Monkeys, chestnuts and sake

Date: Wednesday 2^nd April 2014

Weather: Great! Nice and hot though a little cloudy.

MP3 track of the day: Hey hey we're theMonkeys – The Monkeys

Yesterday I said that I would have a bath at the end of the day. Well, once up, I decided to pamper myself before the day started with a nice hot bath, followed by a shower and ending with a shave. With no birthday cake to eat I therefore skipped '1^st breakfast' and got dressed before heading to Mr Donuts for '2^nd breakfast'. As today wasn't my birthday I opted for doughnuts within the '100 Yen' sale and ate those quickly. This is the third time, in three days, that I have visited this particular Mr Donuts therefore, the cashier now knows that I always 'eat in' and that I want a glass of water – without ice – to accompany my doughnuts. This is great as it saves me asking for these two standard requirements. With my doughnuts eaten I walked back past my hotel and to my hotel's car park. Having planned the route for today I got in my car and off I went.

It wouldn't be Nagano if I didn't start my trip by getting lost. Fortunately my mistake was minimal and I soon found the road I had intended to travel upon. Also I checked my route home for tomorrow and made a mental note of the junction where I had to turn north. In no time at all I had left Nagano and was entering the small village of Obuse; my first attraction for the day.

The village of Obuse was so small that I actually drove through it. Once turned around, I looked for a car park eventually finding one with it's barriers up; this allowed me to enter said car park without taking a ticket therefore, without paying. Being a little unsure I asked a lady – who looked as though she worked in a nearby bakery – who said that it was 'okay' and she kept saying the word 'service'. I then asked her where I was on my map and she moved closer towards me; so close in fact that she was almost stood on me. With my location pinpointed I thanked the lady and walked in the direction she told me.

It was along this walk that I suddenly realised what the car park I'd parked in was for. It was for customers of the local businesses around it and, I think, 'service' meant that, as long as I bought something, I would be okay. At that point I found a 'pay and display' car park and so I moved my car into there.

From the car park it was a short walk to the train station. Here is where my map's walking guide started with the first 'port of call' being a temple called 'Gansho-in'; 1.6km east. The weather was superb and I found myself enjoying 'village life'; unlike everywhere else I have been, a few people actually said hello to me and I even had a short conversation with one old lady. Soon though the villages tightly condensed streets gave way to a long road which travelled in between fields of some sort of crop; though I had no idea what it was. Whatever it was, it wasn't growing at the moment; all I could see was a field with many metal poles in. These metal poles had wire running from them making a 'criss-cross' shape. Within the field were, what looked like, trees and instead of their branches running upwards towards the sky, they ran along these wires. At first I thought it was grapes however, chestnuts are supposed to be farmed around here.

Soon I got to the temple which, though impressive, was very similar to every other temple I have seen in Japan. The only thing that made this temple different was the mountain range behind it so, with that in mind, I decided not to go in and instead I took photos of it with it's unique scenery in the background.

Once photographed I headed south, along the 'green path' to another temple called Joko-ji. The path wound it's way along the foot of the mountains; the trees here provided much needed shade from the midday sun. Once I had found the temple it wasn't had to work out that this was a lot older than the first temple. After you went through the standard wooden gate a steep, badly in need of repair, stone staircase led up to a small grassy mound with a tiny temple placed on top of it. Surrounding said temple was a forest making the whole place quite quiet. Being tiny it didn't take me long to photograph the thing to death and to leave however, not before having a small chat with some local Japanese tourists who, I think, were trying to ask me if I knew Wales.

Once down I headed back into town a little confused. My guidebook had labelled this place as 'one of the most beautiful small villages within Japan'. This was quite a title and though I had come in the off-season, I could visualise what the fields might look like in full bloom and still, I think Taketomi village (located on taketomi-jima, Okinawa) is a lot prettier. Sure the village was lovely; the buildings and pathways were beautifully constructed out of wood and stone. There were hundreds of art galleries and gardens (which are open for anyone to see) and, if these to things 'float your boat', then I am sure this village would be a great place to spend a few days. For me however, I enjoyed my time here but after almost two hours I was ready to leave. Before I did, I remembered my guidebook stating that, what made this place famous, was it's sake and it's chestnut cakes and confectionery. Being a good little tourist I purchased both said items, even though I don't like alcohol. Actually purchasing the alcohol was an experience within itself; being the off season I entered one of the only shops open, which turned out to be a brewery as well (I could see the latest 'batch' being made through a window to my right). The guy who served me seemed to be the kind of guy who liked a drink or two, and when he gave me an English leaflet on 'how sake should be enjoyed properly' I was certain he knew his stuff. I then set too and asked him some questions so that I bought a sake that was a) brewed here and b) popular. After answering my questions I decided that the blue bottle in front of me was the one I’d get however, having been hit with a flash of inspiration, the shop owner raced into the back room where the fresh sake was being made and came back with two small bottles which I couldn't see on the shelves. He told me that, within his hands, were two bottles of 2014 sake (one slightly better refined than the other). Unlike wine, it appears that the younger the sake is, the better. He then told me that these bottles won't go on sale for another month however, he would sell one to me as an exception. For his generosity I purchased the slightly more expensive bottle and left his shop. I then went to purchase a small 'chestnut cake' before leaving Obuse and heading towards the monkey park.

