The next morning, we set off on a day trip for Obuse and had one of our most enjoyable days in Japan. It was hot. Obuse is a rich agricultural area. It has a vineyard (did I mention it was hot?), as well as peaches, grapes, and  Japanese pears. It is also Japan's leading Chestnut producer. It has a lot of culture for a small town - the Hokusai Museum houses some very famous wood block prints, and there is also a Bonsai museum with some trees that are apparently 1000 years old. 

The second day in Nagano started with Sarah doing a marathon laundry, while the kids & I ate doughnuts in our room. When she finally got back, we read a brochure on Nagano to help us decide what to do next. We spotted a picture of Japanese Macaque monkeys sitting in a hot spring - this piqued the kids interest. The local tourist office gave us directions, and off we went. After a one hour train ride followed by a short bus ride, we struck off for a pleasant 30 minute hike along a forest trail near Shiga Kogen (the Olympic snow board park). We came to a park entrance (Jigokudani Yaen-Koen Park) where we paid to see the monkeys. There was a couple of cute babies, and sure enough, a bunch of monkeys were sitting in the hot spring. One was actually swimming underwater. It turned out that the park ranger would throw food into the spring any time someone with a camera walked by... but I assume in the winter the monkeys actually do go in of their own accord.