Nagatoro and Shibazakura Flower Festival

 

 Yesterday I went with a group of other expats to an area north of Tokyo to see some of the scenery and a flower festival. The photos of the place looked really pretty so I was looking forward to going. There have been some rainy days lately but I have really lucked out with sunny days the last few weekends when I have been out and about exploring.

 

I met up with the group early in the morning near Shinjuku Station (which I hate but I digress...). Two of my friends and coworkers came as well so that was nice. I never know who is going to be going on these outings. I have met different people each time and most are quite nice and friendly.  We all boarded the bus and made one stop for snacks on our way.

 

 

We went to Nagatoro which is a very small town below some mountains and hills. There is a very pretty river that runs through a small gorge/granite rock area. It was soooooo pretty. There were a number of people kayaking, paddle boarding, fishing, etc... We hiked a quick couple of kilometers and I took a ton of pics. We went past a small bridge and boarded into a wooden boat and headed back down towards the town. It was a quick boat ride but really nice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next we hopped back on the bus and headed out toward the Shibazakura Flower Festival. I was told this was one of the nicest flower festivals in the country. It was all so pretty with the colors and designs. Up above the flowers was an area with vendors selling food and a few craft items. In the distance was a huge beautiful mountain that I loved. It is really hard to see in the pics but the top parts of the mountain have rice terraces that looked really cool.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some pics of the amazing mountain with rice terraces

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Face

 



 

Japan Flag

 

Batter Up

 

 

Yes. Those are dead bees in jars of honey.

 

Anyone want a crafty metal frog thing for their yard? Yeah, me neither.

 

I did buy one of these carved wood platter things. I put it in my kitchen to keep my fruit on instead of in a bowl. I also bought two glasses that had a frosted cherry blossom design on them (sorry no pic).

 

Time to say goodbye to the prettiness

 

It was a lovely day!  I have enjoyed getting out into the country a bit more the last few weeks. Japan is very beautiful. The more I get out and see, the more I enjoy being here.