Roving Sun – Page 27 – Here and there but not quite everywhere!

April 18, 2023April 25, 2023

Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route to Murodo

We headed out early from Toyama to start the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route. Our destination for the day was Murodo and Hotel Tateyama, the highest point on the route. We got to Murodo fairly early and went out for a walk in the snow. The weather got worse throughout the day, though there was a brief period where it cleared up a tiny bit. But afterwards, there was strong blowing wind and blizzard-like conditions and visibility.

April 17, 2023April 26, 2023

Takayama

We headed out in the morning on the JR Hida from Toyama to Takayama. We spent the morning at Hida no Sato, the Hida Folk Village. Afterwards, we headed to the historic area of Takayama to have a late lunch and to take a quick walk around before heading back to Toyama.

April 16, 2023April 19, 2023

Kanazawa

We headed out early in the morning to catch the Hokuriku Shinkansen from Tokyo to Kanazawa. Once we arrived, we visited Kenroku-en, a garden, and the Kanazawa Castle Park. Afterwards, we briefly visited a small shrine and a samurai district before heading back to the station.

April 8, 2023

The End of the Cherry Blossom Season

Its been a little more than two weeks since the Washington DC cherry blossoms hit peak bloom. Locally, it was about the same. Most trees locally have lost the majority of their flowers, though a few are still hanging on.

April 1, 2023April 2, 2023

Cherry Blossoms at the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

We visited the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in the afternoon to check out their cherry blossoms. There was heavy rain earlier in the day and high winds were forecast for the afternoon and evening, not ideal conditions for delicate flowers. Some trees were well past peak but others looked pretty good.