Short trip to Matsumoto

I went to the Matsumoto city museum of arts last weekend.
An art exhibition of Yayoi Miyama is holding at the museum until Nov 4th.
I was really impressed by her arts!!!!
Her arts has big energy even though she is over 80 years old!!

You can check her detail from her web-site below.
http://www.yayoi-kusama.jp/e/information/index.html#topPage

She is amazing artist!!

To go to Matsumoto from Takayama, the high-way bus is easiest.
Costs 5,500yen for round trip and takes about 2 hours and half.


It's not far from Matsumoto to Takayama at all.
If you have a chance to come to Takayama,
Please visit the World Heritage Site "Shirakawa-go" with us!!!
http://tour.j-hoppers.com/

An ideal place for photographers!!

Shirakawa-go is an ideal place for photographers!
The guys on the first picture love taking photo sooooooo much!
They took my photo (the second picture) and sent it to me!
It was nice gift! Thank you again!!

Many photographers come to Shirakawa-go to take pictures.
Photo spots are everywhere in Shirakawa-go!!

Now you can take some photos of houses with sunflowers!



Please visit Shirakawa-go with us!!!
http://tour.j-hoppers.com/


We will start booking for the Doburoku festival soon!
Doburoku festival is held on 14th and 15th of October!!
The detail is coing soon!!!!!!

"Doburoku Festival" is one of the big event in Shirakawa-village.
This festival is an annual event held on October 14th-15th.
Doburoku is a milky white sake made from rice and rice molt.
You can drink free sake during the festival.
People dance and sing folk songs, and do other traditional performances during the festival.
It must be fun!!!!
Why don't you plan to come to Takayama during the festival to go to the festival??

Even if you can not come to Takayama during the festival,
there is a Doburoku Festival Museum in Shirakawa-go.
You can see the video of the festival, and you can also taste Doburoku there!
It costs 300yen to get in, it is worth going!

Visit the World Heritage Site Shirakawa-go with us!
http://tour.j-hoppers.com/

The real "Hinamizawa"!!!!

It's been really really hot day these day,
Shirakwa-go is also really hot during the day.

Our morning tour departs Takayama Station 8:10, arrives Shirakawa-go around 9.
You can start walking around before it gets hot!!!

I think you know Shirakawa-go is listed as the World Heritage Site, but do you know that Shirakawa-go is the location where a Japanese animation “Higurashi no Naku Koro ni” was modeled after.

Many people who love the animation come to visit Shirakawa-go.

These are pictures of  "ema" in the Shirakawa Hachiman Shrine.
"Ema" is a board that is offered to a shrine in prayer for future good luck or after one's wish comes true.

You can see many "ema" drawn characters on it from the animation.

I found good web-site explained about Hinamizawa and Shirakawa-go.
This is it,
http://punynari.wordpress.com/2009/03/03/shirakawa-go-japan-the-real-hinamizawa/

Visit the real Hinamizawa with our tour!
http://tour.j-hoppers.com/

Summer day in Shirakawa-go

It was really nice weather today.
It's very rare to have such a clear sky in summer time.
We could see the Haku-san so clearly!!!!

This is the view of the Ogimachi (the World Heritage Site) from the observation point.
Our bus takes you to this point on the way to the village!!
This observation point is the best point to take a photo of the village!


It's gonna be another nice day tomorrow!

Tomorrow's Weather forecast in Shirakawago.
  Sunny
  Highest  temperature　will be 33 degree!


Please make sure to take your hat and water with you!



J-Hop Tour offer daily half-day bus tour to the World Heritage Site"Shirakawa-go" from Hida-Takayama! Now 3,500yen for round trip.
(Our bus is 800yen cheaper than the local bus!)


Please visit our web-site to reserve our tour!
http://tour.j-hoppers.com/