To Matsumoto and a wicket

A 19th century parsonage. Me taking a picture of this house is like when you see Japanese people taking a picture of Japanese gardens in the States.
I took my last days off and went on a solo sightseeing expedition, or as as we say in Japanese "hitoritabi." However, when you take a hitoritabi you must be aware that you are undertaking a very dangerous task. On the bus to the alps one grandpa, who had taken an interest in my hitori status asked me,
"Where is your boyfriend?"
"I don't have one."
"Be careful! There are many bad people in Japan."
"There are bad people everywhere."
"That's true: there are many bad people in the United States, isn't that right?"
"That's right."

Not that I mock that grandpa for being worried about my safety. The youth hostel where I stayed would have been the perfect setting for a horror movie and I'm not sure if I was more creeped out the night I was totally alone in the dorm style place (old, old school) or the time when my neighbors were mysterious Japanese men that I avoided eye contact with the few times our paths crossed. One muttered and talked to himself and the other one was most definitely not a youth.

The owner was terribly charming and helpful though and the moment I got there the first night we were jogging, him with rather impressive speed for his age, because the showers weren't working and I only had about an hour until the public bath closed. The showers were never working, which was fine because I had come partly for the hot springs, and who would have wanted to take a shower there anyway? and he gave me maps and explanations galore and always checked on me at night and made sure my door was locked.

I chose Matsumoto for my brief hitoritabi because it isn't to far but pretty remote and there is a lovely castle there. The castle was almost torn down the Meiji restoration but luckily stands to this day, despite "over 400 years of hardships," according to the informative brochure. There was also an exhibit at the neighboring museum called "Wein" with lovely things from 18th century Austria. Not having an English to accompany the exhibit I was rather curious why it was there and thought that maybe the monarchs they had portraits of had visited Matsumoto (hey, a shot in the dark) and asked a guard. He looked rather horrified at the stupidity of this idea and told me "no, they didn't come to Japan. No one came to Japan."


Another reason to learn Japanese: this lovely used book shop.







Actually I was rather filled with nostalgia at the sight of brick.



Matsumoto-jo.
This castle was wonderful and actually made my heart beat a little faster and I got teary eyed, which sometimes happens in the presence with old buildings. It happened in Brooklyn heights and I cannot entirely explain it. I think its like when people who care about space look at the stars: they see beauty but are also acutely aware of their own death and fleetingness but at the same time they can feel a connection with all the other people looking at the stars. I don't exactly feel a connection with the other people looking at the buildings, who mostly seem like saps for not getting teared eyed, but with all the people from the past who looked at the building before. Also I shed a tear for all that space compared to my apartment.

So, an imagined question:
--Living in Japan do the goofy things in English every cease to amuse you?

The answer: No! Not that I have been here that long but I've asked those who have been here longer and as long as you have someone to giggle over this stuff with it will always be funny. Matsumoto provided two new chuckles. One was a hair salon called "GOD's hair." Hey, you thought your job was tough? Try cutting GOD's hair." The other was almost a poem. On a sign close to the station there was the helpful direction under an arrow, "To Matsumoto station and a wicket." Apparently, a wicket has meanings related to cricket, croquet and potentially is a small gate. There is also a Calvin and Hobbes strip where he uses a wicket when playing Calvin ball. Now I get it!