Matsumoto Matsumoto | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| On the train to Matsumoto | Lots of rice paddies to be seen! Harvesting appears to be over. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Our room. It was tiny! | Heading towards the castle. These towers are apparently used to have microwave dishes for communication, which aren't used anymore. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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  The market in Matsumoto, next to Nawate street. Kind of like an upscale antique/flea market. | The Matsumoto castle, one of the few in the country that aren't rebuilt. |   This huge spider, whose webs spanned long distances between bushes, was everywhere - JorÅ spider |   One of the bridges into the castle |   Beautiful naturalistic trees and rocks on the castle grounds | I think frogs are a symbol of Matsumoto. |   This singer was entertaining at the train station, and had some devoted fans. Train stations are social and shopping hubs in Japan. | A guy playing piano at the train station |   Another view of the Metoba river. Love the stonework. |   Lots of assorted vending machines at the castle |   I like the way the branches are exposed here | Re-doing the stain on the castle. |   Inside the castle. They don't have nearly as many furnishings, etc, inside Japanese castles, compared to in Europe. There were just a few displays here. |   We had to climb up some very, very steep stairs, to get from one level to the next. The railings were tied on | Grinding the ingredients for gunpowder |   The view from the top of the castle | There was a guard at each stair, making sure that people manouvered down without knocking eachother over, it was very steep and narrow |   So much maintenance is always going on in Japanese gardens |   At Nawate (frog themed) shopping street | Godzilla at the train station |   Elegant slab wooden bench. | Another interesting bench |   This hair salon, for some reason, had a folding kayak in it - one that I own, the Orukayak. | Lots of beautiful fabric was for sale. If I could have thought of a use for it, I would have bought some. |   At a Shabu Shabu place (cook your own meat in broth). It was very fancy and expensive, but there was very little meat - they counted on the rice and noodles to fill you up. | A roast potato vending machine! |   Love the tiny RVs in Japan | I've pretty much forgotten how to play piano |   Pouring rain - everyone was well prepared though | All kinds of fancy snacks in vending machines - chocolate bananas, croissants. | | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||