DAY 3

The day started off leisurely and luxuriously with a traditional Japanese breakfast delivered by one of the local grannies to my accommodation.

**Japanese Breakfast**

Traditional Japanese breakfast will generally have miso soup, rice, protein (chicken or fish), salad or fruit and pickles. This was prepared lovingly by one of the town “grannies” and delivered to the house in the morning.

After breakfast I went on a guided walk through the local village with my host Megan and local guide Take-san. Truly a unique and wonderful experience to see the area through the eyes of a local and to learn a bit more about the history, culture and struggles of the local community. We walked throughout the village, visiting local shrines, learning about the construction of local houses and the community agriculture. Today the town has been enlivened by new residents coming from the city who are able to work from home, or who have started small new local business such as restaurants or small businesses. We visited two such local restaurants before heading to my next visit in a nearby village.

Here I met Chino-san a kanten (agar) producer working on the local harvest. Kanten is a key ingredient in making “wagashi” the traditional Japanese confectioneries. Developed in regions with harsh winters, Kanten is a by-product of a red seaweed called "agar." Natural agar is made by putting an agar liquid made from boiled and dissolved seaweed into a box, allowing it to solidify, and then leaving it outside in the winter to repeatedly freeze and thaw before being cut into a solidified jelly like substance called “namaten.” The finished product from can be purchased as cubes, flakes or a commercially produced powder. It is used similarly to gelatin as a thickening agent and because it is low in calories, high in fiber and minerals and generally tasteless it is added to many dishes and touted as a health food with benefits in weight management and diet.

I was originally scheduled to return back to the farmhouse for a nap and early dinner and given how cold it was, I might have. Instead I had read about a winter illumination event at Matsumoto castle. So instead of an early evening, I headed to the Chino rail station and set off to Matsumoto to explore. The illuminations take place during the winter months and the castle is brought to life with vivid projection laser mapping displays featuring different themes such as art, local crafts and blooming flowers. The digital art lights up the castle and makes it feel like it’s floating on the surface of the water that surrounds it.