Back to the roots of ancient Japan

Today is on a fixed schedule as we have reserved seats for the shinkansen. We have to be at 11:24 at Tokyo station to get on the train out of the city. Before we leave the capital behind, we want to visit the Tsukiji outer fish market that's actually not too far from our hotel. Before, there was also an inner fish market where the freshly caught tuna were auctioned and the day price was set. Nowadays, the inner market and auction has moved closer to the harbor, but the outside market remains at its original location and is still a thriving area for fresh fish. We arrive shortly after breakfast and many food stalls are already open selling shrimp, crabs, oysters, etc. If breakfast wasn't included in our hotel, this would have been the perfect place to have breakfast (or lunch).

The entire marketplace is only a couple of streets big. We crisscross through them and watch how chefs prepare fresh shrimp with a gas burner. As today is Wednesday, some of the stalls remain closed as it's their closing day. After the market, we quickly stop at a nearby shrine. It's a shrine to honor the god(s) of the waves and to wish for good return for the many fishing boats.

We return on foot to our hotel to check-out and head for the subway station. Timing wise, everything is going great. We even arrive a bit before schedule in the hotel and can enjoy one of the free beers that the hotel offers its guests. It's funny to see that the beer can mentioned "inspired by Belgian beer".

After a refreshing drink and some cooling down in the air-conditioned lobby, we take the subway to Tokyo Station providing us with enough time to catch the shinkansen to Nagano. Because this will be the first time we have to use the shinkansen, and we have to use the pre-ordered tickets instead of our IC-card, we wanted to have enough time. Of course, things turned out to go incredibly smooth. From the subway station we quickly switched to the shinkansen gates. An employee told us to put both tickets in the machine and we received both back at the other end. Amazed by how the machine knows how to read and interpret the different tickets, we continue to the platform.

Tip for future travelers: in larger stations, the shinkansen trains and local trains/subways are separate from each other. You'll have to badge out of the subway/local train and enter through a dedicated gate to enter the shinkansen platforms. Because shinkansen tickets cannot be bought (easily) with an IC-card, this system is incrediby easy. You pay for your local train/subway trajectory by IC-card when you exit the local gate and use the shinkansen tickets when entering the respective platform. More on buying or reserving seats later.

By now, we've seen the lines on the subway platforms to position yourself so you don't block exiting passengers. On these platforms, things go even a tiny bit further: you have separate lines for train number 1, or train number 2. Just in case there are two trains in close succession of each other. Each carriage is already visible on the platform as they know exactly where the train will stop.
There are different kinds of shinkansen depending on the trajectory. Also, the number of carriages can vary, but it's easy to deduct where to stand based on the info on the screens.
It might seem like a bit overkill, but all this drastically reduces the amount of (de)boarding time and allows for a neater schedule.

Our train arrives and we find our places in the reserved carriage on our ticket. At exactly 11:24 the train leaves the station bound for Nagano. Announcements are made in English, there's plenty of legroom, there is even Wi-Fi on board the train. And above all: it's quiet. In part because the train makes little noise as it blasts over the rails. But also, because nobody talks, or does so very quietly. People receiving a phone call exit the carriage to answer the call.

At the point of writing this blogpost, this remains a very nice an aspect of Japanese culture. Last time I took the train in Belgium, I received a phone call and exited the carriage as well to answer it. It was almost impossible to hear what the person was saying because the train makes so much noise.

In Nagano we have to switch to the Shinano express train to Matsumoto. No more shinkansen, but a very decent "normal" train that takes us to the foot of the Japanese Alps. Soon after there's the announcement for our stop: "we'll soon make a brief stop at: Matsumoto. Please be ready to exit the train before it comes to a stop at the platform". Again, maximize efficiency and (de)boarding times.

We arrive at the station and have to pass through the ticket gates. We don't know which tickets to enter, as we also have some tickets left for our onward journey to the next accommodation. Putting one in provides an error and spits the ticket back out. Let's try all three then? Yes! We get the ones we didn't need back at the other side of the gate. Smart things...

It's time to find a locker for our suitcases as we don't want to take them with us during our visit at the castle. Luckily, almost any station has coin lockers available in different sizes. We even find a modern section next to the information office that accepts IC-cards as payment. After having put our luggage away, we continue on foot to the castle. We're slightly pressed as time is ticking: our next train to our final destination is also a reserved one. We have 1 hour, to visit the castle.

