Day 8

Prayer Request: That the Japanese people would come to know and love the Creator of nature, even more than they love the mountains, and rivers, and trees that reflect a bit of God’s creativity and His love for us.

Today we had a little more time to make breakfast before we needed to head out, so I had time to try using the teeny-tiny knife in our cabin’s kitchen to make some bunny apples. They were adorable, and now I want to find a teeny-tiny knife. 😊

Bunnies!

Because it was supposed to rain today, our itinerary changed a bit, and our hosts decided to take us to the Shiraito Falls and the Mt. Asama Lava Beds first, instead of waiting until after lunch.

K-Car

We drove up a very windy road that went up into the mountains and parked at a forested little tourist area in front of the trail to the waterfalls.

Warning of a Bear Sighting

Stream by Shiraito Falls

We journeyed up to the falls, along with a number of Japanese tourists, being greeted by “BEAR SIGHTINGS!” notices along the way. There were picturesque streams on both sides of the path, and we had to stop for pictures multiple times on the way up.

The falls themselves were very interesting: the water comes out of the mountainside and creates a line of waterfalls over two hundred feet long. The water flows into a clear pool, before turning into little streams that descend the mountain into the Yukawa (river). The falls continue to flow year-round because the falls stay at a consistent temperature of around 53oF, this is thought to be due to geothermic heat from volcanic activity, but has not been confirmed.

Shiraito Falls

After seeing the falls, we stopped at the souvenir shop and picked up some interesting apple-themed snacks to bring home. Apples are the local specialty of the Nagano prefecture, which I especially appreciate, as it creates a very welcoming environment for an American Midwesterner. 😉

Walking Trail in Mt. Asama Park

Next, we drove up to the Mt. Asama Lava Beds: a national park of untouched piles of rock from when Mt. Asama erupted in 1783. The landscape there is surprisingly surreal. The rock beds look rather foreboding, but the local plants have crept into the landscape, and make the post-apocalyptic-like scene very beautiful. There are paved trails that wind through the rock towards the volcano and are marked every so often by Shinto or Buddhist statues that lead to the temple further up.

Shinto Shrine on Mt. Asama

It was traditionally believed that there were two demons (Oni) that lived in the volcano and that the temple built after the eruption kept the valley safe from Mt. Asama’s destructive potential. Today the temple is a tourist spot, but there is still a sense that it would be “bad luck” if the locals did not support the temple (use name?). This tension illustrates a cultural barrier that exists to Christianity in Japan. While many Japanese don’t really consider themselves to be religious, they will support Shinto and Buddhist Temples for “good luck” and because of a sense of responsibility to Japanese tradition. In rural areas of Japan, people sometimes prefer to “tack-on” Christian beliefs to Shinto and Buddhist worship, because they find it hard to let go of the small bit of security that they had found in those traditions. It, therefore, becomes important for Christian leaders to stand firm in the message that we are complete with Christ, and that no other “god” can offer us security.

Fortunes tied to metal wires to enhance good-luck, or ward off bad-luck

1-yen coins placed in cracks in lava rock for good-luck

Rett next to a large lava rock

Background: Mt. Asama, Foreground: Concrete shelters in case of a small eruption

After hiking back down to our car, we drove back down the mountain to Karuizawa (being narrowly missed by a truck on the way). We all had lunch, and got some rest, before lending a hand with the maintenance of KRC. The power washer wouldn’t start today, so the men-folk worked on pulling it apart to see what was wrong (Rett got to reassemble a carburetor), while the women-folk raked up twigs and leaves, and assembled towel sets for future guests.

Shoji Screen and Condiments at Japanese Restaurant

At the end of the day, we went to a very Japanese restaurant for dinner. We sat on floor cushions on top of tatami mats and ate meal sets of traditional Japanese food, rice, pickles, and miso soup.

Mackerel Meal Set

They even had Salt-Grilled Mackerel, which I ordered and promptly grossed everyone out by eating the whole thing (except the spine) tail first. The process of “salt-grilling” fish makes the skin and fins very chip-like, so it is a lot like eating the crispy skin on a turkey (aka, not as cringe-worthy as you might think). After dinner, we went back to Carolyn and Larry’s cabin for games, conversation, and tiny snickers bars. It was a very sweet and fun end to our last evening in Karuizawa. (insert sniffling noise here)

Bio-luminescent Moss in Crevices  Near Mt. Asama