There are tiny little shops that sell amazing food all over Shinjuku. 100 yen is just a little more than a dollar, so as you can see, you can buy a delicious bowl of ramen for less than 3 dollars, or a grilled beef bowl with egg for less 4. Not to mention the food tastes much more fresh and flavorful than the Japanese food you can get in the US.
The morning I left was the only day where the sky was completely clear. Shinjuku looks totally different in nice weather. 
After 3 hours of traveling, by subway, then bullet train, then another local train, I finally arrived at Nikko Station. I was shocked at how much less urban the surrounding area was, just outside of Tokyo. On the train ride over, I could see beautiful old Japanese houses covered with roof tiles, and it reminded me that all of Tokyo once looked like that too.
Once I got to Nikko, I then hopped on a bus to take me to the town I wass staying in called Chuzenji, named after the nearby lake. I was still carrying both of my huge suitcases and my heavy backpack, and none of these items fit into the tiny overhead compartments in the bus. Since the bus was full, I had to cram the suitcases in the leg space and sit cross legged for the 50 minute ride up. It was an interesting ride. To get from Nikko station to Lake Chuzenji, the bus takes a path that my map calls “Irora Zigzag Road.” It’s a winding path that travels up a giant mountain near Nikko.
So far on my trip, my main guidebook has been a book called Rough Guide to Japan. In many ways, it’s excellent – it is packed with useful information about the cheapest and most convenient ways to get around, and it points out great places to eat and stay. It even sometimes has really interesting historical information about the cities and tourist sites. Basically, it has been fantastic in preparing me for things I may not have anticipated in this country I am not familiar with.
It did not, however, warn me that the area I am staying, Chuzenji, would be freezing in early spring! It’s cold enough for snow to cover the ground, and there’s a sharp, biting mountain wind which makes it even worse. However, it seems that the local Japanese have made the best of things and made these delightful snow men.
I hope they melt soon.
Chuzenji is a tiny, one road town. A few shops like these dot the road that leads back to Nikko station, but otherwise the area is fairly empty. To give an example, when I checked into my hotel, the receptionist informed me that all the local places to eat close by 5PM. For dinner, I would have to make a reservation at the hotel’s restaurant or walk 20 minutes to an Indian buffet inside another small hotel. This hotel’s restaurant serves Western food at about 15-30 dollars for dinner, so I ended up going to the Indian restaurant. It wasn’t nearly as good as Indian food back in America, but it was very interesting to meet the Indian owner, who spoke excellent Japanese and very little English.
It shouldn’t be, but in my mind when I see another person who looks like a foreigner to Japan, I assume they are able to speak English fluently, like they are Americans. Obviously this is not true, but it’s just another example of the biases I’ve built in my mind being an American, and it’s a strange feeling when these are proven false. Anyway, I told the restaurant owner in Japanese that I loved Indian food, and when I came back from getting my second helping of food, he left a small plate of tandoori chicken on my table.
Lake Chuzenji itself is incredibly beautiful, and this bridge was only a few minute’s walk from my hotel. It was sort of unreal how pretty the surroundings were.
My hotel, from the outside. My room also looks out onto the lake.
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