Team Labs

Early this morning we bought tickets.  $120 so we could turn up at any time. BTW a time slot ticket was way cheaper.  Of course when we got there, there was no queue.

At the baggage place. Which was also Karaoke bar.  Thought we should practice. 

Tue3-3 Leaving Myoko Kogan

6:00am rise& Shine 

Packing

7:00 Breakfast 

8:30 mini bus to the station

Train to Nagano

Shenkenzen Nagano to Tokyo.

Train to a Hamamatsucho Station

Henry located a baggage storage.

Walked to Team Labs

Team Labs.

Coffee / hot chocolate 

Taxi back to baggage store.

Walked to Hamamatsucho Station.

Monorail to Haneda.

Bag drop, security,  immigration. 

Phoebe and Henry into the lounge. 

MOTEL ROOM

Some time in past I had somehow gotten the idea that Japan did not look disabled people but this trip has shown me that Japan does seem to do things for disabled people.   I have observed Those bumpy strip's on the floor and disabled parking spots.

Sun 1 Mar

MORNING

Phoebe and I skied together and Henry went off on search of faster runs. 

HAPPY HOUR

AFTERNOON 

I skied with Henry and Phoebe went on her own. 

DINNER

After dinner we had crepes from a hole in the wall.  It's very popular. 

Sat28 evening

After returning from the monkeys.

Shower and the ritual of washing snot rags. 

Onsen - the first at this hotel.  Whereas the Hakuba hotel had a sanitised Onsen the Myoko Kogan hotel had one fed artesian hot water. The Hakuba one smelt strongly of Chlorine and the Myoko one reeks of sulphur and has lots of little floaties. 

Sat in the lounge / common room with H & P. Cocktails.

SAT28 Snow Monkies

SAT28 Snow Monkies

I'm still only running at half power. I have a cold. Saps energy. Nose producing gunk.

[Not so] Fun fact: you can't buy panadol at the local shop or Japanese 711.

The weather is very foggy and as discussion turned to considering other activities, I was quite OK with forgoing skiing.

At breakfast Phoebe asked the hotel owner about buses to the Snow Monkies. The lady advised a bus at 10 from the bus stop near the information place. 

Phoebe and I did a reconnoiter and established:

1 bus per day. 

Departs 10:02 

¥50000 AU$50 pp return. 

Return leaves at 2pm

Back at M Kogan 3:15pm

Monkey Park entry $8.

So we decided to visit the monkeys. That was something Phoebe had really wanted to do. Box ticked. 

Quite a long walk. 6km return. 

Nice forest with Japanese Cedar trees on the down hill side and for some of the way Oak trees on the upper side. 

MONKEY FACTS:

Males leave the tribe in search of females in a different tribe. 

The males in the potential new tribe attempt to dissuade them but some females do mate and then it seems that the males can stay in the new tribe. 

Mothers and children stay together. 

THREATS AND PREDATORS 

Loss of forest. 

Hepatitis B virus.

Rabies

WALK DOWN

roadside shop - I bought chips and an apple pie and Phoebe bought chicken nuggets and apple pie.

Bought a fresh apple. Gee that was nice. The freshness of it. 

BUS HOME

Popped a Codral. 

Leaned the seat back.

Bit of a doze. 

Tourists looking at the monkeys in the hot tub.  Web cam on the left. 

Tue 24 Matsumoto

Train to Matsumoto. 

Walk around. 

711

Coffee

Matsumoto Castle.

Meat bar

TRAIN

Typically 120kmh.  Not a shenkenzen. Just a regional train. 

COFFEE

CASTLE