August 26-27, 2007 – Nagano Prefecture

Today we left the hustle and bustle of Tokyo (thank god for Dan, he was ready!). Despite not being able to sit next to each other at first due to a very crowded bullet train, the ride was nice. The shinkansen here not only go extremely fast, they are so smooth. You can barely tell when you are going or stopping. It is quite lovely.

Once we reached Nagano city, the home of the 1998 Winter Olympics, we grabbed some ramen from a nearby noodle shop. I enjoy listening to the slurping sounds of people in these sorts of places, but Dan still thinks it is weird. Slurping noodles and apparently eating sushi with just your hands are not considered rude here. Slurping, at least, is encouraged. My technique is not up to par in the least. It takes skill to slurp a big spoonful of noodles up the hashi (chopstick) and into the mouth.

About an hour later on the local Nagano Dentetsu line we reached the small mountain town of Yamanouchi. The ride up was pretty cool, since we sat in the very back of the train and there were windows all around. We watched Nagano slip behind the hills. The landscape changed into miles and miles of fruit trees and vegetable farms. Dan was keen to point out that each individual piece of fruit was carefully wrapped in paper as it hung from the tree. This, perhaps, is to prevent hungry birds or other predators from eating it. I also think it probably contributes to the perfection that is Japanese fruit. The peaches, pears, and grapes in particular – oh, and pineapple too! – are to die for.

Anyway, back to Yamanouchi. It is a sleepy village dotted with old, traditional storefronts and very narrow streets. Large mountains loom on all sides. It is a beautiful area. A quick taxi ride to our ryokan, and we were greeted by Mrs. Shimaya. Despite being the size of a small hotel, this ryokan was much like a bed and breakfast. Mrs. Shimaya was so happy to meet us, and began running around getting things ready. Our room was a traditional Japanese tatami room, and it was beautiful. Traditional artwork hung from the walls, and a small table with a tea set was the only thing in the room. Of course, we were especially lucky, as we had a small porch room with two chairs and a table, and even our own little private balcony. I was immediately happy, if not for just the lovely smell of tatami, because I knew our short time in Yamanouchi would be amazing.

Indeed it was a great two days. The first afternoon, we explored the town, and with the advice from Mr. Shimaya, headed toward a nearby Peace park noticeable by a huge statue of Kannon, the bodhisattva of compassion (my favorite!). We each paid 100 yen to ring a huge bell, and the sound seemed to echo throughout the entire valley. Instead of taking the streets back, we decided to check out a nature trail, again recommended by Shimaya-san. We came upon small peace bells every 50 meters or so, and although they were so loud they hurt our ears, I appreciated the idea.

We ate sushi that night, at Shimaya-san’s friends place. Dan was initially hesitant to try and perhaps enjoy for the first time raw fish, but the night was a success. We drank mugs of beer and filled up on yummy fish. I even tried uni (sea urchin) for a second time and actually enjoyed it! The night concluded with a dip in the ryokan’s own onsen (hot spring). The water was hot and relaxing.

We awoke to the sound of the phone ringing the next morning at 7 a.m. It was some sort of automated recording, so we fell right back asleep, but another rang about an hour later turned out to be Shimaya-san wondering when we wanted a ride to the monkey park. Partly the reason for me wanting to come to this area is because it is famous for this monkey park. Populated by Japanese macaques that sit in hot springs and run around freely, it sounded like a magical place to visit. We had first seen it in Baraka, a great movie everyone should check out. Shimaya-san dropped us off in his jacked up, 4WD Mitsubishi minivan (quite a sight!) and we walked about 2 km in to the park. I saw a few tour buses on the way and feared the worst, but was happily surprised when we only saw about 10 people inside. The monkeys were everywhere! On the trails, on the signposts, climbing on all the rock walls, in the water – everywhere. One glared menacing at me as I headed down the trail, and I thought it might attack, but Dan said it was just trying to intimidate me. In general, the monkeys all seemed very nice, except for a few I learned.

We took pictures and walked around, chatting about how cute the babies were and how crazy and protective the huge males were. It was really great – check out our pictures!

A quick stop at a roadside soba noodle shop later (delicious!) and we headed to a sake brewery house on the way back. Sake, in Japanese, refers to all alcohol. What we Americans call sake is in fact “Nihonshu” or Japanese liquor. This place, accordingly, served Nihonshu and locally brewed microbrews, a real treat and something I had yet to see in Japan. The sake was mostly excellent, despite a couple bitter varieties. I am continually amazed at how many kinds of sake there are and how different the tastes (and prices) can be. The beer was good also, so we picked up a small variety pack and a bottle of our favorite sake and continued walking back to Shimaya’s.

School had just let out in Yamanouchi, and the streets were filled with youngsters, all with bells on their backpacks (I think for safety, since cars whip around the small streets at what seem to be very high speeds). We were stared at by each young child, greeted with “Hello!” more than a few times, and turned away from either in fear or shyness by many others. It was funny!

Back at the hotel, we hung around and got ready for dinner, which was to be held at the ryokan, prepared by Mrs. Shimaya. I really had no idea what to expect, but I should have assumed it would be nothing other than spectacular. We were ushered into another small tatami room with a table full of food all ready (see pictures). This may have been the best meal I ever had! Sashimi, yakotori, grilled beef and vegetables, baked salmon with mushrooms and lemon, salad varieties, baked eggplant with the most delicious sauce ever, soup, rice, etc. It was fantastic. We drank a delicious bottle of sake I had left over from the conference. One of Shimaya-san’s employees was our server, and she was great. She had apparently already heard, falsely I argue, that I was very good at Japanese, so she was excited to chat. Her John Wayne/cowboy impression was unforgettable and she was even kind enough to share the recipe for the eggplant sauce with me. In the middle of the meal, Shimaya-san came in with a tray of alcohol. I had offered that he try some of our sake, and I knew he couldn’t refuse. He did, after all, immediately recognize the bottle and where it came from. It was very good, expensive sake from the Kyoto region. Anyway, perhaps to compensate for what we wanted to give him, he brought the fixin’s for his own special cocktail, called the “Samurai drink.” It was a delicious mixture of green tea liquor, vodka, and sake. Somehow it tasted just like green tea. (I got the recipe for that too!)

Needless to say, we did nothing but digest after a meal like that. Dan tried to find comfort in the futon bedding, but it wasn’t nearly as cushy and soft as our bed at home, so he didn’t sleep that well.

We headed to the train station first thing in the morning, but not until after we had our pictures taken, both alone and with Mr. and Mrs. Shimaya, to be posted on the website. They also gave us presents – a fan, hashi, and a chopstick holder – and then gave us a ride to the train station. I don’t know if I have ever been treated with such overwhelming kindness. It really was great. I think they especially liked us too, Dan with his good looks and height, and me for my broken Japanese perhaps.

We are now heading to Kanazawa, a small castle town on the coast of the Sea of Japan. We are meeting two of my good friends from the conference who will show us around. I really enjoy riding the trains in Japan. It is a great way to see the countryside! I am writing now as we zip across small neighborhoods and green hills, densely compacted cemeteries, and the calm sea on my left – all while listening to the Flaming Lips. Does life get any better than this?