R&R in Nagano

A few weeks ago we spent the weekend enjoying a little rest and relaxation in Nagano prefecture.

There is no better place to relax than the Katakuraken bath house by the shore of lake Suwa.

Established in 1928, this building houses a roman style bath that is one of the nicest hot springs I've ever visited.

It is not polite to take pictures inside a bath house but one can see many interesting images at their official website, www.katakurakan.or.jp. 

If one visits Katakurakan on a Sunday this parking area will be completely full; this bath house is a major attraction for onsen lovers.

This is a local peach stand we stopped at earlier in the day while in route to Nagano.

Later in the day we checked into our hotel.

Nestled deep in the country the atmosphere in this hotel is splendid.

To get to the hotel's hot bath facility we had to cross a bridge over a lovely stream. The view looking upstream.

And, the view looking down stream. The bridge in the distance is the entrance to the hotel.

Once one is across the bridge the camera is turned off before entering the men's bath.

Afterwords we relaxed while sipping iced green tea at the hotel's free coffee & tea bar.

The gift shop.

Since we are in the summer season there's no fire in the fire place.

This is the hallway just outside our room. We were on the 8th floor but because the hotel is built into the side of a hill the view out the window would leave one to think we were on the ground floor.

A couple of pictures from outside as we departed the next morning.

We never pass a roadside vegetable/fruit stand without stopping and buying something. This is a nice one near the base of Mt. Fuji in Oshino.

Watermelons are in season.

Daikon radish, cabbage and corn! What more could one want?

Peaches!

Yes, we have bananas.

Other than stopping for lunch this was the last stop of the trip.

Thanks for stopping by!
Mike