Matt's Yamanashi Life

Part 2 of 2 Moving on from where we left off last time, you had a few too many wines at Budo no Oka which has made you think everything you say is as funny as Charlie Kelly in Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia. You have made a wise decision to pull the pin on the wine, enjoyed some noodles at Minaki but now feel you may need something extra to clean yourself up before you head back to be a salaryman in Tokyo. My suggestion is head to Misaka No Yu and enjoy the variety of facil

Part one -the recovery steps after visiting Budo no Aka After the blog on Budo no Oka, I’m going to enlighten you on two special Yamanashi activities that will get you more sober than talking to the most boring man in the world. Remember these two methods will not make you capable of driving, if you are unaware, driving in Japan means you must have an 0% alcohol level. After spending a morning being a glutton on Katsunuma’s wine, you can either do two things. Keep on pushing

As a New Zealander, we are always after a bargain. In Yamanashi there are many and if you’re after a day to sample some of Japans best wines at a unheralded price read on. If your getting off the JR Chuo Line from Tokyo look directly over at the first hill and you will see a building shining like a bald mans head in summer time. Get into a taxi with will take 5 minutes to get to paradise. Welcome to Budo no Oka (Grape Hill), a marketplace and tasting centre for a huge array o

Winter in Japan means the indoor heat is turned to a level that is almost as ridiculous as the TV show Finding Bigfoot. If you think Bigfoot is real then view Slednecks for some utter stupidity. The heat dries you out to the point where drinking a litre cola doesn’t even satisfy your body and your craving those stinky humid days of summer to return. The best way to combat this for me is to get outside and enjoy what’s on offer in Yamanashi during the winter months. The Saiko

I know many people who love to have their own special place in the world, whether its a special fishing spot, a slot machine, a Vietnamese meat roll shop, or a Owl Cafe. Everyone needs to have that place where they can re invigorate themselves and get their thoughts clear before watching Glenn Maxwell play cricket. For me, its the mountain I look at everyday above Morita Farm at Kamikurokoma Misaka’s Himine Shrine. There are numerous hiking tracks with views of Mt Fuji, Kofu

Everyone knows you can enjoy fresh fish in Japan, there’s plenty of information out there for you to learn about that topic. This post is to enlighten you about some alternatives to fish that you can enjoy without a frypan in sight while in the mountains of Yamanashi. Growing up in New Zealand and watching Mr Bean eating his Steak tartar, we were taught that eating raw meats were a sin. It didn’t help that my sister was quite close to being diagnosed with Cibophobia, so in ou

The Mt Fuji area has some of the most beautiful sights in Japan. Images you will treasure for the rest of your life. Aokigahara Forest is another these places that you are sure to remember for the beauty, but also the eeriness that lingers through the area. When I first visited the forest, without even knowing of its history I found myself quoting the famous Jake Heke from Once Were Warriors with “This place gives me the creeps”. Aokigahara is to the right of the photo After

I climbed Mt Fuji for the first time back in July 2009, at the start of the school holidays, climbed overnight with limited clothing, no torch and the only food I brought along being two cold cheeseburgers. Once I got to the top, the wind was so bad I’m sure I saw Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton running around trying to make a movie. Its fair to say I agreed with the old Japanese proverb that every Mt Fuji blog likes to warn us about, ‘He who climbs Fuji once is wise; he who climb

The 4 seasons in Yamanashi are as distinct as you can get. There are major extremes with summer in the Kofu, Isawa area getting to 40C and Kiyosato city sometimes getting to -20C in winter. Coming from the tropics of Cairns where there is only wet and dry season, it makes for some interesting places to visit all year round. In Enzan area of Yamanashi, you will find one of regions most sought after areas, Nishizawa Valley. All year round there are changing views, I haven't exp

In Yamanashi, we are blessed with much more to do than just looking at Mt Fuji while eating Houto noodles. While the peach trees are enjoying themselves in the cold, I will bring some of my favourite places that are worth visiting when you come around here next. Yamanashi is Japan’s wine region, most will be thinking I will be writing about an award winning white wine made in the Katsunuma. For many this is the tastiest drop, but for myself the award will go to Hakushu’s Sunt