All-in-one resort capital in the Japan Alps, Day 2

Destination:  Kurumayama Plateau, Nagano Prefecture (Distance from Tokyo: 195km, approximately 122 miles)

Map → http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/regional/nagano/sirakabako_yatugatake.html 　

Date:  August, 2007
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Most of us, I believe, want to keep dreaming of a good dream and don’t want to wake up halfway through to the end of a fantasy story.  Maybe you wanna hire Leonardo DiCaprio to make your dream more enjoyable.  But the power of nature just wakes you up every morning and your escape from the reality is over.   

 The dream time of my wife and her friends was also
over next morning after the brilliant stars were gone.  But lucky enough for them, they were still
able to put themselves in a dreamy world in Nagano. 
Kurumayama Plateau welcomed the ladies with the cool fresh air in the
morning.  No sticky heat wave, no loud
noise of vehicles, no rush hour train ride to go their office.  Very slow and placid morning.  It was such a dreamy moment for them.

Breakfast @ Bonheur

Breakfast @ Bonheur

On the second day, after checking out the hotel, the ladies headed out to the Tateshina Craft Village which was built by the local young artists.

@ the craft villa

@ the craft villa

@ the craft villa

They joined a class to experience the ceramic art making.  My wife tried to make something like a mug, but her effort unfortunately didn’t turn out to be a good work. Her friends failed, too.  But they still enjoyed crafting something on their own.

Professional works. 

She got these ones @ a souvenir shop

of the villa.

Amateur work. Her try didn't succeed.

They had no time to waste by the small disappointment and these travel savvy ladies quickly found an alternative attraction inside the village. 

There was an open-air café nearby the crafting studio.  It was a perfect place to refresh themselves and have a lunch break.  My wife had a yummy chicken curry rice plate.

@ the cafe of the villa

@ the cafe of the villa

They continued to explore the inside of the village after the lunch and found this artistic site was quite enjoyable to look around and feel the grace of nature. 

@ the craft villa

They spent only 2 days on their trip.  But at least 3 days would be recommended to get around the Kurumayama area and avoid making your itinerary tight.  And the more the cheaper to split the cost for using a car.  We also suggest that you’d better not visit there in the winter unless you ski or snowboard.  Many of tourist places are closed during the winter season.  And more than that, it’s too cold to go around the outside in the snow season.

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Traveling Tips in Kurumayama

-  Getting there by:

Train;  Nagano Shinkansen to Sakudaira  (70 minutes). JPY12,340 for a one-way ticket.  (http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/routemaps/naganoshinkansen.html) 

Bus;  There are some companies offering highway bus services from Tokyo to the Kurumayama area (2.5 hours – 3 hours).  Approximately JPY5,000 for a round-trip ticket.

FYI → (http://www.alpico.co.jp/access/express/suwa_shinjuku/info_e.html)  

Car;  Chuo Expressway (2.5 hours – 3 hours) from central Tokyo.

-  To get around the Kurumayama area:

Strongly recommend to have a car.  Otherwise you need to depend on using local bus services or taxis to go around in the broad area which is, time-wise and cost-wise, not a good idea. If 3-4 people share the cost of renting a car, it shouldn’t be so high.

FYI →　（http://www.ekiren.co.jp/index.html） (http://rent.toyota.co.jp/en/index.html) 

-  Accommodation in Kurumayama:           

Many lodges, resorts inns and hotels.　She stayed at Kurumayama Skypark Hotel in 2006. She remembers the hotel had a magnificent view from her room and thetir onsen facility was great.

-  Affordable Hotels in Kurumayama:

FYI →　(http://rurubu.travel/hotel-list/200405/ <Japanese>)

-  Travel Expenses:

JPY 35,000 - 40,000 at most including everything.  The more the cheaper by sharing a rental car.

-  Local Tourist Information Center:

Kurumayama Kogen Tourism Association  

Nagano Prefecture Tourism Association