Room to breathe

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Geo: 36.24, 137.97 - Matsumoto

What was most conspicious about Matsumoto was how quiet it seemed. Granted its a much smaller city than some of the others we have visited but there was quite simply alot less people around. We saw little or no foreign tourists and very few Japanese tourists. There didn't even seem to be that many locals. We could easily walk through the very centre of town without having to dodge a single person. Such a nice change!

Even better was checking into a hotel and not finding that your only window faces directly into a brick wall. Instead we found a spacious room with multiple windows and views of the alps during the day and the city lights at night. In keeping with more laid back atmosphere we did a bit of chillng out ourselves.

We still found time to see a few of the sights. We spent an afternoon at Matsumoto Castle which is surrounded by a moat filled with giant fish and set amongst well manicured gardens. While we were there we noticed that it took at least three gardeners to clip one tree into its desired topiary shape. We specifically chose to see this castle in detail as its the only one in Japan still in its original state in that it hasn't been affected by fire or war at any time. The inside of the castle was left pretty much as it had been for centuries except that there were display cases with swords and guns that had been used by the samurai.

We were enjoying the freedom of having our own car so spent a day driving north and taking in more of the mountain scenery. Despite that fact that the snow had long since melted I still wanted to see the so named snow monkeys. They wouldn't be soaking in the hot springs seeking warmth while the snow fell but I figured they would still be worth a look. The park itself was quite scenic. It was a steep climb up from the car park and there were heaps of monkeys to be seen. Although to be precise the correct term is Japanese macaque but they are more commonly known as snow monkeys. They were very docile and not at all bothered by humans taking photos or getting up close.

I am so glad that we have visited these more rural areas as well as the cities because it certainly shows a different side and a lesser known aspect of this country. I am pleased to know that not all the citizens here are deprived of experiencing some natural beauty and that those that don't actually live in these areas can at least visit and find some respite from the hectic and crowded city life.

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