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@ Kiso Mountains, Nagano, And Gifu, Japan
Kalinga begins his journey through Honshu!
Kiso Mountains, Nagano, And Gifu, Japan
Clear starry skies and mountains covered in snow make a visually stunning picture. The Kiso mountains are located in the prefectures of Nagano and Gifu. This mountain range is also known as the Central Alps; they meet up with the Hida Mountains and the Akaishi Mountains to form a group collectively known as the Japanese Alps.
Mount Komogatake is the most prominent peek at 2,956 m. The famous summit is named in a song called “The Land of Shinano”, the official song of Nagano.

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@ Japanese Park in Autumn

Blue And Copper Egg
The first painted eggs came from Mesopotamia, and because eggs were forbidden food during Lent, people painted eggs while Lent was being observed—after Lent, they would eat the eggs on Easter Day.

Beautifully decorated eggs “pysanka” are associated with Ukraine, and the oldest painted egg that was unearthed in northern Ukraine is dated to the end of the 17th century.

Japanese Park in Autumn
An autumnal scene at the Chubu Sangaku National Park.

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@ Thatched Roofs, Shirakawa-Go
The iconic Mt Fuji, one of the most famous mountains in the world… isn’t a mountain; it’s a volcano. It looks so serene and beautiful, but it’s active and does have the potential to cause immense damage. It last erupted in 1707, when the ash reached as far as modern-day Tokyo.

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@ Rice Terraces Lit at Night
"Japan—the perfect choice for our travels this winter, Kalinga!" enthused Dominion.
"Yup. Karaoke, kimonos, karate and koi. I can't wait to go shopping"
"Oh! I was thinking more of world famous architecture, history, culture and technology. Japan has given the world so much!" said Dominion.
Kalinga unwrapped a Hello Kitty chocolate for himself, popped it in his mouth and offered the packet to Dominion. "Sure! You know me, I love a bit of culture. As long as there's a nice gift shop at the end, I'm happy."

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@ Rustic Snow Houses, Shirakawa-Go
Tofu is an English loanword from Japanese, in which it is itself a loanword from Mandarin Chinese.
Rustic Snow Houses, Shirakawa-Go
Rustic houses in the snow in Shirakawa-Go.

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@ Japan's Alpine Treks
Japan suffers from violent earthquakes because the islands are located on three tectonic plates in the Pacific. Japan’s archipelago comprises 108 active volcanoes. These volcanoes are known to bring devastating earthquakes and tsunamis.
Japan's Alpine Treks
The Yatsugatake mountain range was formed from volcanic eruptions over thousands of years. Legend has it that Mt. Fuji was of inferior height but the goddess of Fuji tore down Yatsugatake leaving Fuji as the higher of the two.

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@ Cloudy Peaks in Honshu
"Japan—the perfect choice for our travels this winter, Kalinga!" enthused chocoloco.
"Yup. Karaoke, kimonos, karate and koi. I can't wait to go shopping"
"Oh! I was thinking more of world famous architecture, history, culture and technology. Japan has given the world so much!" said chocoloco.
Kalinga unwrapped a Hello Kitty chocolate for himself, popped it in his mouth and offered the packet to chocoloco. "Sure! You know me, I love a bit of culture. As long as there's a nice gift shop at the end, I'm happy."
Cloudy Peaks in Honshu
A windy, cloudy scene in the peaks at a height of 2600m in the Chubu Sangaku National Park in Nagano, Japan.

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@ Autumnal Japanese Landscape
The Shinano River (Shinano-gawa) is the longest and widest river in Japan at 228 miles (367 km). It flows from the Japanese Alps to the Sea of Japan.
Autumnal Japanese Landscape
This beautiful misty autumnal scene was photographed in the mountains of the Chubu Sangaku National Park.

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@ Mount Hotaka, Japan
“Hey, have you seen what the next stop is, Kalinga?” said Choose a name. "It looks fantastic!"
"I'll get my camera ready," said Kalinga.
Mount Hotaka, Japan
In Japan, autumn colours start in September at high mountains in Honshu and northern island, Hokkaido. This shot was taken at the Dakezawa Valley of Mt Hotaka (3,190m).

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@ Japanese Alpine Valley
"It says here that fortune cookies were first made in Japan," remarked Choose a name.
"Oh wow, I didn't know that!" responded Kalinga.
Japanese Alpine Valley
This stunning view of snow-covered peaks at sunrise is from the Chubu Sangaku National Park in the Northern Japan Alps. Eighty per cent of Japan is mountainous terrain.

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@ Origami Crane
"It says here that fortune cookies were first made in Japan," remarked Heidi.
"Oh wow, I didn't know that!" responded Kalinga.

