Nagano and Matsumoto

Since October 5th, Laura and Jens have been visiting. We spent the first 5 days in Kanazawa and then went to Nagano, where the 1998 Winter Olympics took place. But there's not much to see in Nagano, except for a temple, which is very beautiful and worth a visit. At the Zenkoji Temple, there is a ceremony every morning after sunrise that anyone can attend. So get up early and be at the temple at 6 o'clock. We were blessed by the high priest and then went into the temple to pray at the sanctuary. A monk played a drum and the others murmured Om chants.

The day before, we were in Matsumoto, which is about 90 minutes away by tram. Matsumoto is famous for its castle (there wasn't anything else there). But it's one of the most beautiful in Japan and one of the few that is still completely intact.