Tuesday, 3 January 2017

Gujou Hachiman Castle and sample food making in Nagano and Gifu

One really cool thing about studying at Osaka Uni last year was that they organised really cool 'study trips' for us- overnight trips for only about £20, and we got to go to places like Naoshima and Himeji castle. This time was a trip to Nagano and Gifu prefectures. We got to see gorgeous rural Japan and go sightseeing.

First place we visited was Gujohachiman town. First up we had some free time to explore, so me and some friends climbed up the hill to visit Gujo Hachiman castle:

It's such a lovely castle! It's a bit out of the way, but definitely visit if you get the chance!

Next up we went to a place where they make food samples and we got the chance to make our own- the traditional way using wax! We made Tempura. Mine wasn't too beautiful, but I did have a lot of fun :)

Next we got back on the coach to Gero, in Gifu prefecture. We stayed at a huge fancy ryokan with an onsen! Gero onsen is pretty famous, so even though I'm not really a fan of onsen (taking a too hot bath with strangers is a bit much) I went in! It felt really nice, and it made my skin really soft too! I'm a bit sensitive to heat though, so I had to get out quickly and go to bed...