| Having seen the North Alps from Matsumoto, I wanted to get a closer look, and managed to negotiate the train system to arrive in Hakuba around lunchtime. As is often the case in alpine areas, the mountains looked a lot closer than they actually were, and I had a long walk from the train station to what had been the ski-jumping station for the Nagano winter Olympics. The walk turned out to be for the best, as is often the case. If I had taken the bus, I never would have seen the little side road that led to a mountainside shrine, where this huge tree stood as a sentinel at the stairs leading to the shrine itself. The left-hand-twisted rice straw rope around the tree indicates the presence of the spirit. The sign nearby indicated that the tree was a thousand years old, which was easy to believe. It's a wonderfully peaceful, hallowed spot. |
| As most people seem to prefer them, prices are for framed prints, ready to hang. I use a very nice matt black wood frame 7/8 of an inch wide, with a white mat. If you would like to order unframed prints, go to the "Purchase" page for pricing. |
