Roving Japan

We had a great time riding around the city today. We used a tourist map that we got at the train station yesterday and we planned a rough route around town that included stops at the castle, then one of Japans original middle schools and finally a miso factory. We figured that we would be able to find plenty of interesting things in between. As a bonus, the weather was perfect!

Matsumoto castle was awesome. We got there in the morning and enjoyed a leisurely climb to the top floor. The views of the city from the top were really nice. Matsumoto is surrounded by the Japanese Alps, and the weather today gave us a great view. As with most castles, the interior of Matsumoto castle is displaying some old artifacts, but this was the first time we’ve seen old canons on display. They also had an old rocket and a few other unique weapons like a dagger/pistol.

Next to the castle there is a little museum showing historical objects from Matsumotos history. I don’t know why, but my favorite thing was the wooden sandal ice skates. There was also a display about a local festival that involves carrying wooden penis around and throwing them into peoples houses. I guess it’s good luck.

The old Japanese middle school we went to was interesting. It was one of the first middle schools built in Japan during Meiji.

From the school we just biked around, not really going anywhere in particular, just enjoying the nice day and taking in our surroundings.

Around noon when we were getting hungry, we started looking for a good place to eat. At first we biked past the usual suspects: Udon, Soba, Ramen, etc… But after a little while I saw it. Like a beacon of hope beckoning me to come closer. I saw the “U2 Burgers Cafe”.

I immediately slammed on the breaks and slid into a bike parking spot. “Risa! I found lunch!”

Inside we found a very nice little restaurant that takes pride in making authentic burgers. And for the low low price of $10 I actually got a real burger. Sure it wasn’t giant, but it was good and there was some real meat between the buns. It also came with a decent number of fries. Thank you Matsumoto! You’re officially my favorite city in Japan!

After lunch we meandered our way to a little miso factory and tasted some miso soup. Then we biked over to the main river running through town and took some photos of the green grass with the mountains in the background. We also came across a high school baseball game, so we stopped and watched that for a while.

A curious aspect of Matsumoto are the fresh water wells spread around town. Every few blocks there are little wells that spew an endless supply of fresh mountain snow melt. The locals come by with dozens of empty plastic water bottles and fill up. We drank some of the water and it was certainly crisp and clean. Not a bad little benefit for those who live here!

I think this city is my favorite city in Japan. Free bicycles, fresh water wells, hamburgers, thai curry, an awesome castle, beautiful mountains, and interesting architecture make this one heck of a cool place. I’m really glad we decided to come here.

Tomorrow we’re back on the road!