We went out to a Karaoke party with her sisters colleagues and friends. There was a Karaoke room in Izakaya they also went to another Karaoke room which serves wide range of drinks and food.

The last time they went to Karaoke was a few years ago in Japan, it had been a long time.

Everyone had a great time singing, eating and drinking.

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We then went back to Kawagoe Saitama prefecture where we were staying at June’s sister’s home.

On this particular day, it was June’s nieces birthday so everyone went to a local yakiniku char grilled barbecue restaurant. This Yakiniku restaurant uses charcoal and you can enjoy table cooking char-grilled BBQ. The meat is of a high quality and we all enjoyed the food and ambience.

Nige took some ukon just to ensure he did not wake up with a hangover.

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Nagano station had spent a long time refurbishing and recently reopened into a modern sophisticated station. Lots of different kinds of Nagano food and suvenior shops in the station buildings.

There were several big mascots there to promote new national park in Nagano. Nige was so excited that he ran up to dance with them.

We had nice Japanese style lunch with friends too. Try Nagano food if you have chance, it’s delicious

Fish market inside Nagano station buildings, these are carried from Japanese ocean.

Had nice dinner with friends, this is called ‘Kushiage’ or fried skewers.

We had a great Japanese lunch and dinner, met some very nice new friends and finished up with a coffee at Nagano station’s starbucks while waiting for June’s Mum to pick us up.

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We went to a tiny villege in Nagano prefecture, Ogawa village. There is small trecking path near the buildings, so we climbed. You can see beautiful north Alps from there.

Beautiful views.
 

Entrance and there was smoking area and observation.
 

There are ‘Kotatsu’ in dining area. ‘Kotatu’ is the Japanese table which warms your legs.
 

We moved to ‘Oyaki’ baking hut. A man was baking ‘Oyaki’.
 

Free Miso soup and pickles were served there.
 

They have old traditional style of house and stove and they bake ‘Oyaki’ pancake there. It was delicious! You can only eat this type of Oyaki here or their shops in Nagano.
 

Oyaki hut from outside.
 

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This time fortunately it was not so busy, you often see queues especially around lunch time.
 

The reason it’s so popular is because it has a great taste with the affordable price. You can eat Udon from around 3 US dollars, it won’t exceed 5 USD even after you add various optional toppings like Tempura.

Tempras are fresh and crispy too.
 

June’s pick. Crust of Tempura and chopped spring Onions are complimentary.
 

This Udon is known for it’s thickness and elasticity. Style and tastes vary depending which area. Udon from Kanto (East Japan) and Kansai (West Japan) are also slightly different.

Kanto Udon is focused on Soy sauce soup, and noodle tends to be softer. Kansai Udon is focused on fish broth and noodle tends to be chewy.

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It’s not so spicy if you choose like level 3 or 5. Higher level like 8 or 9 is recommended if you like hot spicy.
 

English menu is available.
 

Once entered, you have to buy ticket at the machine.
 

There were no tables, all counter.
 

Mouko Tanmen is a great choice for those who like spicy ramen, the staff are friendly and vocal and the ramen comes in a generous serving.

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