While Nagano is a big city, it is very spread out and we stayed a night on the southeastern edge, close to mountains which gave the Matsushiro district a smaller town feel. We arrived a bit weary at dusk, with no real idea where we were, and stayed in a 13 storey hotel that appeared to have been constructed by Americans in the 1970s, remaining unchanged since. Externally, it was bland but not that bad, although I wouldn’t have been surprised to see Mrs Bates rocking in a window (for the cinematically-challenged – that’s a Psycho movie reference). Internally, it was a crime against acceptable interior design and also lacked things like functioning power points, English sub-titles on any TV station, and any possibility of getting a coffee. To add a bit of quirkiness, many guests felt the need to wander around everywhere in their hotel-provided robe and slippers, not just to/from the hotel’s onsen, which is a generally acceptable hotel practice. But I digress, back to the stroll.
This story is part of our Travel Writing & Reflection series. Read more here.
Neale also has some observations from his time in South Korea. Read about them here.
As my wife was snoring really loudly, I got up at 4.00am and pulled on my dusty boots (a bit of literary licence there as they were neither boots nor dusty, but I’m not writing this for cleanrunningshoesjournal.com.au). I then launched myself into the crisp clean air as the streets were just beginning to lighten and I had them all to myself. I arced up Google maps and saw there was an old castle nearby, which is a pretty common thing in Japan, so I headed for it.
After passing an obligatory small shrine on the way, my greeting to an old man standing outside his house was answered with a cheery reply. This was very unusual, as on early morning walks in Japan, I only ever saw elderly folk and was universally ignored – perhaps as a gaijin, or maybe I’m just a suspicious looking character.
When I arrived at Matsushiro Castle it was very quiet, peaceful and unsurprisingly closed. However, the locked gate at the moat bridge was very low and being of above average stature, I could have easily stepped over it without even brushing my nether regions. But, as an Aussie in a foreign country I was on my best behaviour. And in deference to the strict cultural obedience I had observed in Japan to date, I grudgingly chose to forgo any visual delights I might have found inside and contented myself with a circuit of the exterior. After which, my fondness for old architecture, castles, moats, stonework, wooden joinery, and a lack of people was fully satisfied.
Next door I found a derelict railway station – a real treasure on any trip. Old Matsushiro Station opened in 1922 and didn’t appear to have changed since. It was closed in 2012, apparently by locking it and walking away.
After passing a random samurai’s house with appropriate statue in the front yard, I stumbled upon the path left by the now removed tracks leading from the railway station. It was now a footpath festooned with posts, railings, signs and paint. Following it for a bit, I passed some more veggie gardens and was ignored by an old woman – the second and last person I saw.
As luck would have it, I then came across a cemetery, with accompanying temple, nestled among some houses. Fun fact – typically there are not bodies in Japanese cemeteries, just ashes or monuments. I couldn’t find any dead relatives there and headed on. Next, I spied a structure harking back to a more low-tech time – an iron tower with a bell on top. I subsequently discovered that it was a fire bell and in days past it was rung to summon whatever passed for a fire brigade. Soon I was only about 200m from the hotel and thought that I did actually see Mrs Bates at a window, but it was only my wife, finally out of bed, looking out to see if she could find me.
The two hour stroll was in an area about a kilometre long by 300m wide, packed full of interesting sights. Subsequent research showed me that Matsushiro has many other places of interest including museums, WW2 tunnels, temples, gardens, historical residences and more. Maybe I should have done the research before I visited, not after.
Neale is a former defender of the nation with a natural inclination to avoid most people. He enjoys travel to random, hopefully sparsely populated, locations with interesting architecture, old trains and cemeteries. He is retired and lives near Newcastle in a large patch of vegetation.
Neale, curious … did you get the wife’s tick of approval for this story?
Of course I did Al – I never do anything without her approval.
The samurai in the photo looks amazingly like the black beret wearer in the “Bia Hoi – Drink Like a Local in Vietnam” story – spooky.