Today we started off on the way from Maebashi in Gunma Prefecture to Toyama in Toyama Prefecture. It’s an easy day trip but we’re stopping off at Shirahone Onsen on the way.

We went through Matsumoto on the way and here’s a picture of the highway parking area with the Japan Alps in the background. The highway speed limit is only 80 kph (about 50 mph) but it’s also a toll road which means lots less traffic than you’d think.

Matsumoto appears to be a wealthy town of which I know very little. It is a castle town and the castle has been standing since the start and didn’t need to be rebuilt from the ground up like a lot of other castles.

The inside of Japanese castles is quite similar. Lots of incredibly steep stairs to keep your enemy from rushing up to kill the head honcho. You usually get a great view from the top, but I sure wouldn’t want to be THMFIC because it is a long ways up. This is also the season for chrysanthemum contests and you can see the tent at the very left where that was happening. 

We made the trip into the hills to Shirahone Onsen. Shirahone means white bone, and the water of the springs appear to be full of calcium and sulphur by the smell. You can see the bluish color of the water in the tub, which was part of our room! There were also communal bathing facilities on a lower floor.

Everyone but my sister tried the tub in the room. We all went to the big baths downstairs later, though.

Just like most place like this, the dinner was fancy and there was way too much to eat.

I thought this was quite a lot, but this was just the appetizers.

Some very tasty sashimi (including salmon) was brought out.

 The teapot held something special. 

Matsutake and ground chicken meatballs.

 After that there was soba and they lit the heat underneath the wrapped tray. 

It was steak on miso and some vegetables to grill.

After that, we had a grilled fish that I destroyed before taking a picture.

Some onsen croquettes.

At this point I think I was in a food coma and don’t know what I was getting (but I do remember it was good).

And then, about the time we were thinking “please stop”, we got a seafood gratin baked in an apple with some gingko nuts.

 And then, to finish us off, miso soup and rice. We asked for very little rice.

We still had matcha cake for dessert!

After that was when we waddled our way to the “public” bath. There were two baths at the Shirahone Shintaku Onsen, one for women and one for men, and both had an inside bath and and an outside bath. You did all your washing inside, warmed up in the big bath, and then walked down a long, cold wooden path to the outside bath. Unfortunately, the men’s outside bath wasn’t all that warm.

And there you go for day 3!