Today we said goodbye to Hakuba and Miyu’s hotel. As sad as it was to leave, we are all very excited to race at Shiga Kogen tomorrow! Today was not only a travel day, but also a day of sight seeing.
Our first stop was at Zenkoji, a Buddhist temple. We walked through gardens, the temple, and surrounding souvenir shops. In the temple, Mr. Nakamura showed us some Japanese customs. It was very beautiful inside, decorated with many reds and golds. We also walked through a dark tunnel. We couldn’t see a thing and had to find our way out. As a group we also managed to find the knob of a sacred door inside the tunnel. The room behind the knob is said to hold a god. The meaning of the tunnel is to see the light again and to appreciate it, like seeing the light for the first time as a newborn.
Next we visited the Monkey Park! It would be an understatement to say we all had fun! The monkeys were all so cute! We could walk about them freely and see them in their natural habitat. They all gather in this spot because of the hot springs here that they bathe in. Now, we are settled in Shiga Kogen and ready to race!
You all missed a chance to jump into the hot springs too!
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