The train ride to Nagano reminded us just how efficient the Japanese high-speed, long-distance Shinkansen trains are. We arrived on time, to the minute, in a new destination that is practically on the other side of the country! Unfortunately, by the time we got settled into our ryokan in Nagano, it had begun to rain so we didn't spend much time exploring the city on Thursday. Instead, we found a local bar for a drink and a quiet restaurant for dinner right next door.
We popped into the bar out of necessity - because it really started to rain as we walked by - but it turned out to be a pretty cool spot. The bartender recommended an IPA to me, Sarah tasted some local sake and mom tried the closest thing to a cider they had (which, sadly for her, wasn't that good). As a gesture of goodwill for his nice recommendation, I left a small tip as we left. But in typical Japanese fashion, the bartender ran out of the bar behind us (into the rain no less!) to return it as tips are not customary here (and it is often considered dishonest to keep one). What can I say, I tried!
The small restaurant we chose for dinner was next to the bar and there were loads of locals in there so we figured it must be good. Though the owners spoke about three words of English, we managed to order a great spread of yakitori before sampling their "local specialty." I think this isn't really a local specialty but rather a joke they play on tourists...
Fried crickets. Thankfully they didn't taste like much...
We woke up early on Friday to take the bus from Nagano up to some of the nearby mountains to explore the shrines of Togakushi. The ride took about an hour and we rode past many of the area's famous ski resorts. Guess we'll have to come back in the winter!
We got off the bus near Okusha, the uppermost of the shrines here, and began our walk down toward Kagami Ike Pond. Our final destination on the hike would be Chusha, the middle shrine, for lunch.
One of two fierce looking statues guarding the main entrance to Okusha.
Me and mom by the main gate up to Okusha.
Sarah walking among the redwoods that lined the path to Okusha.
The Okusha shrine.
Another smaller but more colorful shrine we passed en route to the Pond.
Kagami Ike Pond. There was a group of about 200 school children eating lunch here and they were more than happy to take our photo.
One more of the Pond and misty mountains.
We saw this cemetery nestled amongst the trees on our walk to Chusha.
The view on the Kagami Ike Pond to Chusha hike.
Nagano, in general, and Togakushi, in particular, are known for soba noodles. The buckwheat flavor is unique relative to most other Japanese noodles, though I think we all prefer the classicics: ramen and udon.
One benefit of soba noodles: they're (usually) served cold...which was very nice after a three-hour hike through the woods!
The Chusha shrine.
After eating lunch and briefly exploring the Chusha shrine, we headed back down to Nagano on the bus. Once we had a chance to clean up at our ryokan, we set out to see more of the city itself, beginning with the Zenko-ji Temple.
A pretty cloudy day, but we still enjoyed seeing all the Buddhas.
Exploring a corner of the Zenko-ji Temple.
There was a pond with huge lily pads...and also huge fish!
Blue skies starting to appear in the distance.
There was even a Buddha at the entrance to our ryokan.
After wandering around town for a few hours, we decided on an Italian restaurant for dinner (apparently there are two choices in Nagano: Japanese or Italian). We all just needed a break for one meal from Japanese food. Fortunately, Sarah found Komatsuya, the #1 ranked restaurant on TripAdvisor in Nagano. The food was great, and a welcome change.
Tomorrow we head to Kofu to see Mt. Fuji - hopefully we get a clear day for it!