This morning I took the local train over to Nagano – the host city of the 1998 olympic winter games. After arrival at my hotel I made it straight to town’s main attraction – Zenko-ji Buddhist Temple. I did the full tour here, incl. the crypt in the dark “to experience the world after death and touching the key to paradise” (well, that’s what the instructions said). Otherwise it was back to city exploration. The evening I spent very local … with dinner in a small, hidden izakaya that probably only sees the occasional tourist …very local with an older clientele – yet friendly and good food, good interaction (despite the language gap)and certainly an experience. From here I made it to a craft beer brewery – another local place but one catering for a younger crowd … good beer and good conversations (again bridging the language gap) – all in all a great evening.