Nagano, Japan - 7 January 2016

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Nagano Japan 7 January 2016



We caught the train to Nagano which was only a 45-minute ride. We were on our way to Kyoto but we decided to stop in Nagano for a short time. This was the town where the 1998 Winter Olympics was held. We wanted to go and see the Zenkoji Temple which was written up as being pretty special.



We caught the bus from the train station in Nagano up to the temple and saw the spot where the medals were presented during the Olympic Games. It was a really interesting street leading up to the temple. All the different foods, including green tea ice-cream, green tea custard cream puffs, dried fish, lots of fans, lots of small shrines, and the list goes on. Very interesting,



At the Temple there were many statues that were all important to the Japanese and their religious rituals. There were water fountains that were used to cleanse any illnesses away, the priests touched our heads to reduce any “ills”.



Inside the Temple, no photos were to be taken …. but I got a couple of shots….whooops!



All in all, it was worth stopping off for an hour or 2.



We had a quick lunch and a local beer and then headed to Kyoto on the bullet train.



At the end of each day we sit down and talk about the day and all the experiences we have had. It is really interesting to compare reflections. Tom & I are loving having the “kids” with us are well as the apple-of-my-eye (Gemma).

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