Matsumoto Food

Matsumoto is known for a few different specialty dishes. We explored the city one night and found a restaurant that served "basashi" and "shinshu soba". Just a couple of examples of Matsumoto, Nagano cuisine. YUM!!!

"Basashi" - Raw Horse

"Shinshu Soba" - Matsumoto hand made buckwheat noodles

Monkey Style

Our recent trip to Nagano included an all day trip to the Jigokudani Yaen Koen (monkey park). This recluse destination spot is know for its vast population of macaca fuscata or commonly known as snow monkey. During the winter, these snow monkeys descend from the mountain tops to bask in the warmth of the famous Kanbayashi onsens. From Matsumoto, it was a beautiful 2 hour train ride to Kanbayashi station, a 20 minute bus ride to the park entrance, and a 30 minute hike to the monkey park.

Kim and I were very excited about this trip. We've heard so much about this place and have seen many pictures online. This website provides a live camera of the monkey park. During the winter, this onsen is surrounded by snow and filled with monkeys basking in the warm water. Typically the monkeys go about minding their own business. It is encouraged that tourist don't feed the monkeys and making direct eye contact with them can be a form of aggression. The monkeys do the same as they walk by you on the paths, they will turn their head the other way to avoid making eye contact with humans. They are not threatened by the camera but if you notice in the pictures below, none of the monkeys ever look directly at the camera.

Kim and I did encounter one brave little monkey. He first came up to me while I was sitting on the park bench. Not knowing what it was doing, I remained still and waited for the monkey to make first contact. Sure enough, the little guy put his hand on me and picked the scab off my knee and ate it. After that, it turned around and proceeded to try and climb on Kim's back. I was trying to take a picture of it but Kim kept screaming and shaking the monkey off before I could get the camera focused. The picture to the left is my knee and the monkey looking at my scab and contemplating whether to eat it or not. After our long travels and adventures in the monkey park, we decided to relax at one of the famous Kanbayashi onsens. There are several different hotels and ryokans where you pay 1000 yen to use their onsen facilities. We found a nice hotel near the bus stop and decided to take a quick bath in one of these soothing natural hot springs. A highly recommended day trip...

Kim makes a new friend

Mama San

Monkeys on the rocks!

"Beam me up Scotty..."

Monkey massage pallor

Matsumoto Castle

Kim had some work in Nagano so we decided to make a short trip together to the former site of the 1998 Winter Olympics. We ventured to the city of Matsumoto which is a 2+ hour train ride full of spectacular views through the mountains of rural Japan.

I was excited to go to Nagano as it is home to one of the 4 original standing castles (Matsumoto-Jo). Kim and I arrived in Matsumoto around 2:00 on Sunday afternoon. It was an overcast day with light rain (relative to typical Seattle) and a bit chilly. We checked into our hotel and had to make a quick dash for the castle as it closed at 4:30 PM. It is not necessary to catch a taxi and walking to the castle from the hotel takes about 20 minutes. Taxi service in this small city starts off at 700 yen but being that we were pressed for time and the poor weather, we decided to take a taxi.

Matsumoto-Jo is very flat. Unlike most (or all) of the other castles that we've visited, Matsumoto-Jo does not sit high on a hill. A moat filled with large grey koi and swans surrounds the castle. The castle is also know as the "Crow Castle" because of it's black exterior. It's design is simple as it is one of the older castles built in the Sengoku period (early 1500).

The castle has 6 floors but looks like 5 floors from the outside. The 6th floor is would act as the headquarters for the castle's "war lord" if the castle was under attack. Enshrined on the 6th floor is the Goddess Nijuroku-yashin (26 night goddess of the month). Legend has it that on the night of January 26, 1618, a servant of the castle saw a woman dressed in a beautiful kimono. She told the servant that "If the lord of this castle enshrines me with 600kg of rice on the 26th of each month, I will protect the castle from fire and enemy". It is believed that because the bag was deified, the castle was protected and has survived to be the oldest Japanese castle in original form.