Kawagoe is still as wholesome as ever

I’m currently writing this the morning after I reached Minobu. But I have some stuff to cover since the last post in Kawagoe. I wish I could have stayed there longer to pay Meru Coffee a visit (a quirky coffee shop that is somewhat of a niche anime spot for fans of the voice actor Konomi Kohara – which I covered in the past here). But hey, maybe another time. I’ll be nearby in Tokyo just before I leave Japan so perhaps then.

One of the guest house staff called “Mai” on our second night in Kawagoe informed us that it was English night later, and that we were welcome to join. So I couldn’t turn down the offer. It was mainly for Japanese people to practice their English with one another as they don’t get the opportunity often, and also meet new people, play some games, and have some food. The game chosen for that night was Geoguessr, which is a cult classic for people my age. The website plonks you down in a random location on google maps and you have to guess where you are. The closer, the more points. We were split up into a few teams and the game was projected onto a big white screen. It was many of the Japanese people’s first time playing and we all really enjoyed it. I also had some nice conversations with some Japanese people, something that as a foreign tourist doesn’t happen much. And I also made some new friends. It was fun showing people where I’m from and what Jersey is like.

The morning before we left we spent some more time wandering around the little shops of Kawagoe and trying different snacks and treats.

So that pretty much wraps up Kawagoe. A short time spent there, but memorable nonetheless. Just as wholesome as it was when I last visited. The guesthouse is called “Chabudai”. If you’re in or around Tokyo, it’s definitely worth paying Kawagoe and Chabudai a visit. Tell them I sent you 🙂

The journey to minobu

Minobu is a long way from Kawagoe, and we had to lug our big bags on 3 different metro lines before we reached the mainline to take us to Yamanashi.

It was proper seating with lots of legroom on the 1hr train to Kofu, which was a nice change. The route was nice and scenic through the mountains too.

Then after reaching Kofu, we hopped on the Minobu line. It’s probably among the more remote train lines we will travel along. The trains are only 2 cars, and since there are unmanned stations along the way, paying works almost like a bus service. You enter anywhere you want but exit at the front. The train driver has a little kiosk where you pay for your journey if you don’t have a ticket. We took the local service from Kofu to Minobu, which was 18 stops and 1hr 20 mins. We passed by the Yuru Camp school and I wish I had time to visit it again.

After that it was a short bus ride and then a short but steep climb to Kakurinbo guest house. Kakurinbo is part Buddhist temple, and part Ryokan. It’s a very picturesque place in a very picturesque location. Said picturesque pictures will be pictured in the next post 😛

I worked here a few years ago in between some of my Yuru Camp tours and it’s nice to see some of the people here again. Kath and I gifted Junko (the owner of the guesthouse) some proper loose leaf British tea, and a Jersey tea towel in typical British fashion.

Finally Yuru Camping

So here is where part of the Yuru Camp pilgrimage begins again. Sorry to the people that might be reading this blog and have no interest in anime. But for those that don’t but still want to keep reading anyway, Yuru Camp is an anime that is set around the Yamanashi prefecture, nothing much happens apart from the main characters going camping and having a good time, which is kind of the point.

If you want to refresh your mind about all that previous Yuru Camp stuff I did 3 years ago, you can read about it through the following links.

Yuru Camp Backpacking 1 – Motosu/Fumotoppara Leg

Yuru Camp Backpacking 2 – Lake Shibire/Kofu Leg

Yuru Camp Backpacking 3 – Tsuetsuki pass

In that last post I had to miss out on a couple locations due to covid, but I’m picking up where I left off later in the trip. Until then I’ll go up the Minobusan ropeway as the characters do in season 2, and I might go and have a peek at the location that inspired the campsite that the characters build in the movie. And some more locations from season 2 will be visited in the second half of my Japan trip in a few weeks. See you in the next post!