Cool mountain air and hot hot springs

After an exciting urban experience in Tokyo it was nice to get out into the countryside and breath some fresh mountain air in Nagano prefecture. I first stayed overnight in Matsumoto, which has a beautiful, well-preserved castle and a small-town, laid-back feel but modern infrastructure. It kind of reminded me of Portland, even though I've never been to Portland. There are lots of cute little shops and places to eat and you can walk anywhere in about 20 minutes or less. I stayed in a ryokan, which is like a bed and breakfast where the rooms are decorated in traditional Japanese style - simple decor and tatami mat flooring; you sleep on a futon mattress on the floor and use shared baths. This ryokan was not as fancy as some are and no meals were served, but my room was comfy and cozy, the building had lovely wooden floors, and the owner was super nice. She let me stow my big bag there while I did my 2-day excursion to Kamikochi and Hirayu-onsen. Kamikochi National Park is famous for its hiking, mountain scenery, and clear blue Azuza river. It rained a lot while I was there but I did a few hours of walking on some pretty trails. I stayed overnight in a dorm room at a lodge with meals included (only had 2 roomates - 2 Aussie girls), then took a short bus ride to Hirayu-onsen, a town with many natural hot spring public baths (onsen). The lodge at Kamikochi had an indoor onsen, but at Hirayu I was able to experience various outdoor baths (rotemburo), which smelled of sulfur and were really hot! (I couldn't stay in them for very long), and they gave me a yukata (robe), which guests wear when walking from their room to the baths and also to the dining room for dinner. I was a little lonely at the onsen, as most guests were retirees or other couples and families, but I enjoyed the onsen experience. You are totally naked when you bathe in an onsen, but they give you a washcloth that you can use a "modesty towel." Nowadays at most onsen the men's and women's baths are separate. The most important thing to remember is to wash yourself thoroughly before soaking in the bath. This is done in a public shower room between the changing room and the baths. At an onsen you can take time to relish the bathing experience and get yourself really, really clean. If you go in the evening you sleep very well afterwards.
I returned to Matsumoto for 1 more night, which happened to be the 4th of July. I found myself missing America more than I thought I would. Maybe I just missed having someone to speak English with and joke around with in American-style humor. I have not had any major problems getting around in Japan, but it has been more challenging than I expected. I feel illiterate and mute much of the time due to the language barrier, and the only people who will talk to me are other travelers, customer service people (who are so nice I feel guilty I can't respond to them properly), and random old men. I had heard that younger people in Japan are more likely to speak some English, but from my experience it has been mostly men over the age of 55 who dare to speak to me (in English or Japanese). I guess they have gotten over their shyness by age 55. There are English signs in most tourist areas, but sometimes only the most basic signs and explanations are provided. Thankfully many menus have pictures. I've been eating lots of pasta and green tea soft-serve ice cream.