Winter in Japan 2014

Our last full day in Japan for 2014. We headed to Enoshima. Shima means island and it certainly is a beautiful one. Enoshima is in Kanagawa prefecture and on a coastline called Shounan, which is the sister coast of the…
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Odaiba, a train ride, then monorail ride from Tokyo is a wonderful place to visit while in Tokyo. Shopping, architecture, restaurants, lots to do and see. Legoland is 2000 yen ( roughly $22 ) to enter if you don’t prebook…
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Today we headed to Disneyland, a beautiful, sunny, not so cold day. It was pretty busy, the start of the day we got onto rides relatively quickly, by lunchtime, it was 40-50 minute waits in lines for the more popular…
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A dream that I have had is of going to a Sumo Tournament. Sumo can be seen in Tokyo in a place called Ryogoku, easily accessible by train. The added bonus of riding the train is that you may share…
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Today we headed to Disney Sea which is located very near Disneyland. It takes about 30 minutes by train with one change from Tokyo station. It is a theme park with an ocean ambience with rides and areas like 20,000…
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After dreaming of seeing the snow monkeys 10 years ago, I finally made it. A short car or bus ride from Yudanaka, then you walk 1.6km up a beautiful tree lined snow path to the monkeys. Not only are they…
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Yudanaka is a gorgeous town, set in the mountains, the gateway to the snow monkeys. Our Ryokan is 6km from the entrance to Jigokudani (Hell’s Valley) where the snow monkeys can be found soaking in the onset, natural hot baths….
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Uotoshi Ryokan, about a 7 minute walk from the station, is homely and welcoming. The rooms are traditional, tatami floors and you sleep on a futon. The bathroom is gorgeous, as you soak and relax away the day…….overlooking the snow…
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In the middle of a huge snow dump, we said goodbye to Niigata, bound for Yudanaka, Nagano prefecture. This is what I have been dreaming of…..visiting the snow monkeys. We took a bus the station (50 minutes or so) then…
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Here we are in beautiful Niigata. The kids’ first experience in the snow…and it is just sensational. The weather is very cold…..however with thermals and good ski wear it is fine. For about $15, you can buy a snowball maker,…
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