As it was now around 1pm I stopped for lunch at another convenience store. I didn't really fancy another 'car lunch' but, being in the middle of nowhere, I felt as though my options were limited. There was one silver lining which was that, after I had paid for my food, I asked the staff for directions to my next sightseeing location; the monkey park. The teenager in front of me looked as though I had just asked him to call in an artillery bombardment on our location; he therefore called for an old man who drew me a basic map on how to get to the park. On said map he drew a McDonald’s. '...McDonald’s! Around here...' I said. Apparently there is a sizeable city just behind the next hill with many restaurants. Slightly annoyed I continued to listen to his instructions until I was clear on which way to go (he must have gone over the instructions five times). I then thanked him and took my lunch back to the car. I then sat down and ate said lunch which was actually quite yummy (I ate the chestnut cake too, which was fantastic). The 'breaded beef' sandwiches were lovely, though the mustard was a little too strong. After lunch I drove out of the convenience stores car park, past the MacDonald's, and on towards the monkey park.

For once the signs were clear and in English. It therefore took me no-time-at-all to find the car park to said monkey park (and I didn't make any mistakes getting there). To get to the monkey park (called Jigokydani Yaen-Koen) I had to walk up a steep hill before walking along a 1.6km trail, which wound it's way upwards through a dense forest. The trees, plus altitude, kept me cool as I climbed forever upwards. Only occasionally did I stop to take photos of the trees, which surrounded me, and the gradient on which they had been planted on. The most bizarre thing about the walk was that it was, completely by accident, a very international walk. I herd European, American, Chinese, Indian, Korean and Japanese voices all of which, a part from one American woman, said nothing to me as I passed them by.

The monkey park itself was tiny. It was located high in the mountains within a small v-shaped plateau. There were two pathways, one of which lead to a river running though said park and one to a small pool where the monkeys bathe if it's cold (however today was really hot and so most were lying in the sun, searching for food or playing). I really enjoyed the park because it was completely open. There were no fences or nets; in fact if the moneys didn't want to be there then they could just walk out (I did see one on the path on my way to the park). For the first time it would appear that a 'zoo like' attraction had been built around the animals natural habitat (instead of the animals being moved to where the zoo is) and I loved it. Once again I was worried that I would spent too much time behind a lens. There were monkeys everywhere doing all sorts of strange things and, with their red faces, they were pretty cute however, for the most part, they seem to turn their back on me (like most other animals; how many photos of animal 'bottoms' have you taken?). I had taken so many photos on the path leading to the small pool that on my return journey (along the path which lead to the river), I decided to do what I did yesterday and to put my camera way and just look. As the park wasn't that big I soon had enough and decided to leave. The time was around 2:15pm and so I reckoned that I would arrive back at my car around 3pm.

The walk down was just as international as the walk up however, this time, I bumped into the most friendly nationality possible; I met some Canadians. For the rest of the walk I spent my time with two Canadian men and their three children. Both were married to Japanese women, though one lived back in Canada and had come here for a holiday. The other guy came for the 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics and never left. We had a great conversation about travel, food and the positives / negatives of Japanese women (a subject I couldn't add a lot too, but I was certainly taking notes). The weird thing is that I thought that these two guys were old friends, but no. In fact they are both in the 'real estate' business and they met each other about a month ago in Canada. One guy said that he was going to Japan for a holiday when the other guy explained that he lived in Nagano, and that he would show him around if he visited. It's a funny old world.

Even though I was walking at a slower pace, the walk down seemed a lot quicker than the walk up and I was surprised to find myself at the car park. I said goodbye to my Canadian friends, got in my car and drove back to Nagano (which, somehow, evolved me getting on another toll road … it was only 80p). I got back into Nagano just after 4pm. With a little bit of time on my hands I walked across the road and into a huge book store hoping to find a nice photo book of the area but alas, it was not to be (this store had 6 floors too!). Giving up I returned to my hotel room to relax and wait for dinner.

At 7:30pm I put my coat and hat on and headed out into Nagano for probably the last time. Fancying a rice bowl I went back to the same restaurant I dined at Monday night however, I changed my order slightly (I went for a 'miso vegetable' beef bowl with a side order of fish. I didn't have the ice cream this time). Once consumed I walked back to my hotel to have an early night.

So tonight I shall have a shower and pack. Tomorrow I will get up at, hopefully, 6am and leave around 6:30am (to beat the morning traffic here in the city of Nagano). I have already purchased tomorrows breakfast therefore, I hope to be driving until my lunch stop. Unlike my trip here, I have decided to stay away as far as I can from mountains. I will therefore drive north until I hit the sea, and then swing north-east until I hit Niigata. Once there I am a little worried about traffic but, once I get out of the city on it's northern side, I will swing completely east which, trying to cross northern-Honshu in a east-west direction, is always difficult. However, with no mountains in my way, what could possibly go wrong?

