Hida Kokubunji Temple

Nakabashi Bridge

Miyagawa Riverside

Photos taken on April 25, 2011
in Takayama, Gifu

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Takayama Info and Booking

Hietsu Special Feature

Photos taken on April 17, 2011
at Takato Castle Site Park, Nagano

Cherry Blossoms Archives

Matsumoto Castle

Matsumoto Catle Park

Photos taken on April 17, 2011 at Matsumoto Castle, Nagano

Cherry Blossoms Archives

On April 18, The Kurobe Gorge Railway reopened between Unazuki staion and Nekomata Staion.
The entire railway is scheduled to be open by May 1, 2011.

It marks the 40th anniversary in this year.

Monkey

Photos taken on April 20, 2011
at Kurobe Gorge Railway, Toyama

Hietsu Special Feature

As you may know, the JAPANiCAN team and JAPANiCAN.com are a part of JTB Global Marketing & Travel Inc. (JTBGMT for short). Well, the folks over in administration have decided to start up a JTB GMT staff blog with content also contributed by our pals at JTB Asia Tourist Corp. (JTBATC). The point of the blog is to give you a picture of life and travel in Japan after the recent disaster(s). Check it out!

JTBGMT and JTBATC Staff Blog: http://blog.jtbgmt.com/

Finally, the entire Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route reopened on April 16, 2011.
(Dentetsu Toyama station to Shinano-Omachi station in Nagano)

Photos of the snow removal

Photos taken on April 17, 2011
at Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, Toyama

Hietsu Special Feature

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Rikugien is the one of my favorite traditional Japanese gardens in Tokyo.

I went there last weekend. It was too late for cherry blossom viewing, but I found cherry flowers on the confectionery at the teahouse.

Many kinds of flowers bloom there after the season of cherry blossoms.

Photos taken on April 16, 2011 at Rikugien, Tokyo

Cherry Blossoms Archives

Photos taken on April 14, 2011
in Takayama, Gifu

Takayama Info and Booking

Hietsu Special Feature

This past weekend, some of my buddies invited me down to the local park for a picnic. It was a bit late for cherry blossom viewing; with the trees hitting full bloom the previous weekend, there were more petals on the ground now than on the trees. But, not being one to pass up a picnic, of course I decided to join. On my way to the park, I stopped by a liquor shop and grabbed a big bottle of the good stuff:

Ichinokura's karakuchi (dry) premium junmai-shu. Being a junmai-shu means that this sake, or nihonshu was made without any extra stuff added (Wikipedia, for those of you looking for extra credit). This brand, Ichinokura, is pretty well-known and popular, and it hails from Miyagi prefecture. Living up to its label, it has a dry taste and is very smooth.

Anyways, the weather is warming up around here (Tokyo area), and despite the lack of blossoms remaining in the trees, there were still a lot of people in the park doing their part to herald the coming of spring. Cheers!

More Reading
Ichinokura's English site (intro only): http://www.ichinokura.co.jp/english.html

Missed the cherry blossoms? Check out our pics: Cherry Blossoms Archives

Photos taken on April 17, 2011 at Asakura Sengen Park, Yamanashi

Cherry Blossoms Archives