From May 3rd to 5th, 2023, we traveled to Yatsugatake located between Yamanashi and Nagano.
We enjoyed forest bathing and touching goats and cows on the farm.
This season (1st week of May) is always crowded with Japanese tourists every year because of a national week-long holiday. So we booked the business hotel in Yamanashi between Tokyo and Nagano and stayed there.
The Yatsugatake area is located about 200 km from Tokyo. If there were no traffic jams, it would take about 3 hours to get there from Tokyo. However, at this time of year, it takes more than twice as long as usual due to traffic congestion. To avoid the traffic jams, we stayed at a business hotel (Comfort inn Kofu:Link below) in Yamanashi beforehand, which is outside the congested spots in Tokyo.
This way, we could enjoy our trip as planned.
Fujimi plateau Hananosato （富士見高原花の里）
In the morning, we headed for Fujimi high field. We rode on the golf cart automatically operated and we were taken to the high field of Yatsugatake.
At the top, you can see the beautiful mountain called “Japan Alps” and Mt. Fuji.
Not only the view,but you can also see various flowers.
The season we visited was spring. To be honest, we couldn’t see many flowers.
The peak season for flower blossoms is summer.
For your reference, I’ve attached a picture from the official page.
Country Kitchen for Lunch
For lunch, we went to the regionally famous restaurant “Yatsugatake Country Kitchen”.
It is a relaxing space on the plateau that features a variety of unique stores.
These include a restaurant that serves special dishes, a bakery famous for its stone oven-baked bread, a café nestled in a grove of trees, and a store that sells sundries and hat.
I ordered the original curry rice, and it was nice. The taste of the curry was the mild taste of French stew, it’s not hot. The local food here is fresh and gives you a natural harmony with nature.
Takayama Family Farm
In the afternoon, we went to the family farm. There were many activities: horse riding, a walk with goats, and cow milking. This is a good way of learning experience for children.
After participating in various activities, we were able to use a few of our tickets to drink raw milk at the farm. The milk we drank was very rich and delicious.
Rather than looking at animals and plants in a textbook, it would be much more useful to go to the countryside, climb mountains, visit farms, and learn the names of flowers and animals naturally.
This is a good way for children to learn. They will naturally know that food comes from nature, not supermarkets.
