KEY TO PARADISE.

As well as the super cool Monkeys, Nagano has a very lovely temple which unusually has two Abbots. One male, one female. Personally I think they couldnt have only a female abbot so stuck a man in there too. Not that I`m remotely bitter about the sex division in Japan. Which of course in 2011 there isnt. Much. Anyway, not wanting this to sound like an even worse version of Pray, Eat, Love, we woke up at 5am to attend the morning service. I got blessed twice, once by each Abbot and found the key to Paradise. Not bad for a days work. It was of course much more beautiful than I made it sound, but you know, cutting back on the smush these days. Gotta Be Cool.

MONKEYING AROUND.

This weekend we went to Nagano. I have been looking forward to this trip because it is probably the-most-amazing-place-I-heard-about-in-Japan-so-far. In Nagano, they have... wait for it... MONKEYS THAT GO IN ONSENS!

Having only recently experienced the magic of onsens with an improp-due late night jaunt with some friends from Painting, when we booked our tickets a while back I wasn't sure exactly what they did. This is what they do:

Because it gets cold in the winter, super cold, the natural hot spring baths have been a luxury for many a cold japanese. In the 60s some time, the trusted story goes, that a local onsen owner left food out for the monkeys because they were looking a little thin. Edging closer to the small town for the food left out, the monkeys also found the magic of onsens. (Which I completely get. Heaven is an onsen.)

Now, where are your amazing photos I love to drool at/make me jealous, I hear you ask? Battery died. Oops. Did take a few snaps on the old iphone though so I will get on loading them.