Kamikōchi and Matsumoto
The hotel in Hirayu was the most traditional Japanese hotel and onsen we visited. We had a traditional room with paper doors, tatami mat floors, and they cooked a traditional Japanese breakfast for us.
Through all of this, I have learned that I am not cut out for being traditionally Japanese. If that's because I wasn't born to it or that I'm not built for it, I don't know, and I'll never know.
I had to double the thin mattress on the floor to sleep, and even then, it was fitful. The breakfast was mostly pickles, natto, and tiny dishes, which I supplemented with lots of tea.
We checked out of the hotel and walked next door to the bus terminal to get the bus to Kamikōchi.
The bus was quick. Only 30 minutes to the park, and we strode into a beautiful forest with an enormous river, ringed by tall mountains in the distance. The weather was sunny with occasional overcasts, which was a great way to spend the day, weather-wise.
After getting our bearings and dropping our bags off at a bag drop place, we headed down a loop path to a bridge and lake, the kids all talking about video games and chemistry along the way.
Apparently bears are a thing in Japan and a lot of people in the park wear little bells to warn the bears that they're coming or to notify them that lunch is served. I'm not sure which.
We enjoyed the shade lined paths, the occasional monkeys, and the occasional sound of running water.
The bridges were also tourist destinations with restaurants and squat toilets (the first we saw), and we relaxed a bit before finishing the loop.
We made it back to the bus stop on time to get our bags out of storage, took the bus down the mountain, then grabbed the train to Matsumoto.
We checked into our hotel, which was something like an "efficiency" hotel, and despite booking for 3 adults and 2 older kids, they gave us 2 rooms with 1 bed each. We called hotels.com and Chase and they both struck out, so we booked a 3rd room and got settled.
Eli found a local burger joint that has gluten free buns and a great vibe so we walked through the calm Friday night streets of Matsumoto, headed down by the river, and up the steep stairs to a little American style restaurant.
They played 90s hip hop the whole time, we had a rubber chicken to let the waitress know we needed support, and one menu for the whole table, as is tradition.
The burger was delicious, the vibe was good, the drinks were tasty, and we headed back to our 3 separate hotel rooms, fed and happy.