Day 5

I didn't have rehearsal today, so I decided to explore a little more of Matsumoto on my own:) The top two pics seem to be the "town square" I'm guessing. Matsumoto is small, so you really can't get lost. However, the town itself if filled with many interesting people, restaurants, shops, etc. And biking is HUGE. Everybody rides a bike!

I have also taken notice of how extremely polite and accommodating people are. The town is clean, there is no trash anywhere! In fact, I haven't even seen any public garbage cans! On main streets there are speakers every couple blocks or so that pipe in classical music:) Lots of flowers and decorations. One can tell that the Japanese put so much care and pride into what they do and how they do it!
I am also amazed at how westernized the town is. Maybe it's because Matsumoto is a vacation/tourist area, but you can find America in many places:)
This is a drug store called "American Drug," for instance. You can get just about anything! The labels are in Japanese of course, but it's all there! Look Mom, Renu!!