water, are carefully shaped. They are used as lunch boxes because they keep the taste of rice well. Look for a workshop where you can see craftsmen in action.
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Kaida Highland Snowshoe Trekking<\/strong>
\nTrue Nagano has some great ski and snowboard resorts, but for those who just want to get outside in the fresh air, try snowshoeing! The Kaida Highlands (1 hour by car from Narai-juku) has lots of powdery snow and on a clear day, a spectacular view of Mt. Kiso Ontake. Snowshoes and other required gear can be inexpensively rented. Sixty to ninety minute courses with or without guide and optional \u201cHealthy Bento\u201d makes for a fun few hours. Along the way you\u2019ll see the horses known as Kiso uma<\/em>, a local breed.
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Suwako Omiwatari<\/strong>
\nIn winter, Lake Suwa freezes over and it\u2019s the site of a special natural phenomenon called “omiwatari” (the god’s passage). Pressure from the edges creates buckling on the ice\u2019s surface, and when it buckles, a large bang can be heard and ridges pop up. Or is it the gods crossing the lake? Also, at sunset on a clear winter day, Mt. Fuji can be seen behind the lake. Stunning!
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Suwa-taisha Shrine<\/strong>
\nSuwa-taisha Shrine, which consists of four shrines located to the east and west of Lake Suwa, is one of the oldest shrines in Japan, and has more than 10,000 branches across the country.
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Shirakawa Hyochugun (Shirakawa Giant Wall of Icicles)<\/strong>
\nIn the months of January and February, water that pours over the rock cliff freezes to form huge curtains of icicles. The sheer scale of these curtains (up to 250 meters wide and 50 meters high) makes this a must see! From a nearby parking lot, it\u2019s just a few minutes to reach the river bed and stand within a few meters. Evening light up ends at around 9 p.m.
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Shiojiri Wineries<\/strong>
\nThe production volume and quality of Japanese wines has been making great progress in recent years. And with a 120-year history of grape cultivation, the wineries (now eleven) in the Kikyogahara Wine Valley are partially to be thanked. Wineries such as the Sun Sun Winery offer tours and tasting. Try their Merlot, Schiller, Chardonnay and dessert wines!
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Kiso Kurashi no Kogei Kan (Craft Shop)<\/strong>
\nWith so many local crafts, foods and beverages, it\u2019s convenient to shop for souvenirs at a place such as here. From Kiso shikki<\/em>, magemono<\/em>, soba<\/em> noodle or soba<\/em> flour, wine to sake<\/em> \u2013 it\u2019s on display here. Fun to browse even if you aren\u2019t buying.
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Sake Breweries<\/strong>
\nShiojiri\u2019s winery history is deep, but its sake<\/em> legacies run much deeper. Sake brewers such as the Syoki Sake brewery have been carrying on the techniques of handmade sake<\/em> production since their founding in 1883. Visitors are welcome to drop by for free tasting. They have delicious non-alcoholic amazake<\/em> too.
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Access<\/strong>
\n\u2022 Fuji Dream Airlines<\/a>
\n\u2022 2 departures\/day, 85 minutes each way (Matsumoto Airport)
\n\u2022 Distances by car: Matsumoto Airport to Narai-juku: 60 min, Narai-juku to Kaida Highland: 60 min., Narai-juku to Lake Suwa: 90 min.<\/p>\n

Originally published in Fukuoka Now Magazine (fn231<\/a>, Mar. 2018)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fukuoka Now readers might be wondering, why are we introducing Shiojiri, Nagano Prefecture this month? Well, because Japan is a land of four seasons, and Kyushu\u2019s winter is, let\u2019s be honest…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":27918,"featured_media":107875,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_locale":"en_US","_original_post":"107856","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4912],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-107856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-places","en-US"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/fn231-shiojiri-web-fr-client-001.jpg?fit=1400%2C933&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/27918"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107856"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107856\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":107906,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107856\/revisions\/107906"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/107875"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}