So that is my short break finished. Though it has been short I feel as though I have accomplished a lot and I have enjoyed myself thoroughly (though I have spent a fortune). When I think back to my 30^th birthday, I am sure that mountains, boulder fields, monkeys and long road trips will come to mind however, above all, I think I'll remember the extravagance that, up until now, I've never really thought about when travelling. If someone would ask me '...what would you prefer; 3 days in a nice hotel with good food or a 6 day break in a hostel on the cheap...' I would go for the hostel every time. In truth, my choice still hasn't changed after this weekend however, every once-in-a-while, a little bit of luxury makes a lovely change.

Toodle Pip!

Toll roads, mountains and birthdays

Date: 1^st April 2014 (April Fool's day plus 30^th Birthday)

Weather: Stunning; it couldn't have been better.

MP3 Track of the day: Happy Birthday

I slept a lot better than my first night here and so, at 8am, I awoke quite refreshed. Another positive was that, now I had moved into my third decade, I witnessed no physical signs of ageing. Getting out of bed wasn't a problem and I felt completely normal. After a hot shower I sat down to devour my birthday cake, some birthday chocolate, a small glass of Cherry Coke and a cup of tea for '1^st breakfast'. Granted the above items do indeed make quite a strange breakfast however, it's not everyday you turn thirty. With no milk in my hotel room I had to drink my tea black, which annoyed me a little as today I had promised myself I would have / do everything I wanted when / how I wanted it. I then put on my birthday socks, followed by my birthday t-shirt and jumper (plus jeans and shoes, but these weren't for my birthday) and headed out into Nagano and towards Mr Donuts for '2^nd Breakfast'. Today Mr Donuts have released a new line which, though they looked extremely tasty, I felt were a little expensive. I then remembered that it was my birthday and so I ordered one. Once consumed I headed back to the hotel and into my car. With the weather looking so good I opted to travel to 'Onioshidashien'; the location of Japan's highest triple-cratered volcano. As I planned my trip I had two options; I could take the highway which, though expensive, I had taken coming to Nagano and I knew it would be very quick. The other option was to take 'route 18' which, though a lot slower, was unknown to me. I decided to take 'route 18' as this meant I would see new scenery and honestly, how much slower could it be? I left the car park and headed out into Nagano.

Five minutes into my journey, Nagano's confusing road signs had put me on a road heading north-west, when I wanted to go south-east. It mattered not; soon I corrected myself and in no time at all I found the '18' and followed it … a long with a huge amount of traffic.

Due to the sheer amount of traffic, the all-too-familiar orange line and the constant traffic lights I had plenty of time to admire what the '18' offered; which honestly wasn't a lot. The road side towns and retail outlets could have been anywhere in Japan and if it wasn't for the continual view of some very impressive mountains, I think I would have gone mad. Time ticked on, and on, and on; though considering I'd done a 16 hour drive two days ago the 2hr 30min drive to my location hardly had any effect on me. After a 2hr and 30min drive I found myself in a small village called 'Karuizawa', located at the base of the Asama-yama mountain (where the triple-cratered volcano is). This is the village where the current Emperor of Japan met his wife, Michiko, and John Lennon and Yoko Ono holidayed. As I drove through the most western edge of town I could hardly see the attraction however, maybe it got better towards the centre. For now I wouldn't find out; the '146' – which would take me up the mountain – was located on my left and so I turned and followed it towards a striking triangle shaped mountain with it's tip covered in snow. The weather was fantastic and I could see the whole mountain; not a cloud was in sight! Due to this, as I started to ascend, I kept my eyes open for a good place to stop to take photos.

The road started to climb at a greater rate and I was performing many U-turns. Luckily the road had an 'over-taking lane' and so I could get around the lorry which was in front of me. After I had stopped to take a quick photo of the mountain (not the best place; more of an 'insurance photo' encase things didn't get any better) I re-joined the road and over-took the lorry again just before the 'over-taking lane' finished. Once at the top of the mountain the road split and I followed the sign which stated 'Onioshidashien'. What the sign didn't tell me was that this was a told road; I paid the £2.00 fee and left the tick gate quite annoyed...

… that was until I was halfway along the road where I found the perfect place to photograph that mountain I'd seen earlier. Hardly anything was on this road and so this allowed me to take my time and to take photos of this immaculate straight road going far into the distance surrounded by a wall of mountains. The photo location I had chosen was so good that a further two families stopped their cars and copied what I did. Life was fantastic and I didn't really think things could get better; but they did.

“...Karuizawa's dominant feature is the volcano Asama-yama, which last erupted in 2004 and continues to steam ominously. No hiking is allowed within 4km of the crater, and the best place to get a glimpse of the volcano is on it's north side from Onioshidashien, 21km from Karuizawa. Onioshidashien was the scene of a cataclysmic eruption on August 5^th 1783, when ashes from the blow out were said to have darkened the sky as far as Europe, and a seven-kilometer-wide lava flow swept away the nearby village of Kanbara. When the lava cooled it solidified into an extraordinary landscape of black boulders and bizarre rock shapes, where alpine plants now sprout and across which twisting pathways have been laid...”

