Our final stop before our Tokyo adventure was Matsumoto. Fortunately, it’s a smaller town, so we could relax before our fast two-days in the city.
Once off the train, we headed directly to Matsumoto castle. We were able to store our bags on the grounds, and found a free tour — offered in partnership with a language association. A very knowledgeable and silly older woman provided so much context and information about the castle, and other castles in Japan, the history of samurai and wars in the area. The castle's impressive architecture, dating back to the 16th century, is a marvel, with its striking black exterior and commanding presence. We had the opportunity to go inside of the structure, and it was crazy! Walking through the castle's interior, we saw see the samurai armor and weapons on display, as well as the intricate craftsmanship of the wooden beams and floors. Climbing the steep stairs to the top floor offers a stunning view of the surrounding mountains and city. The stairs were SO tall - maybe 2-3 times taller than regular stairs. We had to be careful of our heads and take our time using them. I tried to imagine what it might be like to use these stairs in Samurai gear, and I decided I could never be one - in case you were wondering.
After exploring the castle, we got lunch and then headed back to our hotel which was in the outskirts of town. It was a wonderful Ryokan with a beautiful private onsen that had a view of the city and mountains. As we had for our trip on the Nakasendo, our ryokan provided dinner and breakfast. For dinner, we had a traditional Japanese spread, including fish. And, this was the night I decided I was done with fish… I took a bite of eel - something I had already tried and knew I liked - but I was not cautious with my bite and a bone lodged itself into the roof of my mouth. Alex thought I was being dramatic, until after several sips of sake and a few bites of food, the bone dislodged and it was sizable!
The following day, we walked to the train station for the final stop of our little tour of Japan: Tokyo. We had a jam-packed itinerary for our two days there, but we first needed to get to Shinjuku Prince Hotel, where we were staying. Upon arrival, we cleaned ourselves up and went on little solo adventures. I made my way to walk around Ueno Park to visit one of the art museums. I visited the free museum where university students were exhibiting their art. I really enjoyed the opportunity to see some newer artists.
That evening, we went on a food and drink tour in Ueno. We began with a tasting of plum wine on the street, before walking over to a few stops for food and drinks. Along the tour, we sampled local specialties like sweet cakes, beer and sake. It was a total blast! We ended up meeting another couple from Australia, who was happy to continue the party at Golden Gai, a collection of mismatched, tumbledown bars lining alleyways in a darkened corner of Shinjuku - where we were all staying. As the night progressed, we were eventually kicked out of the bar, and discovered it was 4:00am. This would not usually be a problem, but we had a full-day private tour beginning at 8:30am the following day. Needless to say, I was... not feeling my best when we needed to wake up. I did my best to drink some coffee and eat, but wasn't ever able to recuperate.
Our private tour began by going to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, where you can famously see a beautiful view of Tokyo from the sky - for free! After that, we headed to Sengaku-ji Temple (famous for a battle of avenge) and Happoen Gardens with lunch at Tsukiji Fish Market. Little hungover me was a real champ and had bunch of sushi - including eel - for the planned lunch. We made our way to Gotokuji Temple - Tokyo's famous cat shrine! We ended our tour by visiting Meiji Shrine, dedicated to the deified spirits of Emperor Meiji and Takeshita Street in Harajuku. Exhausted and hungry, we took a quick food break before heading to our next experience: a local concert in Shibuya. Alex found this Airbnb Experience, where a local music enthusiast listens to a few of your favorite artists and then hand picked a great venue and show. The bands were truly amazing and Alex and I had a great time - despite not being able to understand the lyrics. We got to meet the band members and complement their music, too. It was wonderful!
The next day, we had an afternoon Manga drawing class, another Airbnb Experience that we found. After a busy few days, this class was so relaxing and a nice way to debrief our time traveling. I think everyone should take this class, I learned so much and have so much respect for the process. My drawing is based off of the time that Alex went to an Onsen with electricity in the water. He is literally shocked and confused, whereas the “Onsen master” is thinking *this is heaven…ahhhh*. Alex drew us on the Nakasendo trail in the snow, and me freaking out every time I see a cat… including the one time on the trail! Then our host drew the cat on the Nakasendo trail, and us enjoying the Onsen together.
We had an afternoon train so grabbed some snacks at Lawsons and made our way back to Osaka. The next day, we spent packing, doing laundry and going out for one last farewell to the running man. As a parting activity, we tried a photobooth that distorts your face to be cuter… and also let’s you add chaotic decorations. I had to go through great lengths to figure out the digital download, including possibly signing up for a monthly subscription that may it may not ever end. The perfect way to end our time in Japan!
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