White out

How do you say it's pouring snow? Because that is what it has been doing all day. An insane dump, as they say around here. We had planned a day trip to Nagano, to avoid the weekend crowds on the mountain. Busloads of local snowboarders started arriving yesterday, and were entertaining viewing while riding the lifts. There was one particularly steep drop that was fun to watch - the snowboarders went over one by one like lemmings, most ending up in a spectacular tumble. Each body would lay motionless, implanted in the snow exactly as it fell for a few seconds, then pull itself up, usually laughing uproariously.
Nagano looked very pretty in the falling snow. It is known for its soba (buckwheat noodles), my favourite Japanese food, so lunch was a treat. The main attraction of the town is Zenkoji, an ancient Buddist temple. A stone path, lined with shops and lodgings catering for pilgrims, leads from the centre of town to the temple, passing under a couple of huge wooden gates on the way. We braved the place for enlightenment - a dark underground tunnel beneath the main room. The English instruction sheet said to put all your belongings in the left hand and to keep the right hand on the wall to feel the way. It implored in capitals to NEVER LOSE THE RIGHT HAND.  I didn't need to be told twice. My right hand was practically glued to the wll as I descended into the darkness. At first I was reassured by the faint glow of Imo's light blue jacket about a metre in front of me, but that soon faded completely into the pitch black. The aim was to find by touch a metal key, and clang it against the wall to be assured of a passage to heaven. After a couple of minutes in the tunnel, I just wanted a passage back up to daylight. I'm happy to report that we are all going to heaven, and none of us lost our right hand. A trully spooky experience.

Scene from Nagano; Myoko train station this morning