Tuesday, 7 February 2017

Mishima Skywalk - Japan's 3 Bests All At Once

This is the view of Japan's 3 bests all at once:
Mishima Skywalk:  The longest in Japan
Mount Fuji:  The highest mountain in Japan at 3,776.24 m
Suruga Bay:  The deepest bay in Japan


We decided to get there in the late afternoon with all our professional camera equipment. (Remember, last entry is at 1630 hours.) This meant that in addition to capturing the shots of the stunning clear blue sky, we wanted to capture the romance of a Mount Fuji sunset too.

Impressive Sky Garden complete with hanging chandeliers of flowers...

Officially known as the “Hakone-Seiroku Mishima Grand Suspension Bridge,” in Mishima City of Shizuoka Prefecture, its nickname is the “Mishima Skywalk”. It’s 400m long, making it the longest pedestrian suspension bridge in Japan. With an elevation of 415m and a height of 70.6m, a good view is guaranteed above the valley below.

Welcome to the Skywalk...

Costing some 4 billion yen to create, Fujico Corporation began its construction in 2012 and it was opened to the public in December 2015 last year. It is hoped to be the next big thing in Mishima and the 400 meter walkway surpasses that of the Kokonoe Suspension Bridge in Oita Prefecture. By 10 meters to be exact. At 1.6 meters wide it is wide enough to allow two wheelchairs to pass side-by-side. The entertainment and dining corporation, Fujico, hopes that the Mishima Skywalk complex will draw up to 1,8 million visitors annually.

The view from the start of the bridge with the incredible view of Mount Fuji...

The footpath is also wide enough for about 3-4 adults to easily pass each other. Also, the white towers supporting the suspension bridge cables are extremely solid so that a maximum of 2,100 people can safely cross at the same time. Walking at a normal pace, you can reach the other side in about 10 minutes. 

No worries about vertigo or a tight squeeze here in the late afternoon...

You can really stand and stare at this magnificent view for hours!

Just before sunset with the sky changing colours
- blue on one side and orange-gold on the other...

Moments after sunset, when the golden egg yolk shimmers below the horizon...
 

Getting There 

Mishima Skywalk is open everyday throughout the year from 0900 to 1700 hours (with the last admission at 1630 hours). The admission fee for adults is 1,000 yen. More information is available on the official website at mishima-skywalk.jp.

Sources

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Monday, 1 February 2016

Iceland - Svartifoss, The Natural Inspiration For Hallgrímskirkja

This is Black Falls (Svartifoss).


Located in Skaftafell National Park, Svartifoss is fed by ice-cold meltwater from Svinafellsjokull. The narrow stream of water pours over a broad cliff of dark hexagonal basalt columns that hang like organ pipes over the edge of a horseshoe-shaped ampitheatre. 


And this is Hallgrímskirkja (church of Hallgrímur), a Lutheran parish church in Reykjavík, Iceland.


At 73 metres (244 ft), it is the largest church in Iceland and the sixth tallest architectural structure in Iceland. It is also one of the tallest buildings in the country and of course the most impressive one. Rising over a height of 74.5m, its peak can be seen from miles beyond. 

Hallgrímskirkja in the day...

Hallgrímskirkja at night...

Hallgrímskirkja at night with light painting...

Standing directly in front of the church, and predating it by 15 years, is a fine statue of Leifur Eiriksson (c. 970-1020) - the first European to discover America. Records suggest that Leifur landed on the shores of the new world in the year 1,000 A.D., that's a full 500 years before Christopher Columbus.

Hallgrímskirkja from the side...

Hallgrímskirkja at sunset...

Hallgrímskirkja from the top...

Other views of Hallgrímskirkja...


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Sunday, 11 January 2015

Amanohashidate - Bridge To Heaven Between Your Feet

Amanohashidate (天橋立) is a pine covered sandbar that spans the mouth of Miyazu Bay in the scenic, coastal region of northern Kyoto Prefecture. Viewed from the mountains at either end of the bay, the Amanohashidate Sandbar (which roughly translates to "bridge in heaven") looks like a pathway between heaven and earth. The scene has been admired for centuries and is ranked among Japan's three most scenic views.


Mount Monju


We were surprised that to fully enjoy the  view, access via the Amanohashidate Viewland （天橋立ビューランド） amusement park is required. But hey, for the price of Y850 for either the monorail or chair lift, we get to enter the park for free! 




  
Amanohashidate viewed the right way up...

The recommended (and fun) way to view it...


 (Might be a bit dizzying... but that's the high of it!)

