Wednesday - May 7 - Last Day Matsumoto

Once again we had Western breakfast at the ryokan with classical music, packed up our suitcases and our ride met us downstairs. Here is a picture of our lovely ryokan and it's owner.

Our ryokan in Matsumoto and the gracious owner

        

Our hosts took us up into the mountains again. Then Richard returned to the room to get some work done. Before our farewell dinner with the Matsumoto Chamber of Commerce.

Our hosts then took me to the beautiful Daio Wasabi Farm. They actually farm within the rocky riverbed of a beautiful, clear spring fed stream. The rows are all covered with black screen to protect them from the sun. It takes 2 years to grow a wasabi plant. It sells for $70 per pound. We wandered the beautiful grounds and stopped at the store to buy wasabi, of course, and enjoyed some wasabi ice cream. Yum!

Daio Wasabi Farm in clear spring river

That evening we were again treated by our hosts to a lovely dinner. Richard had ordered the specialty "sakuraniku" (horse meat).  They gave us gifts of poetry, fans and Japanese trinkets. But most of all they gave us incredible hospitality, memories and friendship. Thank you Take!

Dinner with the Matsumoto Chamber of Commerce

Tuesday - May 6 - Matsumoto

Our Seifuso Ryokan is very lovely. We woke up to western breakfast (with soft classical music playing in the background). Take had to work today, so we were on our own. Richard needed to work a bit this morning so we got a later start than usual. The ryokan loaned us some bikes and we rode down along the river, arriving at the city center in no time. Continuing our theme for this trip "It's all downhill!" There were huge carp kites strung across the water. It was Children's Day! Carp stand for strength and courage.

Children's Day!

The city has very narrow clean roads, with lovely planters, and it's also bike friendly. It makes this place seem intimate and not so crowded. We arrived at the Matsumoto Castle about 11:30. Beautiful setting! We presented a letter from Take at the ticket booth and received free entry.

view from a rickshaw

beauty of spring

Matsumoto Castle saved by a school principal!

Beautiful weather always!

Wisteria blooming, lovely fragrance

Rock construction of castle

An English guide found us and kindly told us about the exterior of the castle. We had some time to wait for our tour, so we walked around the mote taking pictures, then went to the corner store for some lunch. Did I mention that the wisteria is blooming and the smell is glorious.

Climbed into the square drum tower where the guide let us play the large drum. Returned to the castle and found our English guide and toured the interior. There were very steep steps to climb and a "moon viewing" room. Apparently the castle has a shrine to the moon on the top floor that has protected it over the years. Interesting display cases with early "muskets" and full shogun armor.

Shogun Armor

interior beams

Moon Shrine

Japanese guide

view of Matsumoto from the tower

Although the castle was never inhabited, it was used as a watch tower and a meeting place for the shoguns. This is a view from the top. An interesting note. In the 1950's the castle was going to be torn down. A school principal started a campaign to raise money and save it. It was restored and is now a very stunning destination in itself with the beautiful motes and the Japanese Alps rising behind it. I think the moon shrine worked!

street art

Frog Street shopping

Take texted us and met us at the gate at about 2:30. Richard headed back to the ryokan to work and Take took me shopping along "Frog Street" and along a beautiful street of old "store houses" as Take called them. We went into a shop with a spring outside of it where they made sweets. The Japanese are big on sweets!

sweet shop

water feature on street

the art of manhole covers

The owner gave us a tour of his back rooms which were much like museums and then gave us some green tea and a delicious chocolate covered rum ball. I signed his book and he took our picture and Take and I were on our way to find the "waving cat" that Richard had seen. The ultimate sacrifice for a man to go shopping. I'm telling you the Japanese will do anything for you. Did I mention how lovely the manhole covers are?

I left Take and biked back to the ryokan. Richard had eaten at "Moss Burger". Not very good he said, but at least there was no moss on the burgers.  I found a local ramen shop. Very local and interesting characters eating there. No one spoke English, but the ramen and pot stickers were good and cheap.

Watched some Jon Stewart and Sunday Morning from my computer. I can't get Netflix or Comcast here but I'm glad I brought my computer so I can download pictures from my phone to free up space and blog about the trip. It is nice to hear a little English now and then. Tomorrow is our last day in Japan and Mr. Ito and Mr. ?? are picking us up at 9:30 to take us to the Wasabi Farm and the mountains. Our last night here will be at the New Station Hotel - next to the train station and the Chamber of Commerce will be giving us a reception. Wow! 

Monday - May 5 - Nagano

We had a lovely Western Style breakfast in the Ryokan. Richard is fighting off a cold - darn. We thought this was the trip he wouldn't get one. Take picked us up in the Matsumoto Limo. We have been seeking the illusive Banana Frapuccino from Starbucks. Everywhere we go they are "sold out". Take stopped at three, yes three Starbucks this morning and we finally succeeded. It was quite worth it. Then we headed for Nagano and the snow monkeys. He warned us that we probably would not see the monkeys in the hot spring . . . but we lucked out and sure enough they were there bathing for the crowd. They even carried their babies and we got some good pics. It was another lovely hike, a beautiful stream of water and a geyser (piped) to add to the day. Notice the photographer laying in the bushes . . .

Jigokudani Snow Monkey trail

Enjoying the hot springs

photographer in the bush

Snow Monkey family

Friendly!

