Utsukushigara and Daio Wasabi Farm

The mountains you see in the background are called the Japanese Alps. They have the same allure as the Swiss and Austrian, and the same natural beauty. At the top of the second peak you see is a place called Utsukushigara-goken.

The ride the top of this 2000+ meter mountain was beautiful but time consuming. Understandably, most mountains in Japan do not compare to the Cascades, Rockies, etc in America in terms of accessibility. The roads often have 10% incline, where in the US, as if I remember correctly, 6~7%. (If this is incorrect, please feel free to comment.) Due to this, our car which normally gets great gas mileage, was cut by half. Yet the drive was certainly worth it! As you can see in the background, you can almost touch the clouds.
The pictures we took here were from a lookout which was connect to a very famous museum at the top of the mountain. It actually has some very famous artists' work such as Picasso.

In addition to the art museum, there is an outdoor sculpture garden, or actually and outdoor sculpture field. It takes about 2 hours to walk through the entire garden, as there are dozens of pieces of art.

For all of you who enjoy using wasabi with your sushi or sashimi, I have a real treat for you. Meg and I spent an afternoon at a wasabi farm. Generally, the wasabi used in American sushi bars is green-colored horseradish. Generally, it is very expensive in the US, as the farming of wasabi requires the cleanest water possible. In the case of Diao Wasabi farm, they have redirected a portion of a river to "water" the root. This particular day was nearly 100 degrees with a humidy of around 85%+, so being near a river allowed for us to enjoy our day, somewhat.

Because this area is so natural, it attracts all types of insects and birds.
Here is a closer view of how the farming of wasabi is conducted. They pile rocks into a row, leaving space for the flowing water to penetrate to the root itself. Additionally, due to the extreme heat and intense rays of the sun, the entire area which is farmed is covered in black tarp.

A close of picture of "raw" wasabi. One root for 800 Yen.

You can also make wasabi soft-cream, (soft-serve ice cream). The flavor is actually quite good, and refreshing. Megumi really enjoyed hers. Actually, I ate most of it...

A larger view of one of the covered growing areas.

Yours truly, trying not to scream, as the water I am stepping in is only about 40~45 degrees.

Megumi concurs.
A more detailed view of how the root is arranged when grown.

Wasabi beer...what more can I say...

She likes it...

And of course, this guy definitely cant complain, ahhhhh beer...

As this place was just a wasabi farm, it needed other things to interest farmers, a traditional Japanese tea room.

Here is the shinto shrine on the property. The thing which Megumi is attempting to insert her foot into is a large, traditional Japanese sandal. This particular sandal was built for a very large god.