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@ Kiso Mountains, Nagano, And Gifu, Japan
Kevin begins his 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
"One of the trains in Japan floats above the tracks due to magnetism. Its speed is 340 mph (550 km/h)!" remarked LoyaLloyd.
"Wow! That's amazing!" responded Kevin.

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@ Rice Terraces Lit at Night
“I don't know how to pronounce half of these place names, Kevin!” said Trixie ruefully.
"Never mind," said Kevin. "We'll look them up when we get back to the hotel tonight!"

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@ Rustic Snow Houses, Shirakawa-Go
“I don't know how to pronounce half of these place names, Kevin!” said Crocodile Beauty ruefully.
"Never mind," said Kevin. "We'll look them up when we get back to the hotel tonight!"
Rustic Snow Houses, Shirakawa-Go
Rustic houses in the snow in Shirakawa-Go.

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@ Japan's Alpine Treks
“I don't know how to pronounce half of these place names, Kevin!” said Alice ruefully.
"Never mind," said Kevin. "We'll look them up when we get back to the hotel tonight!"
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, Kevin?" queried Rocker煜.
"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
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.
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
" '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 Sweetie from the tour guide.
"That's incredible! We'll have to go into town and look to see what we could get!" responded Kevin.
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
"In Japan there is a custom to forecast the day when cherry blossoms start blooming," remarked Henry.
"A bit like Groundhog Day?" asked Kevin.
"Perhaps!"
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
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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@ Serene Japanese Garden Bridge
Tofu is an English loanword from Japanese, in which it is itself a loanword from Mandarin Chinese.

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@ Samurai Statuette
"Hey, did you know there's a Disneyland on Honshu, Kevin?" queried Silky.
"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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@ Sake Barrels
“Hey, have you seen what the next stop is, Kevin?” said Elvis. "It looks fantastic!"
"I'll get my camera ready," said Kevin.

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

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@ Japanese Red Viburnum
"So, Choose a name, 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, Choose a name!"

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@ Mt Azuma, Tohoku
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.

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@ Mount Iide, Tohoku
Kevin was listening enraptured to strains of music reaching them from a street violin player. “My Dad used to sing this, Tiger!” he exclaimed happily. "A Wand’ring Minstrel I from The Mikado. This takes me back! It's set in Japan, you know, but it couldn't be more English if it tried."
Tiger looked blank.
”Go and ask Edgar,” advised Kevin. “He’s a Gilbert & Sullivan fan.”

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@ Yellow Blossoms, 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 Twitch from the tour guide.
"That's incredible! We'll have to go into town and look to see what we could get!" responded Kevin.

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@ Hazy Lake, Akita, Tohoku
Tofu is an English loanword from Japanese, in which it is itself a loanword from Mandarin Chinese.

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@ Mountain Flowers, Japan
"Japan—the perfect choice for our travels this winter, Kevin!" enthused Tammie.
"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 Tammie.
Kevin unwrapped a Hello Kitty chocolate for himself, popped it in his mouth and offered the packet to Tammie. "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."
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
"One of the trains in Japan floats above the tracks due to magnetism. Its speed is 340 mph (550 km/h)!" remarked Sweetie.
"Wow! That's amazing!" responded Kevin.

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@ Iide Mountains, Tohoku
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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@ Night Forest, Hachimantai
"Hey, did you know there's a Disneyland on Honshu, Kevin?" queried Audrey.
"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
Kevin has now completed his journey through Honshu! As he prepares to go home, he 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?


Kevin has enjoyed his journey through Honshu, but it is time to go home now! "xxxxxx" is over now, but there will be more events in PnF soon!