Izakaya Shinkansen

Day 7
Karuizawa, Kanazawa, 28,567 steps, 24.4 km

From a rest day thrusted myself into a day with most kilometers covered on this trip so far. The exhaustion is real.

A surprise find

Left Hoshinoya Karuizawa early in the morning. With Alacrity.

Finally some sun — I made sure I have enough time to take advantage of this light and take photos on my way back to the train station.

But! One thing that kept bothering me was the realization that I hadn’t visited any kissas during my stay in Karuizawa. That's not right...

After about half an hour of walking and leaving the onsen area, I entered the Karuizawa town proper. And then — you know where this is going — a wild kissa appeared!

Actually, not that wild — it was in fact quite tame. I was the only customer there. In a kissa that was by far the largest I had seen so far. Odd feeling.

Ordered the classics. A cup of “American coffee” and pizza toast (800 yen total). What a treat! The toast was deeee-luxe — with multiple toppings and more than enough cheese. Perfect for my calorie-starved body.

Bullet train

• 🚄
• Boarded the Hokuriku Shinkansen just before noon.
• Paid homage to the show that my wife and I discovered during one of those “we have nothing to watch” Netflix evenings.
• Filled the tray with onigiri bento, a small bottle of Japanese wine, and some treats from Karuizawa Chocolate Factory.
• Enjoyed the window views. Mountain peaks to the left. Ocean to the right.
• Watched the second episode of The Peripheral (Jonathan Nolan’s and Lisa Joy’s (Westworld) take on William Gibson’s book — I have high hopes).
• Arrived to Kanazawa around 2 pm.

The walk from Kanazawa Station was supposed to take 30 minutes or so. It took twice as long.

It’s like playing Cyberpunk 2077 or some other RPG — you pursue side-quests while ignoring the main storyline. Same happened to me here — I was getting distracted by small alleys, shops, parks, a “Samurai District”(!), and cafes and restaurants (not going in, just scouting).

Those distractions often turn out to be more interesting than the main story.

I already know where I’m going to go tomorrow. And what places I want to explore more. Can’t wait!

But now — I have to recover from this longest walk. Good night!

— Chris