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@ Kiso Mountains, Nagano, And Gifu, Japan
Chipper begins her journey through Honshu!
Kiso Mountains, Nagano, And Gifu, Japan
Clear starry skies and mountains covered in snow make a visually stunning picture. The Kiso mountains are located in the prefectures of Nagano and Gifu. This mountain range is also known as the Central Alps; they meet up with the Hida Mountains and the Akaishi Mountains to form a group collectively known as the Japanese Alps.
Mount Komogatake is the most prominent peek at 2,956 m. The famous summit is named in a song called “The Land of Shinano”, the official song of Nagano.

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@ Japanese Park in Autumn

Yellow Daisy Egg
My pets are in awe of these beautiful eggs—they would love to try to paint their own one year. Easter and spring are times of joy as the earth awakens, plants are pushing forth from the soil, and the days are becoming warmer. Many baby animals are born in the spring, and life is burgeoning. May these eggs bring you joy and be a reminder of the earth renewing itself.

Japanese Park in Autumn
An autumnal scene at the Chubu Sangaku National Park.

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@ Thatched Roofs, Shirakawa-Go
The iconic Mt Fuji, one of the most famous mountains in the world… isn’t a mountain; it’s a volcano. It looks so serene and beautiful, but it’s active and does have the potential to cause immense damage. It last erupted in 1707, when the ash reached as far as modern-day Tokyo.

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@ Rice Terraces Lit at Night
"One of the trains in Japan floats above the tracks due to magnetism. Its speed is 340 mph (550 km/h)!" remarked Redington.
"Wow! That's amazing!" responded Chipper.

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@ Rustic Snow Houses, Shirakawa-Go
Also known as USJ, the Universal Studios of Japan is found in the Kansai Prefecture. It is located in Konohana-Ku, Osaka. This tourist destination is closely based from its forefather, the Universal Studios of Florida. The main attractions include the Harry Potter themed area and the anime/manga themed areas of the theme park.
Rustic Snow Houses, Shirakawa-Go
Rustic houses in the snow in Shirakawa-Go.

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@ Japan's Alpine Treks
"More film trivia here, Mollie!" remarked Chipper. "Can you name a 1985 Japanese film influenced by Shakespeare's King Lear about an ageing warlord who attempts to pass his kingdom to his three sons?"
"No, I'm not familiar with it, Chipper!"
"It's called Ran, and it says here it's one of the best films ever made."
"We'll have to make a point of seeing it, then," said Mollie.
Japan's Alpine Treks
The Yatsugatake mountain range was formed from volcanic eruptions over thousands of years. Legend has it that Mt. Fuji was of inferior height but the goddess of Fuji tore down Yatsugatake leaving Fuji as the higher of the two.

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@ Cloudy Peaks in Honshu
"Hey, did you know there's a Disneyland on Honshu, Chipper?" queried Blástjarna.
"No kidding? Where is it exactly?"
"Tokyo Disneyland is a theme park located in the Kanto region. Despite its name, it is actually located in the Chiba prefecture and not Tokyo. It's very easy to get to from Tokyo."
Cloudy Peaks in Honshu
A windy, cloudy scene in the peaks at a height of 2600m in the Chubu Sangaku National Park in Nagano, Japan.

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@ Autumnal Japanese Landscape
"One of the trains in Japan floats above the tracks due to magnetism. Its speed is 340 mph (550 km/h)!" remarked Firefly.
"Wow! That's amazing!" responded Chipper.
Autumnal Japanese Landscape
This beautiful misty autumnal scene was photographed in the mountains of the Chubu Sangaku National Park.

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@ Mount Hotaka, Japan
The Shinano River (Shinano-gawa) is the longest and widest river in Japan at 228 miles (367 km). It flows from the Japanese Alps to the Sea of Japan.
Mount Hotaka, Japan
In Japan, autumn colours start in September at high mountains in Honshu and northern island, Hokkaido. This shot was taken at the Dakezawa Valley of Mt Hotaka (3,190m).

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@ Japanese Alpine Valley
" 'Japan has over 5 million vending machines that can sell almost anything, be it batteries, ramen, sake, bananas, umbrellas, flowers—you name it and the vending machines probably stock it.'," read Midnight Bleu from the tour guide.
"That's incredible! We'll have to go into town and look to see what we could get!" responded Chipper.
Japanese Alpine Valley
This stunning view of snow-covered peaks at sunrise is from the Chubu Sangaku National Park in the Northern Japan Alps. Eighty per cent of Japan is mountainous terrain.

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@ Origami Crane
"So, Zoey, the next Japanese phrase is 'Excuse me'. That's sumimasen. It says you don't put any stress on the 'u', so it's pronounced 'smee-ma-sen'.
"Is it like in Britain where if a pet accidentally bumps into you, you both say 'excuse me' or 'sorry'?"
"I'm sure that will be the case here too, Zoey!"

