Wednesday

Well, what a. Day.  Left for the. Airport. At 7:30 for the. Flight to the airport which left. At exactly 9:35, just as advertised. We arrived at. Nagano airport to be met by our charming hosts who after depositing. Our. Luggage in the two rather. Splendid. Toyota hybrid SUVs returned to the airport for lunch.  An interesting restaurant where food passed by our table  to be chosen as desired. We had very lovey fresh sushi and tempura.   Mother. To the Toyota museum then to the saki place like a winery of our hosts. Sato. San. We then went for a celebratory dinner of two of our hosts.  It was at a restaurant and consisted of possibly 11 courses...mostly fish, raw, and some soup..miso and other, plus some fish cooked in little bowls with veggies and a raw egg, the dessert was small individual flans, then cake with strawberries and whip,cream and coffee and green tea.  There was wine and saki, then coffee too in little Demi Tasse cups. After dinner we went to a spa..quite a marvellous place where you washed yourself first, then went into individual hot tubs all at 40 degrees C.  Then back to our home stay, which was interesting.  It was not the one we were meant to stay at as their water was off for the day by the city for repairs.  She we stayed with Tamie and I slept on a tatami mat and was really quite cold unless under the covers. My nose was cold and I got up every two hours to go to the bathroom!  Sliding doors, into the warm toilet seat.  There are space heaters everywhere in this house, which belonged to Tamie's parents who have either died or in a care home.  She doesn't live here but she was hosting 6 people...all of whom have slept on tatami mats.

Breakfast was interesting, coffee, fruit, tea, salad, rice filled cake like things. So interesting.
We drove around off and on all day. Shinto shrine, for men , and another for women.  Then the university Chobu, where welcome ceremony and snacks and visit the museum there. Then a Chinese meal for ten of us.  Six guests and the rest hosts.  It was delightful and great hilarity at the joke telling...translation from English to Japanese. seemed hilarious but maybe the excess of beer, saki, Chinese saki that is might have contributed to,the hilarity.
Then to,our hosts home.  Very nice indeed.