Tenpyo-no-mori
Tenpyo-no-mori (天平の森) is a retreat that looks out over the entire Azumino valley and Japanese Alps range. It is perfect for day trips to enjoy the view, hike around in the area, or use their barbeque and grilling facilities. For longer stays there is a range of accommodation from car camping sites to wood cottages.
Recreationally, Tenpyo-no-mori rents mallot golf equipment, has its own observatory to view the night sky, and an open air theatre space behind the main building which holds its own restaurant and hot spring baths looking over the entire valley. To view more pictures of the grounds, accommodation, observatory, and facility check out the Japanese website http://www.anc-tv.ne.jp/~nes/sisetu.htm
Yaki Niku (Korean style grill) Barbeque House
There are several charcoal barbeque grills available for rent adjacent to the main dining hall. The grills are not stand alone barbeques rather they are built into the middle of tables to resemble yaki niku (grilled meat) style grilling. Yakiniku restaurants are prevalent all over Japan and are reminiscent of Swiss fondue as a shared cooking method in which the diners cook raw ingredients throughout the meal.
Yakinuku style grills are thought to originate in Korea and use gridirons or griddles over a flame of wood charcoals. If you do not have time to make it to use the tenpyo-no-mori Barbeques yourself I highly recommend visiting a yakiniku restaurant while in Japan where eating is equally cooking is part of the fun for everyone around the table.
Observatory
Because of Tenpyou-no-mori’s sheltered location atop the mountain, it is the perfect site for a celestial observatory. The observatory is only open at night and normal hours are from 7:30 to 9:30 but these hours can change depending on the season so it is best to call ahead!
Accommodation
Tenpyou-no-mori has wooden cottages, camping, and car camping sites. They offer more Japanese style cottages with traditional futons for sleeping or more Western style cottages with raised beds. All of the cottages are wooden with full kitchen and bathrooms as well as a living and sleeping
space. Please call the tenpyou-no-mori desk number for any inquiries about availability or reservations. 
| Access | By car: 40 min. from Toyoshina Interchange. By train: 20 min. taxi ride from JR Akashina Station (Japanese Map) |
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| Address | 2573-35, Akasina Hikaru |
| Tel | 0263-62-6235 |
| Japanese Web page | http://www.anc-tv.ne.jp/~nes/ |