During today’s rainy afternoon, we took the train up to the neighbouring city of Kurobe for some sight-seeing comfort food. A quick drive from Kurobe is an incredible expanse of mountains stacked with lush trees. The somewhat gloomy weather only made the mountains more mystical with hazy fog near their peaks.
Directly at the foot of the mountains is a somewhat ram-shackle town that attracts massive amounts of the tourists for its festivals and the train tour that winds through the mountains. Our plan is to return in the fall when the leaves have changed colour. Just the thought of this expanse of trees in bright red, orange and yellow takes my breath away.
Our dinner tonight was the source of great anticipation and excitement, pizza at the reputable “Pole Pole Jamboree”, affectionally nicknamed “Pizza Jam”. The inspiration for the restaurant’s title is a mystery, but their pies are nothing short of amazing! Each of us ordered the standard “Jamboree Combo”, which to the best of my knowledge (not being able to read the menu) included mushrooms, onions, olives, and a generous amount of gooey cheese. Other than processed single slices, cheese is difficult to come by in Japan and this was a very welcome treat. The same can be said for root beer, which apparently is generally disliked (I will never understand!). The pizzas come in several sizes, starting with 20 centimetres all the way to the 36 for the very hungry and brave.
Maki Mountain 
