Days 7 and 8: Kusatsu to Obuse: Down from the mountains

October 15, 2007

From Kusatsu, we continued through the mountains for another day before dropping down to Obuse, a small town on the Chikuma River, a bit north of the major urbanized region around Nagano. Obuse is a quiet place, and advertised as a bit of an artists conclave. We stayed herefor a couple of nights, resting up from the hills and enjoying its relaxing, quiet atmosphere.

Its major tourist highlight is the Hokusai museum - Hokusai , Japan's best known artist and the creator of The Great Wave, lived the final years of his life in Obuse - but a major second attraction for us was, of all things, an Italian restaurant. We took full advantage of this option to vary our diet, eating two dinners and a morning brunch before leaving town.

Obuse served as a good rest stop, but with more foresight we would have given up the night here to spend as a second night in Kusatsu instead.

Decending from the Alps, we entered the river basin around Nagano and enjoyed a spell of leisurely riverside cycling.

Obuse street life. Obuse is a pleasant, quiet town near Nagano. We holed up here for two nights, resting up from the alps before heading back into the mountains again.

Festival float at the Hokusai museum in Obuse, painted by the great artist when he lived here.

Phoenix panel for a festival float, Hokusai museum.

Today's ride: 43 miles (69 km)
Total: 292 miles (470 km)

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