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@ Kiso Mountains, Nagano, And Gifu, Japan
Zasha 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

Purple Flower Power 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
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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@ Rice Terraces Lit at Night
Tofu is an English loanword from Japanese, in which it is itself a loanword from Mandarin Chinese.

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@ Rustic Snow Houses, Shirakawa-Go
"In Japan there is a custom to forecast the day when cherry blossoms start blooming," remarked Pato.
"A bit like Groundhog Day?" asked Zasha.
"Perhaps!"
Rustic Snow Houses, Shirakawa-Go
Rustic houses in the snow in Shirakawa-Go.

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@ Japan's Alpine Treks
Japan suffers from violent earthquakes because the islands are located on three tectonic plates in the Pacific. Japan’s archipelago comprises 108 active volcanoes. These volcanoes are known to bring devastating earthquakes and tsunamis.
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
"More film trivia here, Heleena!" remarked Zasha. "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, Zasha!"
"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 Heleena.
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
" '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 Pony Pony from the tour guide.
"That's incredible! We'll have to go into town and look to see what we could get!" responded Zasha.
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
“I don't know how to pronounce half of these place names, Zasha!” said Kalila ruefully.
"Never mind," said Zasha. "We'll look them up when we get back to the hotel tonight!"
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
"It says here that fortune cookies were first made in Japan," remarked pinkguick.
"Oh wow, I didn't know that!" responded Zasha.
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
Japan suffers from violent earthquakes because the islands are located on three tectonic plates in the Pacific. Japan’s archipelago comprises 108 active volcanoes. These volcanoes are known to bring devastating earthquakes and tsunamis.

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@ Serene Japanese Garden Bridge
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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@ Samurai Statuette
"Our tour guide was explaining in the hotel foyer this morning that rice cookers are more common than an oven in Japan," said Applesauce.
"Well, I'm very fond of rice, but that does surprise me!" responded Zasha.

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@ Sake Barrels
"It says here that fortune cookies were first made in Japan," remarked Aria.
"Oh wow, I didn't know that!" responded Zasha.

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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
" '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 Cloudi Joybird. from the tour guide.
"That's incredible! We'll have to go into town and look to see what we could get!" responded Zasha.

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@ Mount Iide, Tohoku
"In Japan there is a custom to forecast the day when cherry blossoms start blooming," remarked Tiger.
"A bit like Groundhog Day?" asked Zasha.
"Perhaps!"

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@ Yellow Blossoms, Tohoku
"More film trivia here, Dragoon!" remarked Zasha. "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, Zasha!"
"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 Dragoon.

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@ Hazy Lake, Akita, Tohoku
"Japan—the perfect choice for our travels this winter, Zasha!" enthused schrute.
"Yup. Karaoke, kimonos, karate and koi. I can't wait to go shopping"
"Oh! I was thinking more of world famous architecture, history, culture and technology. Japan has given the world so much!" said schrute.
Zasha unwrapped a Hello Kitty chocolate for herself, popped it in her mouth and offered the packet to schrute. "Sure! You know me, I love a bit of culture. As long as there's a nice gift shop at the end, I'm happy."

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@ Mountain Flowers, Japan
"When we get back I'm going to go to the library and see if Mrs Eucalyptus can recommend a book about Japan," said Lalique. "I've realised how little I know about it."
Zasha thought about this. "Good scheme!" she said.
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
The Aoi Festival celebrated in Kyoto is one of the festivals in Japan with the most elaborate parades. The parades consist of individuals in historical costumes and makeup because they relive the glory days of Kyoto when it was still the capital city of Japan. More than 500 people are included in the parades all dressed in noble and aristocratic style clothing. At the end of the parade, offerings are given to the deities of the Kamo Shrine – an offering by the Emperor to the gods. It is one of the three most popular festivals in Japan.

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@ Iide Mountains, Tohoku
Viewing Cherry Blossoms in Japan is one of the most popular means to enjoy the April months in the country. This is the time when cherry trees bloom its finest and most beautiful blossoms. Celebrated as the Hanami festival, people wine and dine under the trees for days starting the peak of the blooms. It is said that this is the best way for families and friends to bond in the warm weather of the spring time. It is also one of the best ways to enjoy and appreciate the beauty that nature has to offer. It is a celebration of renewed life and beauty.

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@ Night Forest, Hachimantai
"One of the trains in Japan floats above the tracks due to magnetism. Its speed is 340 mph (550 km/h)!" remarked Wisp.
"Wow! That's amazing!" responded Zasha.

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@ Mt Mitsuishi, Tohoku
Zasha 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?


Zasha 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!