As I approached Onishidashien it looked more like a motorway services than an amazing scenic location. I pulled off the road and into a car park. I then used a concrete bridge to cross said road and to the start of the 'lava landscape'. The first thing that greeted me was an unusual, and large, concrete building which houses a restaurant and shop (in the summer). Oddly, this concrete construction didn't look out of place among this scenic paradise though, it didn't hold my attention for long. I through money at the lady guarding the gate, picked up a map and raced into the park. I was acting more like a thirteen year old than a thirty year old as I took photos of everything and anything. The whole site was unbelievably beautiful and the weather was just perfect; so much so, that I didn't even need a coat. Still being winter, the longest 'loop trail' was closed due to snow (though when I looked at the trail the amount of snow present was minimal; sometimes I think that the Japanese could open things earlier but because someone states that a certain date hasn't come along yet, these routes remain closed no matter what the actual conditions are) so I had to settle for the middle route. I was in my element taking photos of this, that, and everything. What featured highly within my shooting was, of course the mountain, but also a small red shrine perched in between the rocks. The red contrasted perfectly with the black boulders around it.

I reckoned my smile could have been seen from the foot of the mountain as I walked this way and that. With it still being 'winter', tourist numbers were at an all-time-low which gave me a lot of the site to myself. Most people seemed to concentrate on the red temple and though beautiful, I wanted it within my photos therefore, I mostly stayed away. Once I had finished photographing the place to death I put away my camera.

Soon I found that I had completed the loop and I was back at the entrance gate, but I did not leave. Instead I turned around and completed the loop once more (but in the other direction). I had taken so many photos that I wanted to just walk around the area and take it all in. The panoramic views were so stunning (a part from the Japanese government had allowed a huge ferris wheel to be erected within view) that I just wanted to take my time without a lens in front of my face. I finally left the area around 1:20pm, content that my 30^th birthday would certainly be memorable.

Once back in the car I studied the map. Here I made a fatal error in under-estimating how far I had travelled. I therefore continued in the same direction I was heading not knowing that my 'map reading error' would cost me around thirty minutes and £3.00 in yet another toll road (and as the toll road ran though a small wood, I could not see anything). Once I had corrected my mistake I headed back down the mountain the way I had come and didn't stop until I was back within the town of Karuizawa.

Being short on time I stopped at a convenience store for lunch. While there I consulted both my map and my guidebook. I had either two options; stay here and drive to 'Kyu-Karuizawa' (the scenic part of Karuizawa), or drive to Matsumoto and see a castle. Not really sure how long it would take to get to Matsumoto I opted to finished the area I found myself in. I drove a short distance and parked up within the 'kyu-karuizawa' area.

My guidebook warned me that 'kyu-karuizawa' had one main street lined with souvenir and clothes stores however, being the off season, most were shut. My guidebook recommended the hiking routes around this area plus a visit to the quaint Anglican chapel therefore, I headed to the local tourist office to find out where these places were.

With it still being 'winter season' the hiking routes were shut however, I did find the chapel. Outside of the chapel was a bust of Alexander Croft Shaw; a Canadian who helped popularise the area as a tourist destination (I bet the locals just love him). After this I stopped at another church, the tourist office assistant thought I might be interested in, before heading back to the car. After paying an hours parking fee, I drove north for five minutes before stopping to take a photo of the outside of the 'Old Mikasa Hotel'. This, very Victorian looking, wooden building dates back to 1906 and is now considered a national monument. Not liking the insides of buildings I stopped momentarily to view the brown and white paint job before returning to my car (much to the annoyance of the ticket lady). I then drove along another toll road back up towards Onioshidashien. Along this toll road my guidebook told me that I would find the Shiraito Waterfalls.

The road seemed to climb forever. Being a toll road I had expected to find it in a good condition however, I had to focus more on dodging the pot holes than incoming traffic. Finally, after what seemed like the 100^th U-shape bend I reached the falls. I parked my car and walked the 200m to the foot of the falls.

Now, there is a 10km hike to these falls and if I had done that, I would have been very disappointed with the climax. Sure the falls consisted of three levels, of which the top one was a huge U-shape, however the amount of water actually falling was minimal. I therefore took a number of photos equalling the amount of effort it took to get here and left. I dared not go back the way I came encase I got charged again; I therefore continued along the road until I joined up with the road which I had climbed up to go to Onioshidashien, and descended to head back into the town of 'karuizawa' to have lunch. I joined the road once more and descended once again.

With the time being 4pm I decided that one volcano, a lava boulder sight, one small town, two chapels and a waterfall was quite enough for one day. I therefore filled up with fuel and headed back towards Nagano however, not being able to bare 'route 18's' traffic lights I opted for the highway which, though it cost £11.00, got me back into Nagano within an hour (unlike the two hours it took getting to Karuizawa). I therefore found myself parked within my hotel's car park at around 6pm. Being too early for dinner I headed to my room to relax for an hour and a half before heading out into town to get a little more money.

After I had been to the bank I returned to my hotel, but not to my room. Instead I headed to the hotel's restaurant where no meal would be too expensive. Being quite a posh hotel I did feel a little under-dressed in jeans; however that didn't stop me from ordering the hotel's set 3-course meal with a dessert and 'after dinner tea' added on (making it 4-courses). Not content with tap water for the meal, I ordered a mango juice before sitting down to read about where I will go tomorrow.

