Nagano

I guess I should have expected the 1998 Winter Olympics host city to be rather cold in February and that, being only an hour from Tokyo, to be inundated with tourists on a Saturday. Added to that, the vagaries of Japanese ATM operation had left me with next to no cash, so I was feeling about as glum as Mr Glum in the photo on the right. Regardless of all that I determined to "enjoy" the famous Zenko-ji temple complex, as did the several thousand other dedicated culture fans. Sadly, despite the cold, most of the snow had melted so not even any photogenic snow-clad buildings. All this means Nagano would not feature in my favourite spots in Japan.