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@ Serene Japanese Garden Bridge
"More film trivia here, Milica!" remarked Kalinga. "Can you name a 1985 Japanese film influenced by Shakespeare's King Lear about an ageing warlord who attempts to pass his kingdom to his three sons?"
"No, I'm not familiar with it, Kalinga!"
"It's called Ran, and it says here it's one of the best films ever made."
"We'll have to make a point of seeing it, then," said Milica.

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@ Samurai Statuette
“Hey, have you seen what the next stop is, Kalinga?” said Daisy Lee. "It looks fantastic!"
"I'll get my camera ready," said Kalinga.

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@ Sake Barrels
Tofu is an English loanword from Japanese, in which it is itself a loanword from Mandarin Chinese.

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@ Japanese Sika Deer
Oh look ... you won a pet!

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@ Japanese Red Viburnum
“I don't know how to pronounce half of these place names, Kalinga!” said Gymson ruefully.
"Never mind," said Kalinga. "We'll look them up when we get back to the hotel tonight!"

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@ Mt Azuma, Tohoku
“Hey, have you seen what the next stop is, Kalinga?” said MUmbo. "It looks fantastic!"
"I'll get my camera ready," said Kalinga.

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@ Mount Iide, Tohoku
"More film trivia here, Choose a name!" remarked Kalinga. "Can you name a 1985 Japanese film influenced by Shakespeare's King Lear about an ageing warlord who attempts to pass his kingdom to his three sons?"
"No, I'm not familiar with it, Kalinga!"
"It's called Ran, and it says here it's one of the best films ever made."
"We'll have to make a point of seeing it, then," said Choose a name.

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@ Yellow Blossoms, Tohoku
Kalinga was listening enraptured to strains of music reaching them from a street violin player. “My Dad used to sing this, Miss Mousse!” he exclaimed happily. "A Wand’ring Minstrel I from The Mikado. This takes me back! It's set in Japan, you know, but it couldn't be more English if it tried."
Miss Mousse looked blank.
”Go and ask Edgar,” advised Kalinga. “He’s a Gilbert & Sullivan fan.”

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@ Hazy Lake, Akita, Tohoku
Tofu is an English loanword from Japanese, in which it is itself a loanword from Mandarin Chinese.

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@ Mountain Flowers, Japan
Kalinga was listening enraptured to strains of music reaching them from a street violin player. “My Dad used to sing this, Merry!” he exclaimed happily. "A Wand’ring Minstrel I from The Mikado. This takes me back! It's set in Japan, you know, but it couldn't be more English if it tried."
Merry looked blank.
”Go and ask Edgar,” advised Kalinga. “He’s a Gilbert & Sullivan fan.”
Mountain Flowers, Japan
Snow still lingers on the mountain passes while flowers announce the start of the warmer weather.

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@ Forest Cascade, Tohoku
The Aoi Festival celebrated in Kyoto is one of the festivals in Japan with the most elaborate parades. The parades consist of individuals in historical costumes and makeup because they relive the glory days of Kyoto when it was still the capital city of Japan. More than 500 people are included in the parades all dressed in noble and aristocratic style clothing. At the end of the parade, offerings are given to the deities of the Kamo Shrine – an offering by the Emperor to the gods. It is one of the three most popular festivals in Japan.

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@ Iide Mountains, Tohoku
The Shinano River (Shinano-gawa) is the longest and widest river in Japan at 228 miles (367 km). It flows from the Japanese Alps to the Sea of Japan.

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@ Night Forest, Hachimantai
Kalinga was listening enraptured to strains of music reaching them from a street violin player. “My Dad used to sing this, ashley!” he exclaimed happily. "A Wand’ring Minstrel I from The Mikado. This takes me back! It's set in Japan, you know, but it couldn't be more English if it tried."
ashley looked blank.
”Go and ask Edgar,” advised Kalinga. “He’s a Gilbert & Sullivan fan.”

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@ Mt Mitsuishi, Tohoku
Kalinga has now completed his journey through Honshu! As he prepares to go home, he receives a wonderful gift!
Fox, Looking For A Hill To Sled Down
Ah! Wintertime. This Fox is ready to go out and enjoy the snow that fell during the night. I have a brand new sled; you can guess how I acquired it. I put some wax on the runners as I am told this will make it go fast, and I want to feel the wind in my fur. Are we all ready?

Look, I found a hill. It looks a tiny bit steep, but I can do this. Have I been sledding before? Well, no, this is my first time, but how hard can it be? You sit, see here, the green boards–this is where you sit. You hold onto this rope, and you push off with your feet.

Here we go. Oh my, this is quite fast. Oh! Now I am going much faster; the hill must have become steeper. Why can’t I steer this? I forgot there is a tree on the lower part of the hill. If I just put all my weight to one side, I should be able to…fall over into a pile of snow. Well, that was fun. Should I do it again?


Kalinga has enjoyed his journey through Honshu, but it is time to go home now! "xxxxxx" is over now, but there will be more events in PnF soon!