I had just finished reading a leaflet about the 'monkey park' when my appetizer arrived. A delicate dish was placed in front of me with my knife and fork placed on their own metal holder. The appetizer I had chosen was a 'salon and avocado' dish (I didn't even know I liked avocado). It looked like it was too good to eat and with the low lighting, classical music and posh food I was a little at a loss for how I should act. Not having company (this was the only thing missing from my meal) I was worried about eating too quickly. I therefore introduced my own etiquette which involved putting my fork down after every delicate mouth full and savouring the taste. I also decided to drink only water as I ate (as not to intoxicate the palate) leaving my mango juice for between courses. The salmon was delicious and once consumed, I sat back and read a leaflet about a small town called Obuse; which is where I will be heading to tomorrow. In no time at all my empty plates were removed and replaced with the 'soup of the day' (pumpkin) plus two small loaves of bread (slightly warm) and a cube of butter. The soup was lovely, however it was completely out classed by the bread. In Japan it is hard to get proper bread (you know; fluffy bread which isn't too sweet) and yet, as I ate my first delicate piece of bread I was transported to a small French village's bakery.

Once consumed the plates were removed effortlessly and replaced with my main dish which was a beautiful beef stew with a salad as a side. The pieces of beef were tender and the sauce complimented the beef perfectly. There were also proper fried potatoes which put a smile on my face. Finally the dessert came (which was quite a surprise as, by this time, I had forgotten what I had ordered) which was a lovely raspberry pastry cake, thing, with two types of sauce drizzled across the plate. Accompanying said cake was a ball of ice cream and, of course, my tea.

When I looked at the size of my appetiser I was a little unsure if I would be full by the end of the 4-courses however, as I handed over £32.00, I thanked the waiter and told him that every course was delicious. I retired to my room content.

So the plan for tomorrow is to head to the small town of Obuse (it's in my guidebook's '31 things not to miss') before visiting some monkeys within a park. As Obuse is quite a small town (and it's only a 30 minute drive away) I have a feeling I may return to Nagano quite early. I shall then try to find a photo book of the area (always a mission in Japan) before having a bath and getting ready for the return journey the following day.

It's been a good break; and I will certainly remember my 30^th for all of the right reasons.

Toodle Pip!

A restful day

Date: 31^st March 2014

Weather: Beautiful. The sun was out and sky was blue.

MP3 track of the day: Where the streets have no name – U2

Having crashed last night, I failed to spot that the curtains were not fully closed. This mistake was revealed to me at around 7am when a beam of light poured into my room and onto my face. Looking out I could tell that the weather was fantastic, which presented an unusual problem. Due to having a long day yesterday, I had planned on sleeping in however, with the weather so good I failed to go back to sleep because I felt as though I should be 'making the most of it'. Japan's spring weather is extremely hard to predict (look at today's and yesterday's weather) and so any sunny day is a blessing. At 8am I decided that enough was enough. I got out of bed and started to get ready.

After having a lovely shower I proceeded to write yesterdays blog before leaving my room in search of food. As the time was 11am I decided to stop by Mr Donuts for a couple of, errr, doughnuts to fill my stomach until lunchtime. As I was sitting there, eating a custard doughnut, I planned my day plus I made a list of all of the jobs I had to complete. Reading through my guidebook, Nagano only has one major tourist attraction (a temple called Zenko-ji) which was located 2.8km north of where I was currently situated. Nagano is a small city therefore, as I looked at the city map my hotel gave me, I realised that my hotel was at the extreme south of the city and the temple at the extreme north. In between were three major roads (running north-south) with many cross streets. I therefore decided to walk along the most eastern street to the temple, and return to my hotel using the middle road (I would work out how to tackle the most western road later). With my sightseeing planned I thought about all of the things I needed to do. First of all I needed to get presents for my friends, a memento for me and some postcards for my family. I also needed to visit the local tourist information centre because, for tomorrow and Wednesday, my planned sightseeing locations were out of the city and therefore I needed to find out which roads were open (if any). Last of all I needed to prepare for my birthday tomorrow; this involved buying a birthday cake and visiting the local cinema for information. Last Thursday a friend told me that she had seen the new F1 film 'Rush' at the cinema and that it was very good. This information had tempted me to make my first visit to a Japanese cinema (they have English viewings; sometimes the film is in English with Japanese subtitles. Sometimes it's the other way around). As the cinema was on the eastern main road I decided that I would visit it on my way to the temple. With my doughnuts eaten I headed off.

Stopping every-so-often to take photos, I found a rather delicious (and expensive) looking cake shop. I had only walked for five minutes and so I decided to wait a while before I bought presents for my friends and indeed, my birthday cake. Maybe I'll find something better further up ahead.

The walk was longer than I imagined however, with the sun out, it was a beautiful walk none-the-less. I made it to the cinema to discover that 'Rush' was not showing at all, let alone tomorrow. I had kind of set my heart on watching a film tomorrow so I therefore looked at what else was on offer … but nothing grabbed my attention. I therefore decided that watching a film for the sake of watching a film was pointless; I had brought some films of my own on a memory stick so, if I want to watch a film tomorrow, then I can watch one of them.

