Snowboarding and Matsumoto

Snowboarding with Aeon staff Kaoru, Aki and Simon

 

 Such a beautiful view!

I'm getting better at snowboarding, but never has my bum hurt sooo much from falling down!!! And the muscle pain which lasted about 3 days left me practically paralyzed in the mornings. Maybe I need to improve my warm-up stretching routine..

Sightseeing in Matsumoto - 松本旅行

Since Jen and I visited Nagano city last Winter holiday and saw the Snow Monkeys (click here to re-read) we've decided to make it an annual destination. This time we visited Matsumoto in Nagano Prefecture as a day-trip. 

The 500-year old castle is considered a National Treasure of Japan. Although during the 1500s several hundred castles were built in Japan, only 12 survive intact to this day due to earthquake or fire. Unlike European medieval castles, Japanese castles were built mainly of wood.

Unfortunately, on the day Jen and I visited, the interior wasn't open to the public, so we just walked around the grounds and admired it.

 

Drinking warm amazake, sweet rice wine

 We wandered along the traditional-styled streets, populated with stalls, shrines and frog statues.

2011年！

Happy New Year! Blwyddyn Newydd Dda! 明けましておめでとう！

On New Years Eve, I learned it is customary to eat long soba noodles, which represent longevity.

Next, we sang some songs at karaoke (the first of two trips today)

 

After having dinner as a group of 12 at an izakaya , we all got split up in the crowds andd ended up as a group of 5 at Meiji Jingu, the most popular shrine to spend the countdown in Tokyo.

It was SO crowded!!

It was just under an hour before we made it to the front. We were very cold by now!

People were praying in droves, and as it wasn't feasible for people to pray one at a time, as is usual, so we just had to throw our coins towards the shrine and pray on the spot.

I had a go!

Finally, in the huge crowd, my group was down to two, we got lost, it was very cold, but after finding Jen another hour later, we ended up at all-night karaoke. Good times!

Happy New Year!! I hope 2011 brings you whatever you want!

-

Blwyddyn Newydd Dda! Gobeithio neuth 2011 ddod â beth bynnag y'chi'n dymuno am!