For our last day in Nagano, we were lucky to be traveling with an expert tour guide. I certainly wouldn’t have known how to get myself around Azumino or Naraijuku, nor would I have been able to navigate on a bike while trying to avoid plunging into a ditch. The only thing that slightly hindered us on our plan to have an authentic Nagano experience was her soba allergy, but I won’t hold that against her. =P

After checking out early in the morning, we left our luggage at the hotel then walked over to Matsumoto Station. We would be meeting Frannie on the platform going towards Azumino. We got there a little early, so we took a seat on the train first. Frannie came a few minutes later and soon we were on our way to Azumino. We chatted throughout the ride and it seemed like we got to Hotaka Station in no time.

Once we arrived, we walked towards a bike rental store and got set up with bikes and maps towards the Daio Wasabi Farm. I hadn’t been on a bike in years, so I was really worried about making it safely to the farm. Luckily Frannie set a good pace for us, I just had to make sure I didn’t veer my wheels towards the ditch. Hehe.

Before we reached the farm, we stopped at the Tokouji Shrine which was along the way. It wasn’t very busy when we got there, so we were able to take a lot of photos with the oversized getas in front of the shrine. Afterwards we hopped back onto our bikes. It took another 10 minutes or so before we reached the farm. 

The farm is completely free of charge, so we walked right in and began exploring the grounds. There were many wasabi fields inside, as well as areas to walk and enjoy the scenery. Kurosawa Akira filmed a scene from his movie Dreams inside the farm. We were able to walk up right to the edge of the stream to see the ‘Village of the Watermills’. After exploring the farm, we stopped and had an ice cream cone. Needless to say, there was only wasabi flavour. =P 

Since it was a little early for lunch, we decided to return to Hotaka Station and grab something to eat there. The bike ride back was a lot harder than going there. I think my arms were in a death grip the majority of the way. I was so afraid of steering off the path! Luckily both me and the bike were still in one piece when we got back to the rental shop. We paid for the rental then tried to find a place to eat. There wasn’t a lot of selection by the station, so we settled on eating buta kare for lunch. It was yummy. =)

Afterwards we took a really long train ride towards Naraijuku. We had to travel by local train, so they didn’t come as frequent. When we finally got there I was eager to explore the area. Naraijuku is a nationally designated architectural preservation site, so all the buildings have pretty much maintained their look from the Edo period. The town also marks the halfway point between Kyoto and Edo. I really wanted to come here because it was a location spot for the drama Ohisama.

There was only one pathway going into Naraijuku, so we followed the crowds towards the main street. It wasn’t overly busy at Naraijuku, but perhaps because it was a national holiday, there were a lot more visitors than usual. Halfway through our walk we spotted the sign for Ohisama’s location spot.  We decided we would go inside the Nakamura House, which was used as the setting for the candy shop Ame in the drama. We paid the admission fee at the front, then went inside. There was a guide who gave a brief description of the house and explained how it was used during filming. Then we were left to explore the house on our own. We weren’t allowed to take any photos inside, but because of my uh…gaijin-ness, I snuck a few photos anyway. =P

We walked down the remainder of the way, then turned back and headed towards the station. Before we left, we took a slight detour so we could see the Kiso Ohashi Bridge, which Frannie told us is one of the longest wooden bridges in Japan. It is made out of cypress and it reminded me of Togakushi the day before.

Finally we headed towards the station and took the train back to Matsumoto. Since Frannie was heading to Suwa, we said goodbye to her midway through the trip. Thanks for taking us out for the day! 

Once we arrived at Matsumoto, we walked back to the hotel to grab our bags, then took the train at 6:35 for Shinjuku. The train ride back felt a lot longer than it did going there. I was so exhausted throughout the trip that I kept on dozing off. I woke up during the middle of the ride and felt really queasy all of a sudden. I didn’t think too much of it at first since I thought it was carsickness, but then I found out afterwards that there had been a small earthquake. =S

I was really happy to get off the train when we arrived in Shinjuku. My appetite seemed to have returned, so we bought some soup at First Kitchen before heading back to the hotel. We ended up watching HnA with Ohmiya while eating our soup. It marked the end of another long day of travels.