Having left the cinema it was time to head east towards the temple. The street leading to the temple was lined with old looking (but you could tell that they were new) buildings located on a steep hill. Each building was of course a shop, however these were not your tacky souvenir shops; these were your 'up market' souvenir shops.

At the end of the 'up market' souvenir shops lay a pedestrian crossing; past this was the temples outer-gate followed by a row of the more usual tacky souvenir shops. At the pedestrian crossing I had to wait for the 'green man'; as I did I heard a nearby monk ask 'where I was from'. I had ignored this monk for two reasons; firstly he was hitting a small bell every few seconds (which was extremely annoying) and secondly, he obviously wanted money. However, he repeated his question and so I answered in Japanese to find out that he was actually American (he was wearing a big hat so I could not see his face). He had come to Japan as an English teacher and ended up becoming a monk. He asked if I knew what he was doing. Before I could say 'trying to get money by annoying passers by with that bell' he said that he wouldn't tell me as it would look like he was trying to get money from me. He could have told me every past 500m sprint Olympic champion and I still wouldn't have given him any money. Thankfully I avoided a lengthy religious chat due to the 'green man' appearing on the pedestrian lights in front of me. I said farewell and made a note that, on my return journey, to use the other-side of the road.

Once through the outer-gate I quickly by-passed the tacky shops and went through the inner gate of the temple. This gate was huge and, like normal, it was guarded by two big wooden guardians. Once inside, the stone forecourt opened up with Zenko-ji in front of me. Unusually for me, I decided to visit the main temple first before viewing the outer-buildings on the temples left, and gardens on it's right. The temple was beautiful but, it looked like most other temples in Japan. The gardens and outer-buildings were more impressive due to the white tipped mountains and beautiful blue sky behind them. Some cherry blossom trees had started to bloom and that just made the whole area perfect. I happily photographed the area taking photos of everything from every angle. Finally I read my guidebook's entry about this temple for the final time to make sure I had seen / done everything. There was a 'sacred passage way' within the temple itself which I could have gone into however, at 500 Yen, I decided not to bother as my guidebook described it as a 'pitch black hole'. Content that I had finished the temple I left the same way I'd come – though I made sure I avoided the American monk – and proceeded down hill, down the middle main road and south towards the hotel.

The time was now 2pm and I was hungry. After looking around the souvenir shops near my hotel (and finding nothing; I hate souvenir shops) I ventured back north and stopped at a Moss Burger for dinner. Once consumed I decided to venture back to the temple – again missing the monk who was still hitting that bell – to start the job I hate the most when travelling; souvenir shopping. I think I hate souvenir shopping because I never really know what I want. When I usually go shopping I normally know what I want and where to get it; with souvenir shopping you have to 'browse', which to me is dead time. Anyway I browsed quickly through all of the souvenir shops finding the same stuff in all. I then made up my mind what I wanted and purchased it (one shop owner gave me a luckily '5 yen coin' because I spoke English to her ... could have done with that yesterday). To be honest I didn't really like the postcards I bought however, they were the only pack on offer and they were cheap. Once done I left the temple, once again, but this time I took the most western road back into town. It was on this road that I drove into Nagano yesterday and it was here that I found two possible restaurants for dinner tonight.

Once back at the hotel I kept walking and went into the train station. Here I found the tourist information centre where I spoke to a lovely lady. I told her all of the places I want to visit and in return, she gave me information about each one including if any of the roads going to said locations were closed (one road was; I have to go a longer way around). Once done I thanked her and headed out of the train station and into the nearby cake shop I had seen earlier today. Here I purchased my birthday cake for tomorrow's breakfast and some 'omiyagi' (souvenir cakes) for my friends. With that done I returned to my hotel where I put all of my shopping away. I then decided to have a drink of coke and relax.

At 7pm I ventured out into the night looking for food. Due to the sun having gone down, it was a lot colder than during the day. I put my hat and gloves on and walked quickly to Sukiya where I had a beef bowl, a slice of fish and some vanilla ice cream for dessert. Afterwards I returned to my hotel to use the internet and to get an early night.

So how was my last 'twenties' day? Not bad; I was doing what I loved (looking around a place I have never been to before) in a relaxing way. Not bad ... not bad at all.

So tomorrow is my 30^th birthday and therefore, money is no object. I shall get up when I get up, open my presents from my parents and eat my birthday cake. I shall then get in the car and head to one of two locations as discussed with the woman at the tourist office. The first choice is to drive to a little town 20 minutes north-east of here called 'Obuse'. My guidebook states that, though there isn't much to do, it is very pretty. After that there is a monkey park close by which has many Japanese long-tailed monkeys. The second choice is Onioshidashien; the location of Japan's highest triple-cratered active volcano (and a few woodland walks - though with it still being 'winter', I wonder if the walking routes will be open). Depending on time I may drive 60km further south to Matsumoto where a beautiful castle – called after the city – is located. I think it will be weather dependent; if the weather is bad I think I'll select the first choice. If the weather is good I'll go for number two as I really want to see Onioshidashien (John Lennon and Yoko Ono holidayed here; plus this is where the current emperor met his wife).

However now I am off to bed and when I wake, I shall be thirty. Before I go I have to tell you that I am sad to leave a decade in which I have achieved so much. During my twenties I learnt to drive, completed my degree and traveled around the world before coming to live in Japan. I can't help thinking that it is going to be hard for the next decade to compete.

