Today we went to Matsumoto to see the castle. It was really cool. Its nowhere near as high as you'd imagine but you can walk around the castle grounds (featuring a moat full of carp) and even go inside the castle, climbing up the stairs. The stairs were very steep with low ceilings so you had to go really slow, but it was fun to get higher and higher. It was full of white tourists though. Maybe its because we just got back from Hokkaido where you dont see any but I think they just ruin the atmosphere and make it less Japanesey. After the castle we headed to our accomodation, a ryokan on the ourskirts by a river. It is such an improvement on last night! Theres a hot spring bath, green tea and hot water in our room, and nice yukatas and futons. And wifi! So Im happy. Its nice to have a quiet place after spending a day on trains and sightseeing. We went out for ramen this evening, I think my Japanese is now good enough to get by at train stations and ramen shops. Important I think.
