The morning weather reinforced my decision not to cross the alpine route, coz it was
raining. From what I could see on the weather maps online and on TV, I knew it
would be risky to cross the alps. I went to the JR Toyama station and booked
for my circuitous route to Matsumoto. Waiting at the JR Toyama station, I could
notice varieties of trains; commuter trains, single car trains, limited express
trains…
A group of office goers joined me on the platform. I couldn’t make out much from their
conversation. The limited express
hakutaka rumbled in on time and I boarded the green car. I realised one fallacy
of getting a green car pass; I couldn’t interact much with fellow passengers. But
I did have the luxury of shifting seats on either side of the train to enjoy
the view. I watched the countryside roll
by, took a parting shot of Uozu. I gazed
at the majestic Japanese Alps with snow capped peaks and the dark rainclouds
looming at the distance. My decision was probably right…or should I have risked
it?
I got down
at Naoetsu and spent some time in the waiting room. Transferred to the JR
shinetsu local train to Nagano, this leg of the journey was so far the best. A
slow train with time to soak in the pristine beauty of the countryside. Just
what I was looking for. The ever changing scenery kept me preoccupied and I
lost track of time. Apple orchards zipped by. I was trying to remember the
names of the stations I passed. As the train pulled into Nagano, I regretted
that I had little time to explore these
small towns. As I waited for the “wide view” shinano for Matsumoto, I
wondered what was in store for me. The green car was the last coach in the
shinano and I realised why it was named the wide view. As the train pulled out
of the station, I realised why a “wide view” was essential! The view was
breath-taking as the train ascended the hill side offering higher and higher
vantage points for a bird’s eyeview of Nagano. Too little time to stay back and
relish the town again. I didn’t sit in my seat for a moment. I was at the rear
peering out, clicking away.
As I reached
Matsumoto, I reminded myself that this was the last destination before heading
for Osaka tomorrow for my flight back home. I enquired about trains for the
next day to Osaka and booked a seat on shinano 12. As I alighted the steps of
Matsumoto station, I paused for a moment to take in the view. The station front
had a bus shelter and little buses picked up passengers from the square. Buses
ran in four directions (North, East, South and West) from the city centre: so
it was easy for an outsider. The central
street was lined by flowers in bloom and flowing music followed me as I walked.
I reached the hotel and enquired about the places of interest. I chose to visit the Matsumoto
castle and the clock museum. The clock museum was impressive and had a good
collection. For a person with a deep passion for horology (study of clocks), I
spent close to an hour there.
As the sun
disappeared behind the black cloud lined Japanese Alps, the city of Matsumoto
donned a different look. The first evening of the start of the Christmas
season; festivities has started as with the giant Xmas tree outside a shopping
complex.
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