Toodle Pip!

There is no God

Sunday 30^th March 2014

Weather: Everything! Rain, snow, sun, more rain, wind and fog

MP3 track of the day: The long and winding road – The Beatles

Though this blog is being written the morning after the day in question (this is usual; it's so that what is written here is as accurate as possible) it is being written on a brand new computer. Yes, it's a sad day but the machine I took around the world with me; the net book which has accompanied me through Europe, North America, Australasia, Asia and for 2 years here in Japan has been left on the shelf and replaced with an 'Acer P3' (link). Towards the end of our time together it was taking 45 minutes or so to load up, the 'w' key didn't work very well (which is an important key when it comes to the internet) and life was slowly slipping away from it's battery cells. I will of course miss it and will never throw it away. Therefore, like every award at the Oscars, this blog has been dedicated. It has been dedicated to my old net book; my 'Acer one'.

******

So far, 2014 has been a very good year with many, many good things happening to me. I knew it couldn't last, but I did wonder just how long my good luck would hold out...

… That question was answered at 3:55pm today however, there are many hours to write about before then, starting with the 4^th hour of the day, which is when I got up. Having all bags packed – plus I had a shower the previous night – it took no time at all to have a small breakfast, turn off the water and electricity, and get into my car. I left my Japanese home town of Miyako under a veil of darkness and headed south, along the '45', towards Sendai. Being early in the morning, and pitch black, there is little I can tell you about this trip other than I made good progress and traffic was none-existent. I made it into a city called 'Ishinomaki' around 8am where I stopped for '2^nd breakfast'.

Now, this was the bit of the journey which I was worried about the most. Miyagi-ken (which is where Ishinomaki and Sendai are) is notorious for it's huge amount of traffic. It was only 8am and already, I knew, that I was at a part of my journey which could make, or break, it. Fortunately, with it being a Sunday, there was little in the way of 'work traffic'. Also, with the sky pouring down buckets of rain, the 'day trippers' must have been put off because traffic was extremely light and I soon found myself in Sendai, travelling south along the '4', towards Fukushima. Apart from the constant 'red' lights, the traffic moved on at quite a pace and so things were going well. This was good because the '4' is not at all 'picturesque'. This road runs all the way up the country from Tokyo to Aomori and, it would appear, that the same shops, squared buildings and industrial units repeat themselves all the way down the road. With the constant traffic lights I wanted to leave this road as soon as possible and what made it worst was that, in the distance, I could see mountains and forests calling to me.

At around midday I stopped heading south and turned west towards Aizu-Wakamatsu. You may remember but I visited Aizu-Wakamatsu for my summer holiday last year and loved it. I remembered the city but I had completely forgotten about the beautiful lake, which had to be driven around to get to the city (well, it would have been beautiful if it would stop raining).

I was hoping for quick 'pit stop' in Aizu-Wakamatsu (I had a few jobs to do there; get money, have dinner and fill the car) however, once there, I had completely erased from my mind the billion sets of traffic lights which plague each street I turned down. Seriously, I was on the very long, and very straight, main street and I could see 14 sets of traffic lights, all red, running into the distance. It therefore took me an hour and 15 minutes to complete my jobs. For food I went to a 'Big Boy' restaurant; I have seen this 'restaurant chain' everywhere in Japan but I had never tried it. Once inside the place was rammed with parents taking their children for a 'special treat' however oddly, it was a woman – who didn't look that Japanese herself – who stared at me the most. Once I had placed my order (a hamburger steak with cheese) I looked around and failed to find the attraction. The food was expensive and the portions were quite small. There was a free salad bar and soup area which, it would appear, the Japanese used continuously to make sure that they got their 'monies worth'. The only saving grace was that the food didn't take that long which meant I could leave this 'expensive nursery' and carry on my way. The time was 1pm.

Now, the drive to Aizu-Wakamatsu wasn't that interesting because I had done it before. From this point on I was into uncharted territory. I was therefore nervous of missing the road which I required, but also very excited; my whole trip had been planned around the next road (the 252) because - according to my map – this road wound it's way past huge lakes, through forests and up mountains. In effect, this road looked like paradise to me and I wasn't going to let the rain, plus cloud, spoil it. Soon after I left Aizu-Wakamatsu, I joined the 252 and headed south-west.

The road was superb. The traffic was non-existent and I wound my way through small villages not really caring what my speedometer showed. There wasn't a single car insight and huge piles of snow could be seen all around me (however the road was as clean as my mate's – Francis' – apartment … spotless). This road would go on for 2 hours or more and with that in mind, my smile grew and grew. The time was 3:53pm and the fog was closing around me though, visibility was still good. I had my music set to 'loud' and life was great. I turned a corner and slammed on my breaks. I stopped hardly believing what I saw. A JCB was parked across the road with barriers preventing me from going any further. The road was shut due to snow.