People bend over to view the sandbar from between their legs. This unique way of viewing is called "Mata Nozoki", and the view itself is termd "Hiryukan" (the view of the flying dragon). 
What you actually see...


The local legend says that Amanohashidate was originally a bridge connecting the Heaven and Earth. With a little bit of imagination, the inverted sandbar with its green pines looks a dragon, the guardian of the sea, flying up to heaven.

After the long journey up, it's time for a calorie-replenishing meal
at the cosy observation deck cafe...

Our choice of food - Miyazu-style Pork Cutlet Rice Bowl, Asari Clam Rice Bowl, Grater Crab Rice Bowl and finishing it off with a Iced Cafe Au Lait topped with crushed coffee jelly and vanilla ice cream...


And a try on a quirky ride for the fun of it (Cycle Cars at Y300)...

On The Ground


After View Land, it's time to do a bit of walking...

First we checked out the Kaisen Kyo Rotary Bridge at the foot of Mount Monju. Connecting Amanohashidate and Monju areas, this unusual bridge turns 90 degrees approach from the adjoining waterway. The bridge that was built in 1923 was turned by hand, but the present electric one was rebuilt in May 1960 to accomodate the high level of martime traffic.

As the boat approaches, this bridge moves!



"When people push and open the rotary bridge
Ama no Hashidate too swings blackly" 
- Yosano Akiko (poet)

Despite being surrounded by the sea on all four sides, the Iso-Shimizu well water is not salty at all. The wonder of it has been celebrated in Haiku poetry with this evergreen phrase - "A single mouthful of the jewel of Iso-Shimizu". It was even recognized in 1988 as one of the “100 Best Waters in Japan” by the Environment Ministry.


Walking On The Sandbar


  Walking on the sandbar is kind of a get-down-to-earth type of feeling, feeling the soil beneath your feet, and nope, it's not just sand. See the well-paved road? 

This natural bridge is 3.6km long, and 15m to 170m in width. Filled with 8,000 pine trees of many sizes and shapes.  The Ama no Hashidate prefectural road that traverses it longitudinally has been designated by the Construction Minister as a special road and one of “Japan's Best 100 Roads”.

We spent one hour strolling along the beach and soaking in the fresh pine scent. Really romantic...

  

The Other Mountain

 
For the completion of it, we continued up the other mountain to Kasamatsu Park via the Cable Car (Y320 each way).


From here the sandbar is said to look like the kanji for "one" (一). Called "matanozoki", this practice originated at this park, and visitors to Amanohashidate have been following it for over a millennium.



Sources


Text

  • Japan Guidehttp://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3992.html
      
  • JNTOhttps://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/rtg/pdf/pg-504.pdf
    http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/routes/g_route/golden_18.html
      
  • Kyoto Viewshttp://kyotoviews.blogspot.sg/2012/03/amanohashidate-in-miyazu-city-kyoto-1.html
  • Miyazu Amanohashidate Tourist Guidehttp://www.amanohashidate.jp/lang/en_sightinfo.html
      
  • View Landhttp://www.viewland.jp/~e/

    View Land (Cafe)
    http://www.viewland.jp/~e/article_002.html

    View Land (Rides)
    http://www.viewland.jp/~e/article.html

    View Land (Sights)http://www.viewland.jp/~e/article_001.html
     

Images

  • Flickrhttps://www.flickr.com/photos/hickstersunited/5610421461/?rb=1
      
  • Instagram http://blog.instagram.com/post/61129361891/amanohashidate
       
  • Japan Guide
      
  • JNTO
      
  • Justin Klein
    http://www.justin-klein.com/amanohashidate/
      
  • Kyoto Views
       
  • Miyazu Amanohashidate Tourist Guide
       
  • Muza Chan
    http://muza-chan.net/japan/index.php/blog/japan-most-scenic-beauty-amanohashidate
      
  • Myau Myau
    https://myaukun.wordpress.com/2012/08/22/rotating-bridge-at-amanohashidate-miyazu-in-north-kyoto/
      
  • Sumayado
    http://en.sumayado.jp/tokusyu/amusementpark/jt02_35.html
       
  • Trip Advisor
    http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g1023393-d1863068-i64987392-Amanohashidate_View_Land-Miyazu_Kyoto_Prefecture_Kinki.html
      
  • View Land (Cafe)
       
  • Wikimedia
    http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Amanohashidate_View_Land09n4592.jpg


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Saturday, 13 December 2014

Shirakawago - Houses With No Nails

In the desolate snowclad region of the Shogawa River Valley, lies a village of rustic straw-roofed farmhouses. In the freezing chill of winter, the warm lights of these picturesque farmhouses is a welcome sight to any traveller.


Declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1995, this valley spanning the Shirakawago and Gokayama regions is famous for their traditional Gasshō-Zukuri farmhouses, some of which are more than 250 years old.


Gasshō-Zukuri (合掌造) means "constructed like hands in prayer", as the farmhouses' steep thatched roofs resemble the hands of Buddhist monks pressed together in prayer.


The architectural style developed over many generations and is designed to withstand the large amounts of heavy snow that falls in the region during winter. The roofs, made without nails, provided a large attic space used for cultivating silkworms.

 A similar-styled 18th-century Stöckli house in Bern, Switzerland in an area with heavy snowfall compared with the Takenaka-ke House in Suganuma Village...

Coming to a rustic and remote place, you'd expect the thatching to be done the traditional and amateur way. But no, here in Shirakawago, attention is paid to safety and professional to maintain the beauty and safety of the heritage site...

The Shogawa River Valley site spans the Gifu and Toyama prefectures and consists of 3 main villages: Gifu's Ogimachi (Shirakawago's largest village) and Gokayama's Suganuma and Ainokura villages in Toyama.


Ogimachi


Ogimachi is the largest village and main attraction of Shirakawago. It is also the transport hub of the Shirakawago region, where the bus lines from Takayama, Nagoya, Kanazawa and Takaoka meet.


Gasshō-Zukuri Minkaen is an open air museum across the river exhibiting farmhouses and other structures relocated to Ogimachi in order to save them from destruction...




The Shiroyama Viewpoint is north of the village centre and offers nice views of Ogimachi and its farmhouses...

Myozenji Temple, which is unique for its thatched roof rather than the typical tiled roof seen on most temples, is connected to the Myozenjike farmhouse next door where the priest of the temple lives...

Suganuma

Gokayama is a place of precipitous mountains and deep valleys located in the southeastern part of Toyama. It is believed that Gokayama, which means five valleys, was so named because there was a village among five valleys: Akao-Dani, KamiNashi-Dani, ShimoNashi-Dani, Otani, and Toga-Dani along the Shogawa River.



Suganuma, one of the main attractions of Gokayama, is made up of two areas, Suganuma Village and the Gokayama Gassho No Sato. Pleasant and easy to explore on foot, the two areas are connected to each other by a tunnel, which also connects to the parking lot on the hill overlooking the village via an elevator.


Like its sister villages, you can see the traditional Gasshō-Zukuri farmhouses in Suganuma Village. A few of them here have become restaurants, minshuku, and museums showing the daily life and the washi paper and gunpowder industries that sustained the region. 

Making saltpeter, an ingredient in gunpowder, was an important industry for the region during the Edo Period. This museum has exhibits on the procedures, tools and history of the industry in Gokayama...

The Folk Museum displays tools and household items used in daily life, 
e.g. for farming, raising silkworms and making washi paper...

On the other end of the tunnel, the Gokayama Gassho No Sato has a number of traditional farmhouses which have been relocated here in order to save them from destruction. Uninhabited, they are instead used by school groups who can stay overnight in the houses and experience activities from traditional Gokayama life.


Ainokura


Set far back in the valley, Ainokura is the most remote village in the Gokayama region. It is also the largest of the villages with nearly 20 Gasshō-Zukuri farmhouses. Many of them remain private residences, although a few have been converted into restaurants, museums, and minshuku. As it is less developed and harder to get to than Ogimachi, Ainokura is quieter and sees less tourist traffic, and offers similar attractions.

Ainokura Viewpoint

The viewpoint above Ainokura is a 5-10 minute walk up the mountain. The trail begins behind the information building at the parking lot, goes through a few fields and connects with a small road. If you continue up the hill on the road you will be rewarded with nice aerial views of the village.


Gokayama Washi

The Gokayama region has been well known for its washi paper since the art was brought here by Taira Clan refugees from Kyoto. At this store/factory you can watch how washi paper is made, or try your hand at making some yourself (advance notice required).


Murakami-Ke House

This farmhouse turned museum is known for its owner who gives tours of the house which end with performances of local folk songs accompanied by regional instruments.


Uta No Yakata

Uta No Yakata is a museum dedicated to the unique music of the Gokayama region. Videos of the traditional music and dance are show here. You can also learn to play some of the instruments such as the sasara.


Location Icons

A curtain with the iconic houses...

Even the manhole has these icons...


Throughout The Seasons

With the mountain mist...

In spring...

In summer...


In autumn...


In winter...


Sources

Accommodation

Credits

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