Golden Week, or the traditional Japanese spring holiday, is upon us. The hotels are busy, the hardcore skiiers are taking advantage of their last chance to get out for the season, and the parking lot at Hakuba 47 resembled a party as people relaxed in their camp chairs out the back of the van with BBQ on the go as they took turns getting a few, well, turns in on the slopes.
This week also sees the Shionomichi Matsuri, or the Salt Road Festival, which is spread over three days between the towns of Otari (Cortina and Tsugaike), Hakuba itself and Omachi, just a step down the road. The festival commemorates the old Salt Road, in olden days, the route over which salt and other supplies were brought in and by Hakuba on their way down to Matsumoto and further into central Japan. The valley itself is steep and tight before widening out somewhat in Hakuba and then moreso in Omachi, and one can only admire the fortitude of those early people making their way down the narrow paths with their heavy burdens.
The festival itself is basically a walk recreating the route, with various diversions (food, drink, music) arranged along the way. It is a relatively low key affair and is an example of a local festival that still retains it's charm and doesn’t try to be something that it's not. The Otari portion of the walk is roughly ten kilometres, spanning from the Otari City Office back to the Tsugaike parking lot. A good workout to be sure, and some absolutely beautful vistas… and, erm, lots of opportunity to see "Fundoshi" clad (the little diaper things like sumo wrestlers wear) local villagers. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder I suppose!