Take suggested that we drive to the highest highway in Japan, so we did. There were ski resorts all along the way and many beautiful little lakes. I loved seeing the skiers who would just pull off the side of the road and ski on down the hill. Forget the lifts. We found the marker for the summit and had fun taking pictures of a young group of bicyclists who had made it to the top. We bought some buns filled with pickled something, curry, or cheese and drank our peach juice (which was actually alcoholic) on the way back down the mountain.

highest point in Japan

Driving through the alps of Japan

Then we were off to the Temple where Take once again came through for us. As we approached the gate, there were shoes hanging on the fence including a pair of ballet slippers. If you hang your shoes there, it is supposed to give you strong legs! This should be a pilgrimage for every ballet dancer. He explained many of the customs of the temple: the washing, the incense, the ringing of the bell, clap hands twice, pray for your desire. We stood in line to make our way through a pitch black underground tunnel hoping to find the "key" to enlightenment. Sure enough we did. It was very dark but the key was squeaky - a dead give away. The monk was ringing the bell as we left and there were two little girls dancing on the platform.

Hang your shoes for strong legs!

Heading for the key to enlightenment..

more spring blossoms

I bought a beautiful little ceramic frog made by a local potter. We'll talk more about frogs later.

Take took us to a famous winery where we did a little tasting. The best part was actually the very small garden leading into the winery. Wasn't much impressed with the wine - very vinegary, although the bottles were pretty.

Winery garden

winery

Finally we stopped at a lovely little Japanese Restaurant Take's friend had recommended for soba noodles (buckwheat) and tempura. They eat them cold here with dipping sauce and wasabi, followed by the hot noodle broth which you poor into the leftover dipping sauce and drink - Take's favorite part. Again the pottery and dishes were intriguing. Richard had his soba noodles hot. The tempura is always excellent. How do these people stay so tiny and thin?? They are foodies!

Soba Noodles and tempura!

Let's talk slippers. Many places you go require that you remove your shoes and go sock footed. (Like in the temple and the underground tunnel). In addition, you must remove your shoes in the ryokan and wear slippers to your room where you remove your slippers. When you go to the bathroom, you remove your ryokan slippers and change into your bathroom slippers (only to be worn in the toilet area) and then change back into your ryokan slippers that you wear only to the entrance of your room where once again you remove them. So many slippers, so little dirt!

Tonight I tried out the onsen at the ryokan. Small, but lovely and three of us were not crowded.  I am tucking myself under the puffy comforter on my futon for a very deep sleep. Oyasumi nasai!

Sunday - May 4 - Matsumoto

Slept so well at Take's home. Woke up to a lovely holiday breakfast of oak leaf cakes and more rice and red beans, salad, fried mackerel, strawberries, cherries, rice, miso with tofu, special green cakes with "edible grass" and green tea. Tsumugi and Miki ate with us. It's children's day so they are celebrating and Keiko has prepared many lovely holiday dishes! I love salad with breakfast.

breakfast with family

oak leaf cakes

 

making oak leaf cakes

Stopped at Take's elementary school. Beautiful grounds and old tree. He said they have about 200 children in each elementary school. We could learn something from the Japanese!

local elementary school

trees in bloom

 

Take's school

Heading for Kamikochi - (Japanese alps) and so are these bikers. That's always a good sign.

Local bikers heading for Kamikochi

together beside the Azusa River

clear waters

monkeys along the trail

family time

Bridge over the Azusa River

Chubu-Sangaku National Park

snowboarder heading up the mountain

locals enjoying the beach

beautiful trail

reflective pond

at the bend

Lovely drive through the mountains to the Japanese alps for a hike along the river and over the bridges. The water was azure and perfectly clear. There were many people there, including snowboarders, skiers and backpackers. Stopped for a lunch: rice balls in seaweed - tuna, salmon, spicey who knows what and bananas. Bought some bear bells for hiking back home. Then we drove off in our luxury van (it's like a Japanese limo) toward another area of the mountains where we met up with Ross Chambless friends. They run a lodge and offered us a hot spring onsen followed by coffee, lovely peach cake ball and fun conversation. There was a bear and her cub that just walked by the window while we were in the onsen. Or so they told us.

Izumi Osaka and her husband

love the sign translations

Izumi Osaka is a character. She and her husband have run the lodge for 40 years. Her father and mother owned it before her. She has visited Utah several times with the student program.The forests have not leafed out yet, but the wild cherry trees are blossoming here and there along the hillsides. The Japanese build an awesome road that sometimes cantilevers out, and many tunnels through the mountains. 

We headed for our ryokan and unloaded our luggage. We offered to take Take out for pizza and beer - an American tradition after hiking. We bought one "seafood" and one "juicy meat" variety at the local pizza hut. While waiting for the pizza we hit the grocery store for drinks and then returned to see fireworks in the night sky. There was a little Japanese girl outside watching the fireworks and jumping up and down with delight.

The seafood pizza was Take's choice and was actually delicious. It was covered in shrimp, squid and broccoli. Yes . . . We brought it back to the ryokan and enjoyed it thoroughly although Take could not have the beer because he was driving.
Richard and I crashed in our room. Poor Rich is coming down with a cold and woke up in the heat of the night. Luckily I had some Theraflu night time and Rich figured out how to turn on the air conditioning with a little Japanese translation on his phone. Back to sleep - Take is picking us up early for more mountain adventures.