Matsumoto castle is beautiful! Before entering the castle ground, you can see it dominating the environment around it. We have no issues in quickly buying a ticket and walk through the garden leading up to the castle. Before we enter the castle, we have to take off our shoes and carry them along in a plastic bag. Inside is a museum about the history of the castle and the battles fought here. We work our way up the different floors and inspect the impressive woodwork that holds this entire structure together. The square rooms quickly get smaller as we reach the top floor.

When we exit the castle there are some cosplay characters of ninja warriors outside that happily pose for a picture. No money required for taking a picture, those people are happy to pose, dress and perform for free.
We follow the signs for the most scenic photo spots. In the end, our one-hour time limit turned out to be sufficient. We managed to see everything we wanted to! Time to head back to the train station and pick up our luggage.
Just before the train station, we make another stop at a Seven Eleven store to buy a little snack. It's a little to 4PM, and we're having a little craving. On the other hand, we don't want to eat too much as we know that dinner will be served early this evening. I'm buying a sort of pastry with custard cream and whipped cream to eat on the train. Ann decides on a kind of rice ring and some kiwi-juice. I'm falling in love with the custard cream pastry, and Ann discovers that kiwi-juice tastes like candy-juice. Nevertheless, tasty!

No issues in picking up our suitcases or getting through the ticket gates. We board our train that will soon take us to Kiso Fukushima, a small village in the Alps. We'll be staying here at a ryokan: a traditional room style hotel that includes breakfast and dinner in it's stays.

The landscape outside of the train window changes rapidly and soon we're surrounded by green tree-packed mountains on both sides of the train tracks. When the train halts in our little village, the ryokan is just across the street. We enter and are warmly greeted by the owners. They were expecting us! Before even entering the hotel, we have to take off our shoes and leave them at the front door. All shoes you leave at the doorstep should be pointing away from the house so you can easily slip them back on when leaving. We set foot inside our ryokan that is entirely covered in tatami (mats). Whilst checking in, we are given some free tatami socks, and an employee kindly shows us to our room. Even the elevator is covered in tatami.

The lady shows us the elevator, presses the correct floor button and makes a deep bow. By the time the elevator doors open on the second floor, she's standing again in front of the elevator and welcomes us again to the second floor. It's funny to see how she must have run up the stairs to be able to be there by the time the elevator arrived.

Our room is a typical ryokan style room: a low table, and sliding doors covered with a thin rice-milk like layer. There are some yukata's in the room to wear if we like. When we eat dinner, the staff will come and place our beds (futons), transforming the living room in a sleeping room.
We're both blown away by this incredible room. It makes you feel like you're travelling back in time, to the ancient Japan which gives an oddly satisfying feeling. We try on our yukata and belt provided with it. My old judo lessons help me out a bit on how to wear it and how to tie the knot. Not too much later, it's time for dinner. We leave our room, both dressed in our yukata and wearing the special tatami socks to the dining area. There are some other tourists, but we're the only ones wearing our yukata. The staff, however, seems pleasantly surprised to see us in the traditional outfit and shows us to our table.

Staying in a ryokan is a special experience on its own, especially because the dinner is quite often kaiseki ryori which is equivalent to the French 'haute cuisine'. We're given a list of all the different things we will eat tonight and from the appetizer until the dessert everything is marvelously presented. Tiny portions, but with great finesse in taste, texture and presentation. We try our very best to adhere to the many food etiquette that Japan has as we're treated like gods.

The waiter attending our table kindly announces the end of the diner when placing the last dish in front of us. Ask us what we want to drink tomorrow morning at breakfast and invites us for breakfast in the same room tomorrow morning.
We finish our meal and are bowed goodnight by the staff as we leave the room. Time to inspect our beds!

Two thick matrasses are placed on the tatami mats with a cozy blanket on top. Before ending the day, we decide to test out the low table in our room and have a cup of matcha tea. During our relaxing moment, we look up some movies on how to wear and tie a yukata. Turns out there's way more to it than I initially thought. We practice on tying the perfect knot and making sure our yukata's are not wrinkling. Nothing is ever plain and simply in this country.
Although you can sleep in the yukata, we don't want it to be all wrinkled tomorrow morning and switch to our normal pjama's and fall asleep in a tiny town, far outside the busy streets of Tokyo.Read more