Image 1/25

@ Kiso Mountains, Nagano, And Gifu, Japan
Luna Rae begins her 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.

Image 2/25

@ Japanese Park in Autumn

Yellow Daisy Egg
My pets are in awe of these beautiful eggs—they would love to try to paint their own one year. Easter and spring are times of joy as the earth awakens, plants are pushing forth from the soil, and the days are becoming warmer. Many baby animals are born in the spring, and life is burgeoning. May these eggs bring you joy and be a reminder of the earth renewing itself.

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

Image 3/25

@ Thatched Roofs, Shirakawa-Go
"One of the trains in Japan floats above the tracks due to magnetism. Its speed is 340 mph (550 km/h)!" remarked Dai.
"Wow! That's amazing!" responded Luna Rae.

Image 4/25

@ Rice Terraces Lit at Night
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.

Image 5/25

@ Rustic Snow Houses, Shirakawa-Go
"Japan—the perfect choice for our travels this winter, Luna Rae!" enthused Puff.
"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 Puff.
Luna Rae unwrapped a Hello Kitty chocolate for herself, popped it in her mouth and offered the packet to Puff. "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."
Rustic Snow Houses, Shirakawa-Go
Rustic houses in the snow in Shirakawa-Go.

Image 6/25

@ Japan's Alpine Treks
"So, Saphira, the next Japanese phrase is 'Excuse me'. That's sumimasen. It says you don't put any stress on the 'u', so it's pronounced 'smee-ma-sen'.
"Is it like in Britain where if a pet accidentally bumps into you, you both say 'excuse me' or 'sorry'?"
"I'm sure that will be the case here too, Saphira!"
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.

Image 7/25

@ Cloudy Peaks in Honshu
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.
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.

Image 8/25

@ Autumnal Japanese Landscape
Also known as USJ, the Universal Studios of Japan is found in the Kansai Prefecture. It is located in Konohana-Ku, Osaka. This tourist destination is closely based from its forefather, the Universal Studios of Florida. The main attractions include the Harry Potter themed area and the anime/manga themed areas of the theme park.
Autumnal Japanese Landscape
This beautiful misty autumnal scene was photographed in the mountains of the Chubu Sangaku National Park.

Image 9/25

@ Mount Hotaka, Japan
“I don't know how to pronounce half of these place names, Luna Rae!” said Chocolate ruefully.
"Never mind," said Luna Rae. "We'll look them up when we get back to the hotel tonight!"
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).

Image 10/25

@ Japanese Alpine Valley
"When we get back I'm going to go to the library and see if Mrs Eucalyptus can recommend a book about Japan," said Polly Molly. "I've realised how little I know about it."
Luna Rae thought about this. "Good scheme!" she said.
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.

Image 11/25

@ Origami Crane
“I don't know how to pronounce half of these place names, Luna Rae!” said Kiki ruefully.
"Never mind," said Luna Rae. "We'll look them up when we get back to the hotel tonight!"

Image 12/25

@ Serene Japanese Garden Bridge
“I don't know how to pronounce half of these place names, Luna Rae!” said Pony Pony ruefully.
"Never mind," said Luna Rae. "We'll look them up when we get back to the hotel tonight!"

Image 13/25

@ Samurai Statuette
“I don't know how to pronounce half of these place names, Luna Rae!” said Tigger ruefully.
"Never mind," said Luna Rae. "We'll look them up when we get back to the hotel tonight!"

Image 14/25

@ Sake Barrels
"Hey, did you know there's a Disneyland on Honshu, Luna Rae?" queried Freyja.
"No kidding? Where is it exactly?"
"Tokyo Disneyland is a theme park located in the Kanto region. Despite its name, it is actually located in the Chiba prefecture and not Tokyo. It's very easy to get to from Tokyo."

Image 15/25

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

Image 16/25

@ Japanese Red Viburnum
"Our tour guide was explaining in the hotel foyer this morning that rice cookers are more common than an oven in Japan," said Hera.
"Well, I'm very fond of rice, but that does surprise me!" responded Luna Rae.

Image 17/25

@ Mt Azuma, Tohoku
" 'Japan has over 5 million vending machines that can sell almost anything, be it batteries, ramen, sake, bananas, umbrellas, flowers—you name it and the vending machines probably stock it.'," read Aunt Bee from the tour guide.
"That's incredible! We'll have to go into town and look to see what we could get!" responded Luna Rae.

Image 18/25

@ Mount Iide, 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.

Image 19/25

@ Yellow Blossoms, Tohoku
Tofu is an English loanword from Japanese, in which it is itself a loanword from Mandarin Chinese.

Image 20/25

@ Hazy Lake, Akita, Tohoku
"One of the trains in Japan floats above the tracks due to magnetism. Its speed is 340 mph (550 km/h)!" remarked Helga.
"Wow! That's amazing!" responded Luna Rae.

Image 21/25

@ Mountain Flowers, Japan
"One of the trains in Japan floats above the tracks due to magnetism. Its speed is 340 mph (550 km/h)!" remarked Turbo.
"Wow! That's amazing!" responded Luna Rae.
Mountain Flowers, Japan
Snow still lingers on the mountain passes while flowers announce the start of the warmer weather.

Image 22/25

@ Forest Cascade, Tohoku
"It says here that fortune cookies were first made in Japan," remarked Listy.
"Oh wow, I didn't know that!" responded Luna Rae.

Image 23/25

@ Iide Mountains, Tohoku
"So, Tiara Maxwell, the next Japanese phrase is 'Excuse me'. That's sumimasen. It says you don't put any stress on the 'u', so it's pronounced 'smee-ma-sen'.
"Is it like in Britain where if a pet accidentally bumps into you, you both say 'excuse me' or 'sorry'?"
"I'm sure that will be the case here too, Tiara Maxwell!"

Image 24/25

@ Night Forest, Hachimantai
Tofu is an English loanword from Japanese, in which it is itself a loanword from Mandarin Chinese.

Image 25/25

@ Mt Mitsuishi, Tohoku
Luna Rae has now completed her journey through Honshu! As she prepares to go home, she 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?


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