I realised then why traffic had been so light; there must have been a sign at the beginning of the road which told motorists this but, being in Japanese, I had no idea. I got out my map, pinpointed my location and then my eyes almost fell out of their sockets. You see; I was approaching Nagano from a north-easterly direction; between Nagano and I were the Japanese Alps (the start of said Alps were here). Being Alps they were huge and went on for miles to the north and south of me. In effect I was in the middle of the range and there were no other road for miles. I had to make a choice: do I go back to Aizu-Wakamatsu (2 hours away) an travel around the northern edge of the Alps; or do I head south and see if any other mountain passes were open (there were two on my map). Seeing retreat as mark of failure I headed south. At first I was laughing to myself and seeing this all as a bit of an adventure. It wasn't until the fact that I realised that this closure had cost me '3 to 4 hours', did I start to feel a bit down. I turned the music off, put my foot to the floor and passed all of the beautiful scenery I'd seen before however, this time, it didn't look quite as nice.

With roads blocked, traffic was light. I made great progress however, once at the second pass I discovered that this too was shut. Another look at my map detailed another mountain crossing however, this was really far south. Having no choice I headed south towards Nikko, which is only 2 hours north of Tokyo, thankful that I'd filled my car with petrol in Aizu-Wakamatsu.

The day was drawing in and the time was around 6pm. I must say that the scenery had been stunning all day and now, with the sun going down the mountains, lakes and forests looked even more beautiful. The rain had stopped too!

Before entering Nikko I decided to use a small 'toll road' (£2) which helped me by-pass the sprawling (and probably 'traffic light' ridden) town of Nikko. A cheery old man collected my money and told me where I was on my map. We had a chat for a minute or two and he was completely confused in regards to where I was, in relation to my starting point and terminus. I explained the situation but I too was a little at a loss on how it could have gone so wrong. He told me to take care and with that, I put my foot hard to the floor and zoomed along the road in front of me.

Having quite enjoyed my 'toll road experience' I joined another one (£1) and zoomed towards my next, and final, mountain cross (any further south and I would be going around the Alps). As I started to climb once more I started to worry about what I would do if this road was closed. The time was 7pm and, by now, I should have been entering the city of Nagano and here I was, 200km away with a mountain range in the middle. I started to feel depressed; I couldn't take another closure … I just couldn't.

My spirits started to rise when I had completed the drive up the mountain and the road started to level. Maybe this road would be okay...

… then signs in red started to appear. Instead of ignoring them (like earlier) I tried to see if there were any Kanji I could recognise; there was one. This Kanji '冬' means winter. A kanji meaning winter, written in red, could not be good. I stopped, within a small village, at a local police station where the officer confirmed my worst fears; the road was closed. I thought, at this point, quite a lot of 'naughty' words may have slipped from my mouth followed by actions which may have landed me with a free night in this policeman's cell. However I remained calm. With the policeman, we planned a route which took me even further south (which, when the policeman saw just how long my detour was, brought the policeman out in fits of laughter). I thanked the policeman and in return he told be to drive safely. I slowly left the police office, got in my car, gently pulled out onto the road and drove at a very safe speed …

… until I was out of view.

It was at this point that I hated my compass. The needle never moved from 'south', which was now the wrong direction from Nagano. Finally I made it to the '353' which would, I hope, take me north-west. As the road hugged the edges of the Alps it did rise and fall however, never to any serious degree. The biggest problem was that this road had a continual 'orange line' in the middle (same rules as double yellows) which I was overjoyed about considering I got stuck behind a petrol tanker – going up a hill – and numerous lorries. The hours were ticking by and luckily for me the wind was picking up (so much so, that tree branches had been broken and were occasionally in the road). I was now getting close to Nagano and, as I peered at my map (I was getting quite good at driving and navigating at the same time), I realised that I had finally cleared the mountain range. I got onto the '144' and headed north.

About 60km away from Nagano I had to climb yet another mountain. God – if there is one – having seen that snow, rain, gale force winds, slow moving traffic, unreadable signs and missing signs had not stopped me decided to throw down dense fog as I drove down a very windy road. With my speed reduced to 30km, and visibility reduced to a couple of arm lengths, I gingerly 'S-bended' my way down this final mountain. At the other end I was awarded with a sign that said 'optional Toll road to Nagano'. It was now 10:30pm and I couldn't care about the cost. I got on my third toll road of the day (only ever been on one before; I like these roads) and cranked my engine up to 110km. As I screamed my way to Nagano I thought about the bible story where, God I think, brought down 7 (??) plagues upon Egypt; one each day. That's nothing, I thought to myself; today I've had hundreds of problems within 24 hours.

In no time at all I saw the exit for Nagano. In the dark I could see the lights of the city and finally relief poured out of me. As I approached the toll gate I had my eyes closed however, when I was told that the cost was only 750 yen (£5) I was a quite happy and I decided, there and then, that I may use toll roads more in the future.

Being close to midnight the city was deserted. I found my hotel with ease and parked within it's car park (13 minutes before said car park closed for the night). I went into the very posh hotel entrance and asked for my key. While in the entrance I used the internet (no wifi in the rooms) to find out that Lewis Hamilton had won the Malaysian GP (finally; good news). I then went upstairs to my lovely room and collapsed on the bed. Having driven for around 18 hours today tomorrow will be very relaxed; I will get up late, chill in the hotel and then maybe go for a walk around the city.

I will not be driving!

Toodle Pip!