[infotech58]

Originally Posted by Viju

Please do post a pic of your car. Is it in the signature Mazda red by any chance?

Here it is.
I wanted the most uncommon Mazda color and ended up picking Polymetal Grey (was launched in 2020 and only in Signature trim). Same engine and transmission as yours (2.5 turbo + 6 spd) and I find it very impressive for highway runs (lot of torque, not the most refined but that is masked due to very good sound insulation (dual pane glass, etc.)).

[benbsb29]

Thanks for sharing this travelogue, and great pics. I really love road trips, and felt the same excitement reading yours. Over the Xmas break, i forced my family into a 700 odd kms roadtrip in a day, just to go somewhere outback and see some painted silos. In summer, no less.

Your culinary pics and associated writeups to some extent reminded of James May's Japan series on Prime which was really enjoyable. Looking forward to more such travelogues from Japan.

[Viju]

Originally Posted by infotech58

Here it is.
I wanted the most uncommon Mazda color and ended up picking Polymetal Grey (was launched in 2020 and only in Signature trim).

Looks beautiful, infotech58!!

I find the CX-5 design to be much more tight / proportionate as compared to the stretched wagon look of the CX-8.

Originally Posted by benbsb29

Thanks for sharing this travelogue, and great pics. I really love road trips, and felt the same excitement reading yours. Over the Xmas break, i forced my family into a 700 odd kms roadtrip in a day, just to go somewhere outback and see some painted silos. In summer, no less.

Aren't we all in the same boat, benbsb29! Thank you for your comment!

Originally Posted by benbsb29

Your culinary pics and associated writeups to some extent reminded of James May's Japan series on Prime which was really enjoyable. Looking forward to more such travelogues from Japan.

I will do my best. We do travel frequently. It's just about finding the time to do a write-up.

[Viju]

A Day Trip to Jigokudani Monkey Park

All of us started showing withdrawal symptoms pretty soon after returning from the long snow trip. As a cure, we decided to do a day trip to another snowy destination, where we had been once before as well.

The 'Jigokudani Yaen Koen' (literally translates to 'Hell's Valley Monkey Park') is one of the top spots to visit in winter. It is located in Yamanouchi, deep within the beautiful landscape of Nagano prefecture.

There are numerous YouTube videos on this place, as this is the only known place in the world where wild monkeys (Japanese Macaques in this case) take a dip in a natural hot spring, to relieve themselves from the bitter cold of the winter. We made a short film of our own.

https://youtu.be/NGwM2ktFy5c

We set off around 6:30 a.m. so that we could the place before it got too crowded. To avoid stopping for breakfast, we even packed some eggs and bread. But the drive was close to 300 km, and it was past 10'o clock by the time we reached the parking lot.

To reach the hot spring, we need to walk 2 km through a snowy path. It's fun, but a bit dangerous as well, as it can get really slippery. We managed to reach the hot spring just before noon.

Unfortunately, we could see many of the monkeys climbing back up the hill to go into the woods after finishing their 'spa session' already. As it's an ecologically sensitive area, one cannot carry food items or any sort of non-recyclable materials. Even drones and selfie sticks are not allowed as it could scare away the monkeys.

After spending an hour or so looking at their antics (including their lunch!), we were starving. So we set off on our way back, and reached the restaurant near the parking lot. We had enjoyed the food there the last time we went, and were looking forward to the visit!

We sat down in the warm confines of the restaurant and savored the delicious - apple pie (that area, called Shiga Kogen, is famous for its apples), chicken noodles, some fish and chips, and mouth watering softies in apple flavor!

We had originally planned to visit an onsen (hot spring) ourselves on our way back, but were too tired after the long drive and the heavy lunch. So we skipped the onsen and came home. Due to the Sunday evening crowds returning from their weekend trips, it was almost 8 in the night when we reached home.

Thanks to my good friend Dhanur Sharma, I came to know a bit of history about the park itself. Apparently, back in 1957, a hiker named Soga Hara discovered this group of monkeys. Due to encroachment of their natural living space, they had conflicts with the humans living in the area. The monkeys also started visiting the natural hot spring in that area Korakukan.

To prevent further conflict, and also to prevent the monkeys from using the same hot spring as the humans, Soga Hara led a movement to make a special park for the monkeys. Thus came about the Jigokudani Yaen Koen. There is no fencing around the place. And to motivate the monkeys to come down during non-winter months as well, there are caretakers who feed them at designated times.

If one visits Japan in winter, the monkey park should definitely feature in their list of destinations! Hope you enjoyed this little trip of ours. Thanks for reading!

[carthick1000]

Originally Posted by Viju

We made a short film of our own.

Thanks for sharing. The video making has already improved a lot from the previous one. Long enough to be informative and short enough to watch(and not put it on watch later) while reading the post. Crisp. And the music too goes very well. Mind sharing the soundtrack?

[Viju]

Originally Posted by carthick1000

The video making has already improved a lot from the previous one. * SNIP * Mind sharing the soundtrack?

Thanks a lot, carthick1000!

I am trying to learn the tricks slowly on how to make watchable videos. Appreciate your honest feedback!

