Kamishiro

I don`t want to leave. This place is gorgeous. It has the permanent Sunday-morning feel that being an out-of-season ski-resort brings, semi-deserted, calm and stunningly beautiful. Kamishiro is a tiny village a few kilometres along the valley from Hakuba, in the northern Japan Alps. Densely wooded mountains rise on all sides of the village, snow still streaking the gullies of their upper slopes. It`s like living in a chocolate box, steeply roofed buildings in all manner of designs are dotted beside the little lanes of the village.

My first day here I took the gondola lift up the mountain, then walked through misty cloud on a path flanked on either side by lush greenery to the peak, Kotomi, at 2007 m. It was a pity that the cloud obscured what views there might have been, but it was pure bliss to be up a mountain, breathing the fresh air ripe with the surrounding greenery. I met a few cheery hikers on the way, those who could expressed their amazement at the sight of a solo hiker - not to mention a solo female traveller who can`t speak Japanese. This is not a country where many people do things on their own. At the summit I was roped in to join the group photo of a large group of lovely old men who insisted on pressing food onto me. Back at the bottom gondola station the water-jump was in use - a couple of small ski-jumps on a dry slope which provided a landing zone in the form of a swimming pool.　I walked back up to watch various snowboarders and skiers whizz down the jump, perform various spins and somersaults, then land with a cracking splash in the pool. And just to prove how important fashion is to these freestylers, I was pleased to note that over their wetsuits and life-jackets they had taken the trouble to pull on baggy board shorts and enormous logo-encrusted t-shirts. Refreshing as it looked, I declined the invitation to have a go. After returning to the hostel I took the train to Hakuba where I had a brief potter around and a look at a nice little park by the river with a few thatched buildings, a miniature suspension bridge and a decorative water wheel. Later in the evening the manager of the hostel took everyone (it`s nice and quiet - not exactly a full hostel) to see the fireflies nearby. There weren`t thousands, but there were enough to make a captivating show as they blinked in the ditches and trailed greenly by in low-level flight. It was starting to rain and lightning flickered constantly, adding a strange dimension as it obliterated the fireflies` glow but lit up the surroundings in its startling white flicker.

Yesterday I joined two other travellers from my hostel and took the bus to the Happo ski area in Hakuba, where we took a gondola and two chair lifts up the mountain to do some more walking. Forty minutes or so took us to Happo Ike - a pretty little pond at 2060m. Still stiff from yesterday`s exertions, I sat a while longer while my companions began the ascent towards the main summit and was rewarded with a brief clearing of the mist/cloud. I decided that a little more gentle exercise was in order and continued the climb for another half hour or so, until the path became enclosed by foliage and the intermittent views (cloud dependent) disappeared. I knew I didn`t have the fitness for the summit, so instead enjoyed a leisurely descent. Despite a long hot soak in the bath, my calves were so tight from the unaccustomed climbing, or maybe the descent, that I could barely hobble down the stairs that evening.

This morning, down-stairs movement was still a problem, so after a lie-in and late breakfast I decided to punish some different muscles and hired a bike. I cycled to Aoki Lake, a beautiful stretch of deep green water (though no doubt much of the colour is due to the reflection of the forested hills that surround it) and on and round a neighbouring smaller, but equally stunning, lake. Both of them could be circled using paths or little-used single-track roads, making for idyllic cycling conditions. On the way back I diverted from the road and took a track between the rice fields, bimbling along enjoying sun, solitude and serenity. By early evening, showered and relaxed, I was ravenous and strolled down through the village one last time in search of dinner. I ate some good Japanese food and as I meandered back to the hostel in the last of the day`s light I felt unbelievably good and realised with a pang that I really don`t want to leave this place. I could so happily just stay here till it`s time to go home, enjoying the best hostel I`ve ever stayed in, the mountain scenery, the walks and bike rides I still haven`t taken, the peace and ease of life here. This is truly a place to remember, to come back to.