Rolling the CC

The plan for the Chubu Challenge was hatched over a long, classless week, in which long hours spent in the staffroom with nothing much to do lead me to work out exactly how far from my desk I could get over the course of a four day weeekend. Utilising the all-you-can-ride Seishun 18 ticket and a timetable of local trains, I planned a huge loop around central Japan. Starting in Hyogo and heading north past Kyoto to the northern coast and the famous cliffs of Tojimbo, it then headed east to Kanazawa, south through the mountains of Nagano and then back westwards past Nagoya. There was time for sightseeing and temples, drunkeness and karaoke, and a full day for cutting up the slopes on the pristine powder of Goryu. It was a pretty comprehensive loop, especially for four days, and I certainly made my money back off JR. Chubu is often overlooked in guidebooks, but I’d recommend it to anyone in a second. Some of the mountain scenery up near Nagano is nothing short of spectacular, the food is great and the people some of the friendliest I’ve met in Japan. Get out there! Next on my list is the Tohoku Teardown; coming sometime later this year.

Posted in Travel on Monday March 27, 2006.