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Matsumoto and Jigokudani
Train station at small town Obuse, 40 mins by train from Nagano city, where famous artist Hokusai had lived and where a museum housing his works could be found. Pretty amazing stuff. 
The youth hostel I stayed in Obuse for 2 nights. Chose to stay here cuz it's closer to the Jigokundani Snow Monkey Park.
View from the train from Tokyo to Nagano.
Weeping willow sakura in the garden of the Matsumoto Castle. Since I'd arrived in Obuse fairly early, I chose to head down to Matsumoto, about an hour ride on the express train from Nagano. The JR Pass is really handy!
View from the top of the Matsumoto Castle. However, this is about it. The most beautiful things here are actually free ... 
The public garden outside the "moat" (I think that's what it is ... but it looks like a river) with all the sakura in ful bloom is beautiful. In contrast, there's not much inside the castle to see unless you really appreciate ancient architecture. Otherwise, it's very crowded to the point of claustrophobic, and I had to queue some 20 mins or more to go to the next storey in the castle ... I eventually gave up.
The castle peeking from behind a wall of sakura in full bloom.
For some reason, this koi fish looked up at the right time! Click! 
There's a free performance to the public of melancholic traditional Japanese music, played by kimono-garbed musicians up in the castle.
One was so kawaii ...
The other was gaming ...
... and I got them to pose! Adding to my Japanese kids collection.
In the grounds of a shrine near where I stayed in Obuse.
I missed an earlier train to Yudanaka (where I was to transfer to a bus to the Jigokudani Monkey Park) so I hung out at the park in the grounds of the shrine. So were some old folks and they were playing a game that looked like a combination of pool and golf ... quite interesting! And not easy. This gentleman in blue urged me to try ... my aim was so off! But these old folks, they were perfect. Oh, those sticks are by no means lightweight either!
Haha ... snow monkeys come down from the surrounding mountains every morning to play, bask in the sun and enjoy the natural 'wild' onsen at the Jigokudani Monkey Park.
The mother was combing the lil un for lice when he suddenly screamed incessantly. So the mother hugged him close and rocked him till he calmed down.
The valley where the monkeys' natural onsen was.
Baby monkeys playing in the shrub-tree ... my lucky shot v(^___^*)v 
Sakura buds.
Red sakura just beginning to bloom!
One of the better meals I had once in a while ... the soba was so much that I skipped 2 meals later ...
Train station at small town Obuse, 40 mins by train from Nagano city, where famous artist Hokusai had lived and where a museum housing his works could be found. Pretty amazing stuff.
The youth hostel I stayed in Obuse for 2 nights. Chose to stay here cuz it's closer to the Jigokundani Snow Monkey Park.
View from the train from Tokyo to Nagano.
Weeping willow sakura in the garden of the Matsumoto Castle. Since I'd arrived in Obuse fairly early, I chose to head down to Matsumoto, about an hour ride on the express train from Nagano. The JR Pass is really handy!
View from the top of the Matsumoto Castle. However, this is about it. The most beautiful things here are actually free ... 
The public garden outside the "moat" (I think that's what it is ... but it looks like a river) with all the sakura in ful bloom is beautiful. In contrast, there's not much inside the castle to see unless you really appreciate ancient architecture. Otherwise, it's very crowded to the point of claustrophobic, and I had to queue some 20 mins or more to go to the next storey in the castle ... I eventually gave up.
The castle peeking from behind a wall of sakura in full bloom.
For some reason, this koi fish looked up at the right time! Click!
There's a free performance to the public of melancholic traditional Japanese music, played by kimono-garbed musicians up in the castle.
One was so kawaii ...
The other was gaming ...
... and I got them to pose! Adding to my Japanese kids collection.
In the grounds of a shrine near where I stayed in Obuse.
I missed an earlier train to Yudanaka (where I was to transfer to a bus to the Jigokudani Monkey Park) so I hung out at the park in the grounds of the shrine. So were some old folks and they were playing a game that looked like a combination of pool and golf ... quite interesting! And not easy. This gentleman in blue urged me to try ... my aim was so off! But these old folks, they were perfect. Oh, those sticks are by no means lightweight either!
Haha ... snow monkeys come down from the surrounding mountains every morning to play, bask in the sun and enjoy the natural 'wild' onsen at the Jigokudani Monkey Park.
The mother was combing the lil un for lice when he suddenly screamed incessantly. So the mother hugged him close and rocked him till he calmed down.
The valley where the monkeys' natural onsen was.
Baby monkeys playing in the shrub-tree ... my lucky shot v(^___^*)v
Sakura buds.
Red sakura just beginning to bloom!
One of the better meals I had once in a while ... the soba was so much that I skipped 2 meals later ...
