Shirakawago, part I

I think I was more cut out to be a tourist than an exchange student. My favorite day while in Japan was when I went on a field trip to the mountains.

A bunch of exchange students piled into a bus and a tour guide kept us entertained during the long and sometimes carsickness-inducing ride into the mountains. First we went to a town called Guyo-Hachiman. It was kind of a touristy town clustered around a river and surrounded by mountains. Many of the streets, like in the picture below, were like any other town I had seen: narrow, shaded by masses of powerlines, with disorganized buildings squished together at all different angles. I wish I had taken more pictures, as the ones I took don't accurately represent all of my memories.

But there were also lovely little alleys were wooden shops lined cobblestone streets. The shops sold handmade souvenirs, mochi delicacies, teacups and dishes, and indigo-dyed linens. The whole town was quiet and (I know this is cliche) sleepy. The water in the river was extremely clear, and a castle overlooked the town from one of the mountains. (You can see it in the picture below.)

We were given an hour to eat lunch and explore. Two of my gaijin friends and found a restaurant by the river, advertised by the sign that said "Coffee and Rest."

The restaurant smelled like thick cigarette smoke. Inside were only four people; two elderly customers were chatting with another elderly couple who appeared to be the owners. As we gaijin walked in the door, all four of them stopped talking and turned to stare at us, as if to say, "You're not from around here, are you?"
We grinned uncomfortably.
Silence.
Finally the owner got up, brought out some menus and showed us to a table by the window overlooking the river. The three of us ordered curry rice, and the owner cooked it up while resuming his chat with the two customers. I think our presence made them nervous, like we had interrupted something. I guess it wasn't every day they got customers like us.