First snow and new Visa

Well we've finally got some snow here.  Not much,  maybe a couple inches but that's usually all we get here in Karuizawa anyway.  I am finding that I enjoy shoveling snow lately.  I think it is because it reminds me of being back in Canada. All this snow and Christmas hooplah is kind out making me homesick lately.  Luckily I have beer and my games to make me feel like I'm home so that's good. 

The other week my wife and I made a trip to Nagano City to renew my spousal visa.  It's hard to believe that in two weeks I will have been in Japan for a whole year. Time never went by this fast in Canada that is for sure.  Along the way we stopped at one of my favourite stores; Book-off.  It's a discount store for used manga,  books,  cds,  dvds and games.  I always seem to find some old gems that I couldn't in Canada.  
We also stopped by a temple where we went into a very dark hallway under ground and had to search for a door knob on the wall.  If you touch it means good luck for you.  It wasn't that hard to find what with the line up of tourists ahead of us,  but it was still fun to wander in the pitch blackness. 
On our walk back to the train station we also passed by the 1998 Nagano Olympic torch and a little podium they set up.  I couldn't resist posing.