It was a quiet day, and we started it by enjoying the sun and warmth’s return by hanging out for 2 hours in front of Nakiryu, our now favourite ramen restaurant. The weather and, mostly, the fact that the ramen there is delicious made the wait well worth it. We arrived in front of the restaurant around 11:15 (they open at 11:30), and we sat down to eat around 13:30. The wait and the fact that it was our first meal of the day might have pushed us to overdo it a little by ordering extra noodles. The one rule of Nakiryu is that you can only order one bowl of ramen, but you can extend your pleasure by ordering a second helping of noodles. This is a big order by anybody’s standards, but we went for it.
We were out of there around 14:00 and headed for the 3-hour train ride to Matsumoto, arriving at our hotel a little after 18:00. With the lack of physical activity since our meal, we could not imagine sitting down for another one (we were full up). In hopes of helping our overtaxed digestive systems, we went for a walk around Matsumoto Castle.
Now, Matsumoto Castle closes at 4:30 pm, so by 18:30, there is no one around but locals crossing the park to get home. So we were able to take beautiful sunset pictures of the site without the crowds. A rare treat that Karine enjoyed very much.
We stopped at the 7-Eleven to grab a quick bite on the way back to our hotel, which brings me to Karine's discovery of 7-Eleven. I had been warned by friends who’ve been to Japan that they were treasure troves of interesting food and sweets, and I did mention it to Karine, but it must have slipped her mind. Our first entry in the place a couple of days ago created the same effect as a child entering a candy store for the first time. Everything was interesting and new and something to try. Being a little more wary of trying foods whose ingredients I couldn't read, I didn't share the experience as much, but it was fun to see her grab pretty much anything the same colour as matcha tea so she could try it. It did become our go-to stop for a quick snack.
Tomorrow’s plan is to explore Matsumoto Castle a little more and walk around the city and its parks.