Driving in Japan - Gunma Drive: Karuizawa to Nanmoku Village [4K] Slow TV (POV) Travel World

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Map:

Karuizawa
Located an hour from Tokyo in south-central Nagano, at the base of Mt. Asama , Karuizawa has been popular with wealthy urbanites since the 19th century.

Gunma Prefecture is literally at the center of Japan, surrounded by mountains and volcanos that create the ideal environment for hot springs, snow sports, and other outdoor adventures.

Nanmoku (南牧村, Nanmoku-mura) is a village located in Gunma Prefecture, Japan.

Nanmoku has a Humid continental climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cold winters with heavy snowfall. The average annual temperature in Nanmoku is 11.0 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1127 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 24.0 °C, and lowest in January, at around -1.3 °C.

Per Japanese census data, the population of Nanmoku has decreased drastically and is now only one eighth of what it was a century ago.

During the Edo period, the area of present-day Nanmoku was largely part of the tenryō territory held directly by Tokugawa shogunate within Kōzuke Province. The area was divided into villages with the establishment of the modern municipalities system on April 1, 1889. village of Nanmoku was created on March 15, 1955 by the merger of the villages of Iwado, Tsukigata and Ozawa.

The economy of Nanmoku is heavily dependent on agriculture.

Nanmoku is popular locally for its scenery. The village is located in the valley of a small mountain range, where there are excellent hiking opportunities. One of the mountains, Mt. Arahune, is home to a park with a campsite, including a large multipurpose recreational area that has tennis, water sports, and fishing facilities. There is also an astronomy center located on the grounds. Nanmoku also has a museum that documents local culture and history.

The village is particularly famous for hitoboshi (火とぼし), the two-day local fire festival, the largest in the prefecture. Many people who have moved away but still have family in the village return for this festival, and it is popular with tourists as well. Though such fire festivals were once popular, few remain. Nanmoku’s version falls on August 14 and 15, and coincides with Obon, a festival honoring ancestors. However, Hitoboshi itself commemorates the village’s victorious alliance with the Takeda clan during the Sengoku period. During the festival, villagers take turns standing on a bridge and twirling burning bales of hay over the edge.
(Wikipedia)

Narita International Airport Access Navigation

Haneda Airport Information

Camera: GoPro HERO9 Black

Filmed in October 2020

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Drive with me! Japan travel guide 2020
Road trip across Japan in a kei car – Japan scenery 4k by Tokyo Smith

– Scenic drive
– No music
– No talking

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