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@ Serene Japanese Garden Bridge
Europeans first arrived in Japan in 1543, bringing with them a range of new technologies and cultural practices, including the Christian religion. But in 1635, the ruling shogun closed Japan to foreigners and forbade Japanese to travel abroad, beginning a state of isolation that would last more than 200 years. In 1868, the shoguns were overthrown and emperors returned. This was a time of great change and modernisation for Japan.

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@ Samurai Statuette
"When we get back I'm going to go to the library and see if Mrs Eucalyptus can recommend a book about Japan," said Choose a name. "I've realised how little I know about it."
Chipper thought about this. "Good scheme!" she said.

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@ Sake Barrels
"One of the trains in Japan floats above the tracks due to magnetism. Its speed is 340 mph (550 km/h)!" remarked Trish.
"Wow! That's amazing!" responded Chipper.

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@ Japanese Sika Deer
Oh look ... you won a pet!

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@ Japanese Red Viburnum
Tofu is an English loanword from Japanese, in which it is itself a loanword from Mandarin Chinese.

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@ Mt Azuma, Tohoku
You may have heard of Maglev (“Magnetic Levitation”), and Japan has it covered. Planning to have a route from Tokyo to Nagoya done and dusted by 2027, there are further plans to link the city of Nagoya with Osaka by 2045.

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@ Mount Iide, Tohoku
" 'Japan has over 5 million vending machines that can sell almost anything, be it batteries, ramen, sake, bananas, umbrellas, flowers—you name it and the vending machines probably stock it.'," read Muschi from the tour guide.
"That's incredible! We'll have to go into town and look to see what we could get!" responded Chipper.

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@ Yellow Blossoms, Tohoku
Nearly half the zippers worldwide are made in Japan. If you check your zipper, chances are, it will say YKK on it, which stands for Yoshida Kogyo Kabushikikaisha. Founded in Tokyo in 1934, it is estimated that 7 billion zippers are produced by this manufacturer each year.

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@ Hazy Lake, Akita, Tohoku
Nearly half the zippers worldwide are made in Japan. If you check your zipper, chances are, it will say YKK on it, which stands for Yoshida Kogyo Kabushikikaisha. Founded in Tokyo in 1934, it is estimated that 7 billion zippers are produced by this manufacturer each year.

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@ Mountain Flowers, Japan
The iconic Mt Fuji, one of the most famous mountains in the world… isn’t a mountain; it’s a volcano. It looks so serene and beautiful, but it’s active and does have the potential to cause immense damage. It last erupted in 1707, when the ash reached as far as modern-day Tokyo.
Mountain Flowers, Japan
Snow still lingers on the mountain passes while flowers announce the start of the warmer weather.

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@ Forest Cascade, Tohoku
"Hey, did you know there's a Disneyland on Honshu, Chipper?" queried Hopko.
"No kidding? Where is it exactly?"
"Tokyo Disneyland is a theme park located in the Kanto region. Despite its name, it is actually located in the Chiba prefecture and not Tokyo. It's very easy to get to from Tokyo."

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@ Iide Mountains, Tohoku
"More film trivia here, Azure Beauty!" remarked Chipper. "Can you name a 1985 Japanese film influenced by Shakespeare's King Lear about an ageing warlord who attempts to pass his kingdom to his three sons?"
"No, I'm not familiar with it, Chipper!"
"It's called Ran, and it says here it's one of the best films ever made."
"We'll have to make a point of seeing it, then," said Azure Beauty.

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@ Night Forest, Hachimantai
"Hey, did you know there's a Disneyland on Honshu, Chipper?" queried Likey.
"No kidding? Where is it exactly?"
"Tokyo Disneyland is a theme park located in the Kanto region. Despite its name, it is actually located in the Chiba prefecture and not Tokyo. It's very easy to get to from Tokyo."

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@ Mt Mitsuishi, Tohoku
Chipper has now completed her journey through Honshu! As she prepares to go home, she receives a wonderful gift!
Fox, Looking For A Hill To Sled Down
Ah! Wintertime. This Fox is ready to go out and enjoy the snow that fell during the night. I have a brand new sled; you can guess how I acquired it. I put some wax on the runners as I am told this will make it go fast, and I want to feel the wind in my fur. Are we all ready?

Look, I found a hill. It looks a tiny bit steep, but I can do this. Have I been sledding before? Well, no, this is my first time, but how hard can it be? You sit, see here, the green boards–this is where you sit. You hold onto this rope, and you push off with your feet.

Here we go. Oh my, this is quite fast. Oh! Now I am going much faster; the hill must have become steeper. Why can’t I steer this? I forgot there is a tree on the lower part of the hill. If I just put all my weight to one side, I should be able to…fall over into a pile of snow. Well, that was fun. Should I do it again?


Chipper has enjoyed her journey through Honshu, but it is time to go home now! Please select another pet as visitor, so it can also enjoy a journey through Japan!