I spent most of my upbringing in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture — an area known for its beautiful mountains and nature, which I adored growing up. Every winter, I would go skiing with my mother on the weekends in locations all over the Japanese Alps, but especially in Hakuba.
This winter, I went back to Hakuba for the first time in years. I happened upon a restaurant and reacted with a mixture of surprise and amusement when I saw the menu: ¥2,000 for avocado toast and ¥2,300 for cold cuts and bread. Two items virtually no Japanese person would order, much less for those prices.
It turns out that tourism has transformed the places of my childhood after all.