by Jib-kun
As much as I like this office, it's
nice to get out every once in a while.
I mean it is a nice, well-carpeted and well-lit office, but sometimes I
miss home. I miss the trees, the mountains, and the beautiful scenery of Japan's great outdoors. I've been looking for a good excuse to
get out of the office and I found one not long ago. One of the programs here at jibtv is called "Out and
About." The show takes viewers on
adventures around the countryside to visit famous locations throughout Japan.
Taking a stroll through the office I lingered by the desks of the
producers one afternoon and overheard them discussing an up coming trip to the Japan
Alps and Mt. Tateyama. The
producers were making their preparations for the trip and putting all the final
details in order. I pointed out
that in their haste they had not hired an assistant food eater. What would be done if, for example,
they were to order a large meal and not have the capacity to finish it all? Well, I volunteered my services and was
soon accepted as part of the crew.
Off we went to the beautiful mountainside of Toyama prefecture. The tour began with a one-of-a-kind bus
ride. Making our way up from the
base to the summit of these mountains, we encountered a number of unusual modes
of transportation. Our trip took
us through old mountain tunnels carved into the rock and over huge mountain
canyons suspended by wires on a gondola ride.
Buried in the mountains is the popular tourist destination of Lake
Kurobe and Japan's largest dam, the Kurobe Dam. Its beautiful scenic views were breathtaking, but my
personal favorite aspect of the location was the Kurobe Curry. A small wall of rice holds back a pool
of delicious curry, the plate arranged to represent the famous sightseeing
spot. It makes me think you could
make an excellent restaurant based on Japan's many tourist attractions. If there is a Kurobe Curry, why not a
Tokyo Tower of pancakes or a Mt. Fuji of yakisoba? Tourism could be sooooo delicious.
Our travels took host Sotaro Nagasawa farther and farther up into the mountains. I have to admit the cable gondola ride with an over 1.7 mile stretch of wire left me uncomfortably hanging in the air. From there with the help of a guide, Nagasawa-san hiked farther into the snow on a pair of ice climbing shoes. Fortunately, they also had a fabulous cafeteria where I decided to stay for this leg of the journey. I met the lovely staff of the mountain emergency response team and shared a meal with them in their mountain home!
It was a fantastic trip through the mountains of Japan. Living in Tokyo you can start to forget the beautiful countryside of Japan, but this trip reminded me of all the natural beauty this country has. Even if you may never get to make the trip yourself, you can check out this gorgeous mountain destination on "Out & About". It airs on June 30th! Be sure to check it out.
