From Davis In Japan: The Japan Alps, The Place To Keep Cool!

amanda-daddy-reduced

Davis & his daughter, Amanda fresh from the Japanese hot baths!

As I have told you before, my father-in-law always wants to bring me somewhere special when I visit Japan.  This year he showed me the “Japan Alps” a series of three mountain ranges that bisect the main island of Honshu.  These mountains are a popular tourist destination.  Check out the picture below taken from the west coast city of Toyama:

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The small lines above each peak are showing elevation.  The highest point is 3,015 meters (9,892 ft.)  We actually rode in a bus through a tunnel dug below that mountain’s peak, as well as another that is 2,678 meters (8,786 ft.).  Notice the jet in the left side of the picture.

There is a main road through the mountains that is literally buried in snow during the winter.  It is closed during winter, but re opened during the spring after a snow plow digs through an average of 17 meters (56 ft.) of snow to uncover it.

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That’s quite a sight for the tourists in the bus!

Compare that to what it looked like when we were there:

bus-in-summer-reduced

Anyway, sayonara for now!  I will have another post soon about a mirage of a west coast city seen out at sea from a different city.

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