Last August we took a family vacation to Nagano, Prefecture. On our way to Nagano, we stopped at several points of interest on our drive to Karuizawa.
Our first stop was the cool little town called Narai-juku. The town is the oldest post town in Japan. During the Edo Era from 1603 - 1868 the Nakasendo Road was one of the main routes linking Edo (the old name for Tokyo) and Kyoto. In 2007 this city ranked among Japan's top 100 Beautiful Historical Sites.
 |
| Streets of Narai-juku, Japanese Heritage Post Town |
Narai-juku city, its shops, and buildings have been preserved and reflect several different periods of Japanese architecture. We spent a few hours walking the narrow streets, playing in the park, visiting the shrine, and appreciating the amazing Kiso Ohashi wooden bridge.
 |
| Alex in front of the Kiso Ohashi bridge |
 |
| You can see the amazing design of the bridge behind Stephanie |
Next stop, Matsumoto castle which is located naturally, in Matsumoto city. The castle is known as "crow castle" due to its unusual black exterior. The castle has a beautiful moat with many colorful koi.
 |
| Matsumoto Castle, Matsumoto Japan |
 |
| Another view of Matsumoto castle |
 |
| Koi in the moat outside Matsumoto castle |
Final destination and home base for the week, Kariuzawa, Nagano Prefecture. Nagano prefecture is a bit north west of Tokyo and the weather is much cooler than our Kansai region. The trip was wonderful and provided a much needed break from the stifling heat and humidity of Kansai.
Nagano was new territory for our family and the farthest North I have been in Japan so far. It is still on the island of Honshu but about an 8 hour drive from our region. We stayed in log cabins at a camp founded by German missionaries in an area called Karuizawa. The area was relatively dry, stunningly beautiful, very relaxing and cool, did I mention that already...
 |
| Cabins at Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture |
The cabins were built with amazing craftsmanship and the windows were unlike any I have encountered before. We played German monopoly in the multipurpose room and visited with retired Japanese missionaries who were vacationing at the camp as well.
 |
| Inside our cabin, all wood construction - so beautiful |
We had a wonderful trip and enjoyed the time to rejuvenate and see a new part of Japan. There is too much to post in one blog update so you will need to visit again in a couple of weeks to see the rest of our wonderful family vacation to Karuizawa.
This time of year brings to mind so many things for which we are thankful. We appreciate our families, friends and faithful supporters who generously contribute to God's work here in Japan. Thank you for partnering with us in this great adventure and for your prayers for the lost of Japan. We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and wish you the best as we anticipate the celebration of our Savior's birth in December.
In His service with a thankful heart,
K. Chadduck
