tag:www.azumino-e-tabi.net,2010://1 2010-07-30T11:34:12+09:00 XOOPS WhatsNew 2.02 Copyright (c) 2010, http://www.azumino-e-tabi.net/en/ tag:www.azumino-e-tabi.net,2010://1.20.1 2010-07-11T22:04:32+09:00 2010-07-11T22:04:32+09:00 marilyn

Do you know there is a beautiful rose garden in the Toyoshina Museum of Modern Art? And it\'s free to see the garden. Every year, it makes me want to go there. Every year I go and take some photos, which means the garden is not only beautiful, bu ...

Do you know there is a beautiful rose garden in the Toyoshina Museum of Modern Art? And it\'s free to see the garden. Every year, it makes me want to go there.
Every year I go and take some photos, which means the garden is not only beautiful, but also comfortable and superb. A lot of people visit in the rose season, even on weekdays. The garden has about 800 roses which include 500 different kinds. There are some arches twined with roses which are quite gorgeous.
]]> tag:www.azumino-e-tabi.net,2010://1.20.2 2010-05-12T23:57:30+09:00 2010-05-12T23:57:30+09:00 marilyn

Cherry blossom season is over in Nagano. I think anywhere in Japan is beautiful when cherry blossoms are in flower. This April I went to see the cherry blossoms in Misato. There are many cherry trees all along the banks of Kurosawa River. You ca ...

Cherry blossom season is over in Nagano. I think anywhere in Japan is beautiful when cherry blossoms are in flower. This April I went to see the cherry blossoms in Misato. There are many cherry trees all along the banks of Kurosawa River. You can see a long array of the trees there. The banks of the river are not made of concrete and a lot of the trees have many flowers which was voluminous. Compared with the other areas, it is quite rustic, but tasteful. If the weather is fine, you can see the Northern Alps from the place. I thought the place was a good unknown place, but I saw some cars from other prefectures which is amazing. It takes about forty minutes to walk all along the trees. The time for cherry blossoms at their best is later than Matsumoto. It may be nice to see them after Matsumoto and then you will feel satisfied after seeing them in Misato. I can imagine that farmers must have enjoyed Hanami parties there in former times. After I saw them, I went to an icecream shop called Misato Milk. They offer tasty ice cream cones which are famous in this area. I had two types of icecream which were Japanese orange called Buntan and corn. Buntan was refreshing and a bit bitter. Corn tasted very creamy. Cherry blossoms are like snow when they are in full bloom. They look soft and fluffy when you see them from a distance. Cherry blossom season is too short. It\'s about one week. A lot of people are really looking forward to seeing them next season again, because one of the reasons is the season is very short. ]]> tag:www.azumino-e-tabi.net,2010://1.20.3 2010-04-08T07:59:45+09:00 2010-04-08T07:59:45+09:00 whitney

Presenting the New Azumino Exploring Guide! April 2010 This April marks the budding of cherry blossoms all over Nagano and the release of Azumino’s new tri-lingual cultural guide and access map. The printed map will be available at train statio ...

Presenting the New Azumino Exploring Guide! April 2010 This April marks the budding of cherry blossoms all over Nagano and the release of Azumino’s new tri-lingual cultural guide and access map. The printed map will be available at train stations and tourism offices throughout Nagano or is available as a printable pdf from the \"Suggested Routes & Map\" page.
New Approach to Guide Maps Azumino’s new Exploring Guide is a new approach to Nagano maps. The guide delineates where to go to enjoy the food, culture, and outdoors of Azumino, as well as provides introductory explanations on different cultural aspects like soba noodles, sake, and oyaki. In addition to highlighting biking and walking trails, the map provides three views of the area making even the outer areas with hikes and trails easy to access by car.
Release Gathering May 31st, a multi-lingual exchange To celebrate the release of Azumino’s new Exploring Guide, native speakers of each linguistic group represented on the map (Korean, Chinese, English, and Japanese) gathered to share food and conversation. We did a workshop learning and reviewing basic greetings in all four languages and discussed similarities and differences in cultural and linguistic quirks like the expression of surprise. Azumino’s new Exploring Guide is really a confluence of cultures and people, like the varied interests and arts of the Azumino valley. ]]> tag:www.azumino-e-tabi.net,2010://1.20.4 2009-12-02T00:12:42+09:00 2009-12-02T00:12:42+09:00 whitney

The last time I visited the wasabi farm was in the lush glow of Nagano’s green summer. So I was slightly hesitant that the landscape would not be quite as enthralling, nor the wasabi ice cream quite as appealing, in the cooler transition into ...

The last time I visited the wasabi farm was in the lush glow of Nagano’s green summer. So I was slightly hesitant that the landscape would not be quite as enthralling, nor the wasabi ice cream quite as appealing, in the cooler transition into winter. However, I was pleased to find the blues and greens of the wasabi farm as bright as ever. As far as the wasabi ice cream… who was I kidding…of course I was going to eat it. Though I don’t think it has the kick anticipated from the unique Wasabi flavor, Nagano soft serve is always delicious. Azumino’s wasabi farm is best known for it size. But being in the four seasoned Nagano, I love the wasabi farm for its reflection of seasonal, changing landscape. The blue water and green wasabi plants are surrounded by redish yellow Japanese maple leaves in fall, spiny branches in winter, pink cherry blossoms in spring, and green everything in summer. On my trip, I was extremely happy to catch the tail end of fall. ]]> tag:www.azumino-e-tabi.net,2010://1.20.5 2009-12-02T00:00:15+09:00 2009-12-02T00:00:15+09:00 whitney

I’ve been told that local soba (buckwheat noodles) and rice are the most delicious during fall in Nagano, just after harvest. Also after a year of touting soba as my favorite noodle, due to its delicious taste and buckwheat health benefits, I f ...

I’ve been told that local soba (buckwheat noodles) and rice are the most delicious during fall in Nagano, just after harvest. Also after a year of touting soba as my favorite noodle, due to its delicious taste and buckwheat health benefits, I figured it was time to learn. So I grabbed a friend and headed to Hotaka’s soba house, KoneKone.
Restaurants and shops throughout Nagano often have viewing areas or offer soba making opportunities, but KoneKone is the only soba house I have found designed to be half restaurant and half instructional school open to the public. During my Sunday morning visit, I was delighted to find families, couples, and children learning as well. Reservations are recommended, but it seemed as though many Japanese families put their name in as they came and were accommodated as instructors and/or tables opened up. Though there was a wonderful local family feeling, each class is individual and you or your group receives private instruction. It is nice to speak some Japanese, but I found you don’t really need it. All of the instructors are extremely warm and will show you how to do every step as you go.
The best part…eating your soba after! Kone Kone will cook your soba for you and serve it with their dipping sauce, local pickles, and tea. You can of course order their delicious tempura or oyaki from their restaurant menu as well. Or if you are in a time crunch or can’t eat all of your soba, they will pack your noodles with ice for you to take home and stay fresh.
]]>