Previous step of the trip : the Shin-Hodaka area.

Norikura-Kogen is mostly known for its ski resort, but the area presents some attractive possibilities in summer, too. We arrived in the evening, and directly headed for our pension. Although they had nice bedrooms with beds, Joanna, Axel and JP preferred to get a room with tatami mat!

The pension also had a nice, although small, onsen, where we all visited before breakfast.

The breakfast was taken in one of the small cafe of the town. Norigura Kogen has a strong taste of an european mountain village, and the restaurant are mostly serving non-japanese food! Indeed, the breakfast - consisting of toasts, butter, marmalade and salad was very much enjoyed by everybody.

So what about the features in summer? Mostly nature, as you can see...

But also onsen. Shirahone Onsen is really close.

Although this very small town had received a lot of negative advertisements in 2004 (since the caretakers of the public bath were adding chemicals in the water to alter it and make it looks more natural), the place has one of the most famous onsen in Japan: Awanoyu. The ryokan is definitively scenic, but the reputation of the bath is a little exaggerated. Indeed, the only mixed outside bath is quite small, unlike what you would expect when looking on the official pictures on the internet! But the water really has a blue, milky appearance.

And two more pictures...