Celebrating with 'Shrooms!

On Sunday, Mayu and I went to Heisenji to take photos and video of the koyo, autumn leaves. It was too early. You can see the results in my recent video.

So on Monday, in the mist, I suggested we drive way up into the mountains, all the way up to Izumi-mura (35km from here, but 1.5hrs to get there) through some of the more rugged yet beautiful terrain in the prefecture. I used to work up there every Thursday when I was working for the School board. It was an absolutely wonderful place to go, a village with a population of about 500 people at most (including those in the cemetery!)

Unfortunately.... the leaves aren't quite ready up there yet, either, as you can see in these three photographs I took:

There are a few photos more on Flickr if you care to see, but the colours aren't there yet. Don't mind the turkey... it was a homing-device "gift" from a friend of yore...

But! On the way down the mountian we took a detour through the mountains up a river and to a village that is known for it's historic refuge of ronin samurai and their families who were escaping the Tokugawa Shogun's fall from favour as the Shogun was busy absconding with land and doing what it is that all dictators love to do (enrich their coffers).

Apparently the families of the local ruling clans that lost battles to protect their lands here had to run for the hills and run they did! Hiding up in the Kamiono area must have been an amazing feat before there were any concrete roads, highways and tunnels up in THOSE mountains! It is said that even now, some samurai swords can still be found when land is overturned as everyone hid their clan background by pretending to be simple farmers just in case the Shogun's army might happen upon them waaay wayyyyy deep in the mountains.

There also happens to be a deep mine up there and tourists can take a ride into the closed mine (for money, of course).

We didn't go there for the history. Nope. We didn't go there for the mine, either. We went there because we wanted mushrooms!

There is a mushroom factory up in that area, and we figured that since we were "in the neighbourhood" (only about 4km away) we would head on over and pick some up.

I LOVE Japanese mushrooms! There are so many varieties here, that Japan truly is a 'shroom-lover's paradise! Why just yesterday in the supermarket I bought five varieties alone!

In Japan, we may not be able to get butter, we may have a run on bananas due to crazy banana diets, but can we get mushrooms?

YES WE CAN!

I love you!

Cam