Tokyo TimeOriginally our plan today was to go up into the alps to a lily garden, but because we did less yesterday than planned, we decided to go to the Daio Wasabi Farm instead. It is the largest wasabi farm in Japan and was the filming location for one part of Akira Kurosawa's "Dreams." We took a limited express train to Hotaka station. It was already quite hot at 11 am, like around 90 degrees and sunny. As soon as we exited the small station, a man approached us and asked if we needed bicycles. He was just the man we were looking for, since we planned to rent bikes and ride to the farm. He spoke good English and showed us how to use the bikes. The lock and kickstand were quite ingenious... You have to see it to believe it. :P The bikes were very comfortable and easy to ride. We rode for 10-15 min to the farm through rural one-lane streets and rice paddies. At one point, we were riding with expansive paddies on both sides, alps before and behind us, and it was a truly magical moment!! Probably my second favorite memory so far.
The farm is free to enter. We parked our bikes and followed the other people into the complex. It felt a bit like a park or garden. We strolled alongside the riverbed where the wasabi is planted directly between rocks. Black tarps are used to block the intense sun from the plants. We were excited to take pictures with the waterwheels as they were in the movie I mentioned above. The water was so clear and fast, we wanted to go swimming in it! Unfortunately, that's not allowed. :) We walked through a couple gift shops selling wasabi everything before sitting down to eat a light lunch. We had a regional speciality called oyaki, steamed buns filled with various items, and I tried the wasabi soft serve, which was surprisingly good. After that we rode our bikes back to the station and caught a local train back to Matsumoto with about 200 high schoolers in uniform. :P
Tomorrow we leave Matsumoto for Kyoto. It's a bit sad to leave the alps area so soon, but I am so excited to see the ancient capital of Japan! Everything so far has been amazing, though. ^_^
Wow!!! That sounds like a movie (the riding bikes to the farm). It looks beautiful there! You could totally just chill there for hours with a book. Seems so serene! And I love the handy basket on the bike.
ReplyDeleteLol at all the high schoolers!!! That also sounds like it could be from a movie (or anime...). Were you squashed on the train? ^_^
Lol. It was like being in a manga. I am discovering that most things in manga are totally accurate!! The bikes were so nice. The basket was really big so it held all our purses. ^_^ I would have liked it more if it were less hot, but there was a nice breeze when we were riding. :) I'm already tanning... haha.
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