Day 6: Matsumoto Castle

Today we woke to fluffy grey clouds giving way to beautiful blue skies. Matsumoto station has a temperature gauge on it, and this morning it was around 24 C (~75 F). Later in the day it got to 34 C or about 93 degrees F!! It was (is) very humid so we had to drink a LOT of water. Thankfully the water here is very clean and cool, and vending machines selling water bottles are everywhere.

We headed to Matsumoto Castle in the morning. The grounds were lovely, and the first glimpse of the castle was very exciting. Matsumoto Castle is one of very few original Japanese castles. It was built in the 1500s and restored in the mid 1800s due to lack of maintenance and a dangerous tilt. Now the castle is held in place by concrete hidden under the stone base. Just before the castle was a tent offering free English tours. We approached it and a super nice Japanese lady offered to take us on the tour. Her English was quite good and she was very informative. She even helped us take some pictures with a samurai. ;) At the entrance of the actual castle, we took off our shoes and carried them with us in plastic bags. The interior of the castle is mostly wood, so it felt good on my socked feet! It was dark inside so pictures were not easy to take. We wound through the castle, climbing up steep stairs almost like ladders, until we reached the top (sixth) floor. The view of Matsumoto and the alps was really spectacular. On the way down, we got to go inside the "moon-viewing room," an expansion of the castle made for partying. :P The whole walk up and down the castle was tough, but it was so worth it. No wonder Matsumoto Castle is considered a national treasure!

The rest of the day was pretty chill. We ate lunch at McDonald's and tried their "ebi filet-o" or shrimp burger. We both agreed it was really good!

Tomorrow morning we are venturing to the Daio Wasabi Farm. Thanks for reading!