Nagano is the hub of the Japanese Alps but the reason we stayed for a day here was not for the slopes but for the little red faced monkeys. The walk to the hot springs sounded a lot worse than it was. It was an enjoyable stroll through a forest on a well-trodden, albeit a slightly slippery path. Seeing the animals for the first time was not disappointing. We could've watched these hilarious little creatures for hours. They were fighting, pushing and shoving ...

The week days were finally here and we had two years of pent up skiing frustration. It was necessary, for our health that we got onto those slopes. The hotel was a winner all round, a huge Ryokan style room with Onsens to bathe our weary legs and charming hosts who assisted our every whim. The main positive about this little hotel was its location; it was almost comparable to Boulevard. We were taken 10 metres away to get our ski hire fitted and with a quick ...

Another day trip was on the cards today and we caught the train (James nearly didn't) to Arashiyama in order to view the Bamboo groves. Finding this so called forest proved to be more difficult than originally anticipated. When we did find them it was slightly disappointing in terms of quantity. Yet, the green groves and heights of this very Asian tree provided beautiful pictures and an enchanting atmosphere. The day was still young so we tackled the bus syst...

Following Ellie's advice and wanting to make use of our rail pass we took the Shinkansen to the town of Nara where Japan's biggest Buddha statue is located. Nara is a sleepy town and the temple is situated in a park with tame deer that haunt you for food. Buddha was impressive, as always and I lit a candle in the temple for Sam and Grandy. We did a bit of an 'Uncle Chum' in Nara as we were starting to freeze! Next stop was Fushimi Inari Taisha-lots of orange ...

The original 30th plan was to be skiing today. However, the unfortunate of the day fell on a weekend. This meant the slopes would be busier and more importantly to us budgeteers a lot more expensive. James had already claimed a two week celebration for the big three O and wasn't bothered at all as we were in an amazing city in this fine country. We decided that bike ride was in order; well we had better get the strenuous activities out of the way whilst we ...