Day 17

No hike today—what a treat! Yet somehow, I still clocked 15,000 steps!!

It all began with a leisurely 1km stroll to find an open café, then, another 1km wander to Matsumoto Castle. It’s one of the grandest castles in Japan. Its five-tiered, six-story main tower, built in late 16th century, is the oldest surviving castle tower in the nation.

Up and down those six stories was a bit of a squeez. The incline was a ridiculous 61 degrees, with steps so steep (40cm high each!) they left me both speechless and breathless.

Then, off to another Shinkansen, where I witnessed something delightful—a station employee, dutifully vacuuming the stairs to the platform. Honestly, bless his soul! That train took me to Nagano (weren’t there Winter Olympics here once?) and onwards to Karuizawa.

Dropped off my bag and had a quick poke around the city, only to stumble upon a shopping outlet mall so vast, it could probably house a small village. I mean, I wasn’t expecting much, but this? Definitely didn’t see it coming. Hence, the 15k steps!

Outside of Tokyo, I’ve noticed that people seem absolutely bonkers for their dogs. Today, I spotted more dogs in strollers than babies. Not sure those pampered pups will ever reach 10k steps in their lifetimes… poor little mites!