We were in Matsumoto. It was a short walk from our hotel to the Matsumoto Castle. The original castle was built in the 16th century and was in use up 1868. After a period of decline, it was recognised as a national monument in 1952. Since then, a series of restoration projects have been completed. Like Himeji, it is highly photogenic. A black castle to counterpoint the Himeji white castle. We walked around the moat and had a brief look inside. I had to take my shoes off to climb an increasingly narrow set of stairs. Like Himeji, there is nothing much inside. I did reach the very topmost room and I took a photograph. It was genuinely not worth the effort.
We got taken to miso factory. Miso is a fermented paste made of ground soya beans and grain, such as barley, which is fermented using koji. Salt is added to stop the fermentation. Koji is produced by introducing the mould Aspergillus oryzae onto steamed white rice. The fungus occurs naturally although these days a cultivated version is normally used. Miso is high in protein and minerals. It imparts a strong umami taste. Soy protein contains a substantial amount of glutamate, the salt of which, monosodium glutamate, is a popular ingredient used by food manufacturers to improve the taste of their products. Miso soup is a staple in Japan and features in nearly every meal. We visited an artisan factory where a 6th generation manufacturer showed us into a room containing large fermentation vats. We were then sat down and told nothing about how miso is made. You already know much more than we learned there. We were assured that two bowls of miso soup a day would help prevent cancer. The experiment that proved this had, to my understanding, absolutely no scientific validity and was essentially anecdotal. Then came lunch. This was the usual disappointment except for some artisan miso. It was quite nice. I use miso commonly in cooking. Here I could mix miso with white rice to make quite a tasty dish. However, since every other dish included meat or fish, the rice only held my attention for a short while. The visit concluded, predictably, with the miso shop. Here we could browse a wide range of miso-based produces. All available at very reasonable prices.
In the afternoon we went in the coach to Suwa. On the way through the mountains, we stopped at a small typical mountain village. It may once have been typical but those days were long gone. Today there is a carpark that can easily accommodate a dozen or more full-size coaches. The main street is narrow but long, crowded with tourists and lined by wooden buildings. Each building was a tourist shop of some sort. Coffee, food, souvenirs and so on. Business was brisk. We stopped for a coffee and then wandered back along a street behind the main one. Looking at the back of the row of shops we could see many garages, most of which contained expensive looking cars.
Next day, we left Suwa and went to see Mount Fuji. At 3,700m, this is one of the most famous stratovolcanoes in the world. Just about any reference to Japan includes an image of Mount Fuji. Technically, it is an active volcano although the last eruption was over 300 years ago. Access to the mountain is carefully controlled. Climbing is only allowed during July and August. Essentially, the mountain is a cone of cinder ash. It is easy angled from any direction but the height makes it a long slog. There are several standard routes. Typically, climbers put in a steady 6 hour day to reach a mountain hut near the summit. In the morning they get up early to see the sunrise from the summit and then come all the way back down.
We were driven up to station 5 which is one of the more popular starting points. There is a massive hotel and tourist complex here. It was packed with people when we arrived. The mountain was buried in cloud. We wandered off along the start of the climbing route soon found ourselves almost alone. There were a few views. Nothing amazing because of the cloud but even so it was lovely to get away from the madding crowds if only for half an hour.
Back down on the lowlands, we drove to the famous viewpoint by a lake. The weather was not cooperating. Thousands of people had come here to have a selfie done with a Mount Fuji background. All any of them would have got, including me, was a hazy, grey vague volcano shape with clouds around it. We were there at completely the wrong time of day. The sun was high and put the mountain in shadow. I suspect you need to be there early in the day. The organisers of tours should think about this sort of thing.
We arrived in Tokyo late in the afternoon. The sky had cleared and the shiny, modern skyscrapers were glowing in the evening sun. We had a hotel in the Odaiba waterfront district. It was modern and comfortable but still very compact. Wandering around the area, I was rather surprised to find a Statue of Liberty down by the river. The statue is about 12 m high. About 1/7th size of the original. It was loaned to Tokyo by France in 1998. Recall that the original statue was given to USA by France nearly one hundred years earlier. The statue in Tokyo proved to be so popular that Japan was given permission to make one of their own. Other architectural features of the area can only be explained by invoking Star Trek.
In the morning, we were scheduled to do a sushi cooking class. I had no desire to watch and smell someone slicing up raw fish, so we wandered off on our own.
The next day, we said goodbye to our luggage for the second time. The bullet trains are lovely but not very luggage friendly. Small bags are ok but there is truly little space for large ones. So, our bags were sent ahead by a luggage carrier. This is common in Japan. We would be reunited in two days’ time in Sapporo. Bags gone, we went up a tall tower. This was becoming a bit of a theme in Japan. Find a new city – go up a tall tower. This one was the 243 m tall Tokyo Metropolitan Government tower. Not so bonkers as some of the towers we have visited. Commanded an excellent view and we managed to get a cup of coffee.
On the way back, we visited Shibuya Crossing. This is the world’s busiest pedestrian crossing. Apparently. An average of 3,000 pedestrians cross here every two minutes. Our bus driver approached the crossing, stopped briefly at the red traffic lights and then drove on. Our guide led the applause for him and everyone on the coach joined in. Nearly everyone. Diane and I appeared to be in a minority in thinking that nothing much had happened.
That evening was a diner cruise. Now, normally, this would have been interesting but we had a good inkling how it would go in Japan. The boat would be very crowded. The food would be inedible. The drinks would be massively overpriced. We would get back late and then need to go out to find food. So instead, we found a lovely Italian restaurant with an outside area from where we could watch the diner cruise boats bobbing about on the water.
In the morning we went to a temple. The 7th century Sensoji Temple is the oldest in Toyko. It is also one of the more popular temples. We joined in with the crowds of people and wandered around the large, heavily forested gardens. Were it not for the press of people, you could forget about being in a city. The dense trees provide welcome shelter from the sun and hide the glass skyscrapers of the city. We found a rack full of wine casks. Not entirely sure what that was about but on the opposite side of the road was an equally large rack of saki barrels. So evidently someone had indulged in some major partying. Further on, past a substantial wooden gate, we came to the main part of the temple. Here were people throwing coins into a large box. We were assured that if we too did this, then said a quick prayer and made a particular motion with our hands, that our wish would be granted. Now, I can see that this is probably a nice little earner for the monks but, honestly, this is the sort of thing told to kids. What has happened to serious Buddhism?
