A Day of Contrasts

A day of extremes, from pleasure to despair. Woke up in the morning in a tent, somewhere in a bamboo grove, on a slope. Was reading Gabriel García Márquez, waiting out the rain. Stuffed myself with grapes, ripe and juicy, straight from the branch. Climbed up the mountain along a forest road. Wrung out my socks like a homeless person on someone's porch, and waited out the rain again. Comfort and a dry bed are promised for the evening in Matsumoto. But before that, something else is sure to happen.

Matsumoto is located at the foot of the Japanese Alps. On the other side is the city of Takayama, but to get there you need to climb to a height of 2500 meters (Mt. NORIKURA) — the highest road in Japan, which, by the way, has been closed to private cars since 2002, only buses, taxis and... bicycles are allowed.