Birthday trip - Matsumoto (Day 3)

 

Birthday trip - Matsumoto

Day 3

Northern Alps seen from the Matsumoto Station

Since all I planned to do was hit a burger joint that's supposed to be really good, using 100% Shinshu beef for the burger patties and hit a couple of museums, I had a morning bath, grabbed a few cups of complimentary coffee, and chilled in my room, writing about the trip while sipping on hot coffee and munching on banana chips. My bags were mostly packed. All I had to do was toss in my chargers and Chromebook. Soon it was time to check out. I asked the Front Desk to keep my suitcase until I had to catch the train back home.

The burger joint was actually pretty close to one of the shopping streets I visited the other day and one of the museums I was planning to visit. Kewl. It made me chuckle to see the opening time, 11:29 (I asked about that and it was a play on words, meaning iiniku (良い肉--good meat), if you read out the numbers the Japanese way). The interior was gave out a good 'ol American diner vibe. They use a screaming chicken as a call bell. Hilarious. Since I sat at the counter, I didn't get to use the rubber chicken to get the staff's attention. The place is really popular and filled up fast. The staff told people how long they'd have to wait for their burgers before they're seated, and nobody seemed to be bothered about the 20-30 minute wait. I tell you, the burgers are well worth the wait. I ordered the most popular bacon cheeseburger, and man, was it good! I had to pace myself so I wasn't inhaling the thing. LOL The patty was like biting into chopped steak and not ground meat. The atmosphere, friendliness of the staff, and the quality of the food made eating at this place a very pleasant experience. If I'm ever in Matsumoto again, I'd definitely come here for a good burger.

Happily stuffed, I went on to the Timepiece Museum. I found that it's just over on the next street from the Nawate Street I went to on the first day, but there was a flea market going on. I was so tempted to buy the Garfield plush I came across, but settled for taking a pic instead. The museum allowed people to take photos of the clocks on display. There was a backward clock that I wouldn't want to look at in an inebriated state. LOL There was a chandelier that was a clock, too. Seeing all those grandfather clocks and cuckoo clocks on display, I'd hate to be there on the hour when they all go off all at once. But, not all clocks were set to the same time. I left before the clocks running on the same time went off.

On my way to the next museum, the Matsumoto City Museum of Art, I came across this huge temari ball (temari is a ball embroidered with complex geometric or ornamental patterns) that was actually an automaton clock. Unfortunately, the automaton portion was broken, so it only told time. I'm pretty sure there are clips from when the clock was working. Google maps took me down Doll Street, which is a street lined with shops selling seasonal dolls. Right now, they're selling Hina dolls, for the March 3 Girls' Day celebration, where families with little girls set up a step-altar with Emperor and Empress dolls (hina dolls), decorate this altar with boughs of peach blossoms, and place offerings of red and white diamond-shaped mochi. In the past, these alters were pretty elaborate and took up a lot of space. Nowadays, the alters are made smaller to fit into glass cases for families living in condos and smaller homes.

The museum features art from a local contemporary artist, Yayoi Kusama, known for her persistent use of repetition, whether it be with polka dots or mirrored surfaces. Her work is displayed on the wall and sculptures in the courtyard. Actually, all I wanted to do was take pics of the polka-dotted sculptures outside and wasn't interested in seeing the exhibitions inside.

It was getting close to the time I had to head back to the hotel to pick up my bag. I had just enough time to stop by a cafe for a cup of coffee so I stopped by one in a department store that is closing down for good at the end of March. There was a clearance sale going on, but I really didn't see anything that caught my interest. While I was out and about, I did see another store having a closing sale. That store looked newer, tho.

The train ride back was uneventful. I managed to get a bit of shut-eye on the train. It was pretty late by the time I got home and man, I surely ain't no spring chicken no more. Morning came way too early. I have to allow for an extra day to recuperate and it was just a 3-day trip. I was so not functioning on Monday 😂

Despite having a disappointing birthday dinner, all in all, it was a fun trip. Next time, I want to go to wine country. I passed through it on the 2nd day but I was too tired from visiting the other two places to go visit any wineries.

Urushi lacquered pendant I got myself