【4K Walk】Silent Streets after a Snowstorm • Nagahama 長浜市 🇯🇵

【4K Walk】Silent Streets after a Snowstorm • Nagahama 長浜市 🇯🇵

Today’s walk takes us through the picturesque streets of Nagahama in Shiga, Japan where charming traditional buildings have just been covered in a blanket of white snow. Along the way we’ll see the streets, lights, a Japanese castle, shrines, and snow. Lots… and lots… and LOTS… of snow. You can turn on captions for descriptions, or turn them off for a quiet walk. Our walk begins at Kurokabe Square which means "Black Wall Square" Kurokabe Square is usually full of tourists visiting its traditional glass galleries and workshops, like the one on the right – the Kurokabe Glass Shop. But thanks to the snowstorm, we have the Square all to ourselves. We turned back to Kurokabe Square as there was too much snow ahead. The doggies here have snow jackets too! What’s that music coming from the right? Crystal chimes being played by the Kurokabe Musical Box Shop. Some of the buildings here are centuries old, lovingly preserved. The snow started falling again. Fascinating to watch how the residents deal with the snowdrifts. One big scoop! Ganyoji Buddhist Temple Just in time to shelter from the heavy snow. Just as we were leaving, the snow and wind picked up again. So we rested in Ganyoji’s shelter until it was safe to continue. Thanks for taking care of us! 😊 Residents clearing their entrance. Tough work! Moving away from Kurokabe Square, this stretch of Nagahama is more modern. But there’s still a traditional wood building here and there. Daitsuji Buddhist Temple compound Originally built in Nagahama Castle in 1602 and then relocated here in 1652, today Daitsuji is undergoing restoration. Its breathtakingly large halls housing splendid artifacts from the 17th century are closed, but fortunately its grounds are still open, equally breathtaking in pure white. Daitsuji Yama-mon Main Gate (from the inside) Its impressive two-storey doors used to be the main gate of Nagahama Castle. Daitsuji Hondo Main Hall Grateful to the people clearing the snow for us to walk! Daitsuji Yama-mon Main Gate (outside) A small Inari (fox spirit) Shinto Shrine The snow and wind started picking up. Fighting the wind! Encountered an old couple braving the winds. A scary slip there 😰 Spotted a tough mom carrying a baby (!) Snow getting too heavy! Time to find shelter. 20 minutes later We’re back in the more traditional section of Nagahama, with its distinctive black buildings. Passing through Kurokabe Square again, on the way to the Otemon Shopping Street, comfortably sheltered against the elements. On the right is Momijiya, a traditional noodle restaurant where we warmed ourselves up with winter noodles. You can enjoy its traditional interior and noodles in our guided tour linked above! Stopping to take a look at a small temple Anjoji. Closed as well due to the snowstorm. A delightful little garden. The Hikiyama Museum, where they exhibit the traditional floats pulled by ropes during the annual UNESCO-recognized Hikiyama Festival in April. Bunny standing guard over Otebashi Bridge. You can see that the Hikiyama Museum is actually rather large, and has tall gates to allow the floats to pass through. The snow on the path is beginning to melt. At the end of this walk we’ll see how the town melts the snow on the roads. NTT West telecommunications tower Hachiman-gu Shinto Shrine and Shana-in Buddhist Temple The two used to collectively be called Hachiman-ji, but in 1868, an edict was issued to separate Shinto and Buddhist sites. So today, the two occupy different sides of the same grounds, and we will walk from Hachiman-gu Shrine which we’re passing now, to Shana-in Temple and back. Hachiman-gu Shrine We circle round to visit Shana-in Temple first. In spring, Shana-in is all green, lush and peaceful. But in winter, it is spiritual and mysterious. Then we head back to Hachiman-gu through the connecting path. Taking the main path out, which was getting a little deep in snow! Plum Blossom Exhibition Garden In spring, the Garden is full of blooming plum blossom bonsai trees. But for now, we enjoy the traditional bamboo ornaments and stone statues. Nagahama Castle Originally built in 1575 and then destroyed in 1615, the castle’s keep was rebuilt in 1983 and now serves as a museum. Right next to Nagahama Castle is Ho-koen Park, where locals relax and enjoy the sound of the waves of Lake Biwako. Lake Biwako, Japan’s largest lake. Plenty of ducks enjoying its quiet shores! The Bavarian city of Augsburg in Germany is a sister city to Nagahama. Located around this plaza is an Augsburg-style fountain, statues, and in spring, flowers. Nagahama Train Station We’re fortunate to have a clear view of Mt Ibukiyama today, as we enjoy the colored lights and charming street lamps. Old Nagahama is particularly charming at night, lit with warm softly glowing lights. When it snows, Nagahama uses hot water sprinklers to melt the ice on the road. We end our Nagahama walk here. If you’ve enjoyed Nagahama like we did, check out our guided tour of Nagahama, which also covers food and stores. Bye for now, and if you’ve made it this far, we’d appreciate a 👍🏻!

Today’s virtual walk takes us to a traditional Japanese castle town after a rare snowstorm – Nagahama.

Built up by samurai lord Toyotomi Hideyoshi (the Taiko on the TV show Shōgun) in the 1600s from a fishing village to a full castle town, Nagahama today still retains much of its charm, heritage and architecture. Wonderfully atmospheric when covered in pure white snow, Nagahama’s traditional wooden buildings and distinctive black walls stand out and are well worth braving the elements.

On this walk, we’ll see heritage buildings, a castle, temples, shrines, a beach, and even Nagahama’s secret of keeping the ice off the roads.

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Guided Tour of Nagahama: https://youtu.be/9BFh54fvs-w

00:00 Preview
00:31 Kurokabe Square
04:47 Crystals at Kurokabe Musical Box Shop
11:07 Ganyoji Temple
20:24 Daitsuji Temple
28:03 Daitsuji Yama-mon Gate
33:48 Heavy snow
38:52 Old Nagahama after the snow
40:40 Nagahama Otemon covered shopping street
46:52 Back to the snowy streets
52:54 Hachiman-gu Shrine
56:20 Shana-in Temple
59:45 Back to Hachiman-gu Shrine
01:04:04 Snowy tree avenue
01:07:22 Plum Blossom Exhibition Garden
01:09:10 Nagahama Castle
01:11:37 Ho-koen Park
01:11:58 Lake Biwako
01:12:58 Augsburg Platz and fountain
01:14:22 Nagahama at Night
01:20:20 How Nagahama melts the ice on the roads