Matsumoto, Japan

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We woke early and went to the bus stop to go to Matsumoto. It was overcast and cooler than yesterday.



The journey was scenic. It took a couple of hours through the mountains and past an enormous dam. We arrived in a very hot, steamy Matsumoto for our final day in Japan.



We dropped our bags off to our (unairconditioned) backpackers, then headed toward the Matsumoto Castyle. It was beautiful. We went in, around the gardens (it was very crowded) then into the castle up the many, steep stairs to the top (four floors). The views of the city were lovely.



We decided to get an ice-cream because it was steamy and I could not be bothered eating anything else. We wandered around the town, through temples, shops and around the village. It was a charming little town. We managed to squeeze in more shopping (seeking air conditioning, along with the rest of the population) and then decided we would go back for some rest and escape the heat for a shower (which was an unusual experience in itself... it felt like a deep wash trough). We had walked a lot throughout the day so were grateful for the rest.



We went out for dinner about 8p.m. This proved to be difficult to find a restaurant open at that time oddly enough, and on a Saturday night. We eventually found a place, and ate traditional food. This restaurant stayed open until 4am... a little variability!



We walked back, stopping in a strange casino sort of place called Pachinko. It was filled with slot machines, neon lights and loud music and pinging machines. It was also extremely smokey so I last approximately a minute before leaving.



We returned to our accommodation.i went straight to sleep and slept through solidly until the cooler temperature of the morning.

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