15 February 2010

After checking out we played in the snow while we waited for the minibus to take us down to the bus station.

I was quite surprised but pleased when Emily fell asleep on my lap shortly after the bus set off; I hadn't been looking forward to the ride at all. At Nagano station we woke her up (which didn't go down at all well), rammed our luggage into the lockers there and went to find some lunch. In the end we sold out and ate at Starbucks, but Emily annoyed us both by over-employing her latest refrain of 'I don't like it', which she says before she has even tried the food. I think she really means 'I don't want it', but whichever, it really gets me cross, and also worried about what I can manage to get her to eat.

Outside it was very cold and sleeting a little. With Emily in the carrier on my back we walked a mile or so up the long straight road to Zenkoji, a very old and famous temple.

It houses the oldest Buddha image in Japan, so the Dalai Lama visits there when he comes to the country. I was very glad to get Emily down once we got to the massive temple gate with its two stern Nio (guardian gods of thunder and lightning). It was so cold that I didn't feel like hanging around the extensive complex for very long. Inside, people were making a small offering to a wooden Buddha carving, rubbing various parts of his body then their own. It is said that he will take on your troubles if you rub the corresponding part. I am an unbeliever but you never know, so I chucked in a coin and rubbed his belly on the offchance that he could work some magic and help Mother Nature along a bit.

Emily liked holding my umbrella and seemed oblivious to the chill as she tottered around in the slush outside with it.

There was a row of Jizo statues - six, as always - which were a lot larger than average though still decked out in red caps and bibs.

The Asama shinkansen service whisked us back to Tokyo.

Emily was very good most of the way, considering we had to share two seats between the three of us. I sat on the floor a lot of the time and was happy to do so if it staved off any upset.