By Kendra Evans
Last week, we had a visitor to the Global
Tourism and Exchange Department. One of the students from Fuefuki Junior High
School came to our office for his work experience. His job was to plan a trip
showcasing some of the fun things to do in Yamanashi as a tourist. He had to
plan the route, the schedule, the locations and the activities. It seemed like
a very difficult task, but he got to work straight away, and after a day of planning,
we set out on his tour of Yamanashi Prefecture.
Our first stop was near Kawaguchiko Town:
Oshino Hakkai, the eight ponds which sprung from the water which has run down
Mt Fuji and created springs around its base. The water there is so clean that
you can drink it straight from the spring, and the ponds are so clear that you
can see all the way down to the bottom.
These ponds are now a World Heritage site,
and there were many tourists there to see them. However, I was more fascinated
by the houses we saw on our way in. From the roofs to their gardens, these
houses had a very old style, and their architecture fit very well with the
environment. The red and orange trees surrounding the ponds and on the
mountains in the distance were signaling the end of the autumn season.
We bought some of the spring water in a pet
bottle we filled ourselves, and then went for a walk to some of the other
ponds. One was tucked away beside a stream, and was surrounded by beautiful
falling leaves – but the fruit which had fallen from the gingko tree had begun
to leave a smell, so we didn’t stay there too long!
After walking around the old houses, we set
off for the next stop: Oshino Shinobu no Sato, or Oshino Ninja Village. Full of
history and information about ninjas, this is a very popular site for foreign
tourists to Yamanashi and Mt Fuji.
The Ninja Village is said to be beautiful during
the cherry blossom season, as the whole garden is surrounded by cherry blossom
trees which bloom beautifully along the pathways in March and April. There is
also a foot bath, where you can relax and enjoy the scenery while soaking your
feet. Perfect on your way back from a hike!
There are also several activities to do in
the Ninja Village. As it had been raining, we decided not to try the ‘Ninja
Training’ activities, which include shuriken throwing and an obstacle course.
Instead, we tried the Trick House, or Karakuri Yashiki. A real-life puzzle, the
house is eerily quiet, and visitors have to find hidden doors and pathways to
make their way to the exit.
The shop is also full of perfect souvenirs
to bring back for your families and friends. I would definitely recommend this
for people staying around Fuji Five Lakes or just the Kawaguchiko area.
We stopped in a seating area outside the
Oshino Park Photography Museum to eat our lunch, and then moved on to our next
location. Yamanashi Prefecture is famous for its wine, and so our tour guide
made sure to include Aka-Fuji Wine Cellar in our schedule, so we could enjoy
some wine tasting.
The winery has a nice atmosphere, and the
staff are all very friendly and knowledgeable about the wine. The first room we
entered was full of barrels, and very dark. We went from signpost to signpost
trying to answer the questions about wine written on them. As we were
discussing one of the questions with the staff, the door at the back of the
room opened – and revealed a stunning wine cellar with bottles all over the
walls.
We tried six different wines during our
visit. My favourite was a sweet red wine, which is known to go very well with
orange juice for Sangria, or warm spices for making mulled wine. The bottles
were very reasonably priced for such delicious wine. We also got to try a
dessert wine, because the lady serving us took a liking to our tour guide, even
though he couldn’t try the wine himself! The dessert wine was sweet and
flavourful – and cost 12,000 yen. We decided to buy just the ordinary wine and
some of their delicious grape juice.
Our last stop took us back to the north of
Yamanashi. Our guide took us to his hometown of Yamanashi City so we could
visit the Fruits Park. The Fruits Park is a huge complex, with an amazing view
down into the basin, plenty of fruit trees, beautiful water fountains and some
strange, bulb like greenhouse buildings that definitely draw the eye.
We went down into the basement of one of
these buildings, to view their exhibition on fruit. We learnt a lot about where
some fruit has come from, the history of fruit eating in Japan, and
particularly about wine production all across the world. It was a very
interesting and interactive exhibit, and I would definitely recommend it for
families and those interested in agriculture.
There is also an onsen at the very top of
the hill in the Fruits Park, which I have been to before. It is open air, so
the view is even better. Also, although you can’t pick the fruit off the trees
in the Fruits Park, there are many different places to go fruit picking just
outside the park and around it. Yamanashi City has many places to pick grapes,
plums, peaches and more. I think that a trip to the Fruits Park would be a good
way to spend an afternoon for visitors to the prefecture.
After the Fruits Park, we were very tired
out, but we had had a fun day seeing lots of different places in Yamanashi.
Thank you very much to our tour guide for planning such an excellent trip! I
will definitely visit these places again!
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