The Japan Alps - Nagano to Matsumoto

From Nikko we headed back onto the main train lines and caught our first shinkansen to Nagano and the Japan Alps. We had originally planned to go the next day to Yudanaka and see the snow monkeys in the hot springs there, but it turned out to be a costly and time consuming effort that we decided in the end wasn't worth it. Particularly as the monkeys are not really that wild anymore. As it turned out we later saw wild snow monkeys with their babies pass through Kamikochi which was really cool!

So, that morning was instead spent wandering around a bit of Nagano and visiting the Zenko-ji Temple, before off to spend the afternoon and evening in Matsumoto and it's really wonderful "Crow Castle" Matsumoto-jo. We actually enjoyed the castle much more than we thought we would and were glad we had had extra time to look around and go up inside the tower. Matsumoto-jo is also all lit up at night which is very beautiful. Unusually, the lights at night make you see more of the white paint shining, while during the day, the castle looks more black. It's a very striking castle anyway, and having the moat and gardens around it really make it a beautiful setting.

Nagano streets and traditional ryokan

The streets of Nagano leading up to Zenko-ji

School children painting Zenko-ji in Nagano

Matsumoto-jo - "Crow Castle"

The view from the 5th floor of Matsumoto-jo

Matsumoto-jo

Matsumoto-jo at night

We've been staying in a mix of accomodation types on this trip - a couple of traditional inns, some backpackers, but mostly Toyoko Inns (a business hotel chain found throughout Japan). These Toyoko Inns have been really great value, not much more expensive than a backpacker dorm bed but with free breakfast and free internet. Some have had free dinner also and we get discounts on Sundays and Mondays which actually can make it cheaper than backpackers. These are double rooms with your own bathroom also. We haven't seen very many non-Japanese people use these hotels, but maybe it's because you expect backpackers to be cheaper. I wouldn't recommend staying there if you were travelling on your own, but it's great for couples travelling.