At the train station arriving in Nagano, a delightful Japanese town that hosted the 1998 winter Olympics.
These are cool statues along the access road to the shrine.
We were drooling as we passed the shops with their food samples in the windows. This is the restaurant we came back to for soba. Yum.
There is a 7 springs hike nearby.
And here is a gorgeous hand painted manhole cover celebrating the famous apples from the region. They are deservedly famous. I became addicted to the fresh apple juice, apple sake, and fresh apples.
A mn so outlines the sacred places at the temple.
The beautiful shrine appears embraced by the trees.
A fruit stand where we bought one of the famous apples.
Nagano was one of my favorite places in Japan. I think it was the apples. Do you have a favorite place in Japan? Where?