I get all my music from Epidemic Sound (don't want any copyright claims). This particular soundtrack is called Mt. Fuji by Ooyy and Smartface. It comes under the 'Cinematic Storytelling' section of Epidemic Sound.

[N33raj]

Lovely travelogue! Thank you for putting this up; it sure brought back a lot of memories of the time i have spent in Japan.
I suppose you already know the old joke about the place you went to!

Unlike you, i have been there thrice so far, and about 2 years spent, once as a student and twice for work related stuff. I have mostly been to Tokyo city but have gone on trips to some of the places.

You are the Senpai here since you have been there for 7 years, allow me to ask you:
1. Ebisu or Sapporo? (not the places but the "other" thing )
2. A5 wagyu or just regular wagyu?
3. Shinkansen + local car/cab or Kuroguma?

Many other questions come to mind, but let them be.

Since you have purchased an apartment, was the process easier than renting? You know which angle i m hinting at. I never had to rent a place myself as the company did it. I was there for about a year as it is.

Osore irimasu!

[Viju]

Originally Posted by N33raj

Lovely travelogue! Thank you for putting this up; it sure brought back a lot of memories of the time i have spent in Japan.
I suppose you already know the old joke about the place you went to!

Hi N33raj! Glad to have you here!

I may have lived here longer, but from your questions, you definitely seem to be the Senpai among us lol!

No, I don't know the old joke about this place. But I would love to know!

Originally Posted by N33raj

1. Ebisu or Sapporo? (not the places but the "other" thing )
2. A5 wagyu or just regular wagyu?
3. Shinkansen + local car/cab or Kuroguma?

1. I am guessing what you are talking about, but my travels are exclusively been with my family, and also a teetotaler in all sense of the word. So I have no tried any "other" things!

2. I am from Kerala. We don't discriminate against any form of beef, ha ha. So regular will do just fine.

3. This is easy. I dislike traveling by any form of public transport for leisure. And with wifey, two kids and our luggage in tow, it makes sense to drive everywhere. So it's Kurogama all the way. We are nearing 17,000 km in 9 months of ownership. So you know my preference!

Originally Posted by N33raj

Since you have purchased an apartment, was the process easier than renting?

Fortunately for me, we never had any issues in renting. Only when I landed here in 2014 for the very first time, my boss (Jap guy) had to give a 'referral' for me to rent an apartment. After that, we never had any problems when we shifted houses.

We even purchased our house on loan a year before we got PR.

Stay in touch!

[N33raj]

Originally Posted by Viju

Hi N33raj! Glad to have you here!

よろしくお願いします !
Before you ask, i m just N4; have to put in more effort to go higher.

Originally Posted by Viju

I may have lived here longer, but from your questions, you definitely seem to be the Senpai among us lol!

Senpai, the effects of being in Japan have rubbed off on you wonderfully well!

Originally Posted by Viju

No, I don't know the old joke about this place. But I would love to know!

Its a play on two very similar words: Wakkanai and the colloquial form of Wakaranai (Wakannai). So depending on the pronunciation, the answer to the question "where are you?" can be "I m in Wakkanai" or "I don't know!"

Originally Posted by Viju

1. I am guessing what you are talking about, but my travels are exclusively been with my family, and also a teetotaler in all sense of the word. So I have no tried any "other" things!

I see. Well, a cold Ebisu after a day at Ebisu and failing horribly to drift the car around is always good. But rest assured, i m a Sapporo guy!
It seems the circuit was damaged in the recent earthquake but apparently rebuilding is going on so next time i will do better than the last time.

OT: Sitting in any Izakaya with a Sapporo, asking for recommendations, playing the Gaijin card, skipping the Edamame, going straight to the Karaage, ah the joy!

And then there were the visits to Karaoke bars after work with colleagues; many a song has been butchered!

Originally Posted by Viju

2. I am from Kerala. We don't discriminate against any form of beef, ha ha. So regular will do just fine.

I m from Assam, so yes, meat is meat!
I was swayed by the hype around A5 but realized that 8000JPY for a measly amount of meat is a bit too much! So unless my friends are paying or we are splitting the bill, i don't go around ordering it. Besides there is the lovely Kobe too!

Originally Posted by Viju

3. This is easy. I dislike traveling by any form of public transport for leisure. And with wifey, two kids and our luggage in tow, it makes sense to drive everywhere. So it's Kurogama all the way. We are nearing 17,000 km in 9 months of ownership. So you know my preference!

Ah yes, then a car makes so much more sense!

Originally Posted by Viju

Fortunately for me, we never had any issues in renting. Only when I landed here in 2014 for the very first time, my boss (Jap guy) had to give a 'referral' for me to rent an apartment. After that, we never had any problems when we shifted houses. We even purchased our house on loan a year before we got PR.

That is so super! I have stayed in company apartments but have heard from friends the ridiculous terms and conditions plus the even more ridiculous expenses that can be incurred simply because you are a Gaijin! The Japs can be weird in certain areas!

Originally Posted by Viju

Stay in touch!

Of course! I will do my best to!
Do please give us a glimpse into the everyday life there. For a lot of people, Japan is this strange land with strange rules!

Osore irimasu!