The Hills Are Alive

Today was our last day in the Japanese Alps so we headed up early to the Shinhotaka Ropeway (which is what they call a cable car). It has 2 stages the second being in a double decker car that swung backwards and forwards when going through the support stands on the way. At the top you had 360 views around, despite not being at the top of a mountain and it was stunning. the main blip is of 3 of the 4 views. The highest here was about 3.1km high (10000 feet). There was almost no wind and temperature was fine.

In the hills it has been about 28 degrees, but when we get away from them it has been about 38. Today it peaked at 41 according to the car, but most of the day, we were in the car with aircon.

The extra has a few views on our way to Tokyo. We had driven close to Mount Fuji for a view but it was covered head to toe in cloud, but the lake in front of it looked like the riviera! Photo 1 was the toll entrance to a road the cuts across the alps instead of windy windy roads. It took us through a 4.7km tunnel (almost 3 miles). You would think tunnels would be built straight through mountains, but this one went up, down, left and right... how do they work these things out? Photo 2 was an impressive dam where flotsam had gathered in the corner for so long it looked like you could walk on it. Photo 3 was a view across to the Shinkansen railway which looked like a scene from The Hunger Games, a bridge crossing a valley with wind protectors all along. We seen similar constructions in the express-ways we were driving too. Photo 4 was the satnav which was mainly in Japanese, but told us enough on where to go, including toll prices.

Speaking of which, we arrived in Tokyo about 6pm and checked into the hotel first then took the car back to the rental (Toyota rents cars by the way) which was just a street away, but took about 20 minute to find - it was underground. The road toll bill was £105! We got a printout of all the tolls we went through - we probably did about 900km, 600miles and the express ways certainly made it much easier. Much of the 200km drive to Tokyo was on an elevated road and we didn't actually touch the ground until central Tokyo. the road went through and over anything, and regularly had sound and wind breaks as it was metres from houses.

I am hoping the Japanese have got used to my new indicating system... windscreen wipers on full for turning right and intermittent for turning left. Right until the end, I kept getting the indicator switch mixed up with the wipers with great hilarity for the passengers! These 4 days being free in rural Japan has been lovely and we've seen a lot. Most of the landscape on our road trip has been small and big pointy hills, no rolling hills here, and mostly all covered with trees. Anyway, now for our  last 4 nights in Tokyo!