It was summer and Obon (お盆) weekend, and most people in Japan travel, some of them going back to their ancestral homes to honor their ancestors. Even though we usually go to places on our own, my friends and I took a different approach that time; opting to take a 1-day tour of the Tokyo suburbs, specifically around Gunma prefecture (群馬県) available at Club Tourism (Yokoso Japan Tour).
The bus tour included stops at Fukiware Falls (吹割の滝), somewhere in Numata city (沼田市) for our free lunch and peach-picking activity, a sake (お酒) brewery in Kawaba village (川場村) and the tour's highlight, the Tanbara Lavender Park (たんばらラベンダーパーク). Since it was a guided tour, all we needed to do was go to the departure site, which was Shinjuku Washington Hotel. So, there would be no how-to-get-to-somewhere directions in this post.
After about a 3-hour bus ride, first stop was Fukiware Falls, advertised as the Niagara Falls of the East. I couldn't blame the organizers for hyping up the tour, but branding it as such left some of us disappointed. The falls was beautiful, no doubt about it, its uniqueness even gave it an identity. Maybe, it's just that we expected something big like the real Niagara Falls.
20 minutes away from the falls was our next stop, a restaurant somewhere in Numata. Lunch was included in the tour, and the menu was Kaisen Chirashi Sushi & Cold Shabushabu Udon. For vegetarians, I think you must inform the organizers in advance for them to prepare a vegetarian dish. Right after lunch, we went to the peach plantation near the restaurant. It wasn't the typical fruit picking activity, where you can have as much as you can. For this one, we only got to pick 1 peach. That's right, just 1 peach.
After the fruit-picking activity, we rode the bus again for about 30 minutes to a sake brewery in Kawaba. The staff gave us a tour of the brewery, with our tour guide acting as the translator, showing the ingredients and explaining the process behind making a Japanese sake. After all the talk, we were led to their shop and gave us samples, and 2 types of sake were available. Authentic sake was good, though none of us bought any.
Last stop was the lavender park, but on the way, the tour guide offered us lift tickets and ice cream stubs, for a fee. The lift tickets cost 600円/pax for a round-trip ride, and 400円/pax for a 1-way ride, while the lavender-flavored soft ice cream ticket was 300円. You can redeem the ice cream from any shop in the park that serves lavender ice cream. Apparently, Tanbara Lavender Park is also a ski park during winter, that's why it has lifts and nice slopes.
Before going into the park, there was the customary group picture that served as a souvenir. They printed it immediately, and if you want to have one, you must buy it right there, on the spot. It was 1,000円, and we bought 1 for all of us. As we entered the park, we were greeted by the colorful flowers that beautifully covered the foot of the hill. To maximize time and the place, we took only the uphill lift and decided that we'll just walk going back. Another picture was taken when we were at the lift, and this time, it was being sold at the exit. Each picture was also 1,000円. Once we reached the top, it was the lavenders' turn to amaze us. The place was very relaxing and it was a little cold compared to the city weather. When it was time to go back, we walked down the hill, and it's pretty much bare. Some of us claimed their ice cream at the exit, and from there, another 3-hour bus ride back to Tokyo, where we were dropped off at Shinjuku station (新宿駅).
Yokoso Japan Tour
Hi there, sounds like the trip was not as good as it should be. I was planning to go F&E for this itinerary but seems very inaccessible by public transport. So want to take the day tour. What do you think? Is it worth S$143?
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