Towards Nagano

It's 188 km from Kawaguchiko to Nagano, which is a long day's drive on the general roads. The mountains are a constant backdrop to the day even when I'm stuck in Saturday traffic. Plenty of 7-11 stores along the way for pitstops and stretching.
Towards 10:30 I stop at a rest area which is an RV park. At first glance it's not impressive, but as I walk through it I warm to it greatly. There's a cable car and a pond with catfish and ducks, all jockeying for position should some scraps come their way. It would be a great lunch stop but it's sadly too early in the day. The first 3 photos come from this area.
It's busy in the centre of Nagano when I cruise in. I end up parking in a multi-story car park, which takes ages as we have to wait for cars to exit first.
My hotel room is typically small and has views to the south east (4th photo). I've looked online for Nagano restaurants and have found a Teppanyaki restaurant within 200 metres. It's menu is also online so I'm able to translate it.
When I walk there I find there's a girlie bar next to the lift I am taking. Distracting. On the 9th floor the head waiter tells me it will take around 2 hours to go through all the courses. It actually takes 90 minutes. I'm really there for the 160 gms Australian beef but sit through the other courses. They present challenges as I dodge the croutons in the salad and try to work out how to eat a prawn with chopsticks. I end up just using my hands, which works for me. The chef gives me a cue for the photo ops, all in all a good night.Read more