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posted: January 31st, 2011 |
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This page covers our New Year's Holiday Trip to Tsuru No Yu (The Hot Spring of the Crane) from December 31, 2010 through January 3, 2011. There are side journeys to Tazawako (Tazawa Lake) and Naruko Hot Spring. Click on any thumbnail to begin.
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| Begin December 31, 2010 |
On December 30th at 4:49 AM we were on a train headed from our home station of Musashisakai to Morioka, way up north in Iwate Prefecture. We rode 10 trains - all local trains - because we had a discount price ticket and that was all we could ride. We arrived in Morioka at 4:14 PM, just short of a 12 hour ride. I have no photos from that day which are amazing enough so that I want to show them to you. The next morning, December 31st, we got up at 3:45 AM in a small Business Hotel and got packed and ready and went out to breakfast. From there we went back to Morioka Station and took a train at 5:22 AM headed for Tazawako Station. The first photo in this row shows the train we rode from Morioka to Tazawako. The 2nd and 3rd photos show the area around Tazawako (Tazawa Lake) Station. We arrived there at about 6:10 AM and our bus did not leave until 6:55 AM, so we had a little while to kill time and take photos. As you can see, it was snowing like hell - all the way from Morioka to Tazawako. We also came here last year for our New Year Holiday. If you're interested in comparing - please see the January 2010 photos, pages 1 and 2. Page 1 is HERE (new window).
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We took that 6:55 AM bus to Tazawako (Tazawa Lake) and hiked around the lake for a while, but it was snowing so hard that we couldn't see much. We took the next bus from there headed for the Junction where we would begin our walk to the Tsuru No Yu (Hot Spring of the Crane) Hot Spring. The first 2 photos in this row show what it looked at Tazawa Lake. The 3rd photo shows the sign which is at the Junction where we started walking to our destination - Tsuru No Yu.
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The 3 photos in this row show the scenery we saw as we hiked down the road from the junction to Tsuru No Yu. I kept using my flash because I discovered that it enhanced the falling snow - made it sparkle, as you can see in all 3 of these photos.
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You can see that there is a lot of snow in that tree in the first photo. The 2nd photo shows some nice sparkles from the flash. The 3rd photo is just as we arrived at Tsuru No Yu - our destination. We were extremely fortunate to be able to stay here 2 years in a row. We attempted to make reservations every week for about 4 weeks. Finally on December 28th, we lucked out and somebody had just called and canceled! Talk about getting a room at the last minute!
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The first shot here is looking at the main entrance area of the Hot Spring. The 2nd photo shows me in one of the indoor baths. We arrived at around 11:00 AM, far too early to be able to check into our room. We had a nice waiting area to relax in though, and we were allowed to use the baths while we waited. The 3rd photo shows some darn heavy snow!
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For the first photo in this row I used the flash to enhance the snow again. The 2nd and 3rd photos show the large outdoor bath - the rotenboro. It is so amazing to sit in the hot water with your towel on your head and see the snow build up on top of the towel before your eyes.
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We got into our room pretty early - at about 1:30 PM. This was the scene we saw when we looked out the window of our room. It is 2 photos stitched together. The 2nd photo is another one of the rotenboro - the large outdoor bath. The 3rd photo is the same area as the 1st one, later in the day though. As you can see, the lights are on now and it has pretty much stopped snowing.
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These 3 photos were all taken in our room! As you can see, it was a large room - rather amazing actually. Also rather expensive - more than we had hoped for, but when you have to rely on a cancellation - well - beggars can't be choosers as the expression goes!
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Here is a night scene in first position. The 2nd shot shows the fire place in our room!! They had just come in and started the charcoal fire. In the 3rd shot we are cooking some fish which they brought us and instructed us in cooking. After about 45 minutes or so they brought our supper and by then the fish were cooked. We had the most incredible supper - none of the photos we took do it justice, unfortunately, as I had hoped to show at least one photo of the meal here. They also brought us a pot of stew for us to cook on the charcoal.
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After supper we bathed a couple of more times - the 1st shot here is a night scene as we walked towards the rotenboro. The 2nd shot is a poster for this Hot Spring. Note that it says "Since 1650" - hmm, wonder what was here in 1650? The 3rd shot is another night scene.
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Here are 3 more night scenes - all of the rotenboro. Last year when we were here we were in this rotenboro at midnight. They must have had some problems last year - people were drinking wine in the pool - maybe some broken glass in the pool or something like that, because this year they warned us when we checked in that the rotenboro would be closed from around 10:00 PM to 1:00 AM for cleaning. Hmmm, did they really clean?! We don't actually think so, but we didn't go out at midnight to see. And, that ends December 31, 2010. HAPPY NEW YEAR.
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| End December 31, 2010, Begin January 1, 2011 |
Now it's 2011! The first 2 shots were taken pretty early in the morning - we bathed again before breakfast, which was served at 7:00 AM. The 3rd shot shows the breakfast area - about 1/2 of it. We were in about the center of the room, so this shot shows the area of the room in front of me.
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The 3 shots in this row are all of the large outdoor bath - the rotenboro. This is one of the few hot springs in Japan where the hot water actually enters the bath from directly under the pond and is NOT piped into the pool from some distance away. That means that there are some places where the water is extremely hot. The 2nd shot is me and the 3rd shot is Kazuya.
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No snow today - a blue sky day! Amazing! Last year when we were here it never stopped snowing. The 2nd shot is a nice photo of the entryway and shows one of their New Year's Gate Decorations (Kado Matsu). The 3rd shot is Tazawako (Tazawa Lake). This image is Tone-mapped with Photomatix Pro using the Details Enhancer Option. It was created from 3 exposure bracketed photos combined into one image. It was taken from the Alps Komakusa Area - where we waited for the city bus. This is where the Hot Spring bus dropped us off. That's all for January 1st. We spent some hours on trains today getting to Kazuya's hometown of Funagata, in Yamagata Prefecture and there were no more great photos.
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| End January 1st, Begin January 2nd |
Now it's January 2nd. We were staying at Kazuya's house and we decided to take a train and go to Naruko Onsen (Hot Spring) today. The 3 photos in this row were taken from the train windows as we traveled.
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At Naruko Onsen Town we visited 2 different hot springs. These 2 photos show Kazuya and myself standing in front of Taki No Yu - the Hot Spring of the Waterfall. Yes, it had waterfalls in the hot spring pools. After this one, we went to a 2nd Hot Spring, but it was not attractive from the outside at all - some ultra-modern building with no design sense at all. And, that's all for January 2nd.
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| End January 2nd, Begin January 3rd |
On January 3rd we headed for home. We were on trains from 5:58 AM until about 4:30 PM. The 2 shots in this row were taken from the train windows as we passed through the Takahata Area. It was foggy and interesting. In the 2nd photo you will have to study closely to determine what is reflection and what can actually be seen out the window I am looking through!
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Here are the final 2 shots from our New Year's Trip - these also were taken as we passed trough the Takahata Area.
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| End January 3rd, End Page 1 |
| Thanks so much for taking the time to look at this page. Now, please go on to Page 2 for the continuation and conclusion of this month's adventures. |
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