Lake Kawaguchi

On Saturday morning (yesterday), we packed ourselves and all our accouterments into the car and headed off to Lake Kawaguchi for the night. We have all been busy recently and the thought of escaping Tokyo for a while was very appealing. The next two weeks will also prove to be hectic, but I am hoping all the positive energy accrued over this weekend will push me over the finish line.

Lake Kawaguchi is about 2 hours drive from Tokyo - well within my patience threshold. We were excited about leaving the rat race and the heat of Tokyo behind. Temperatures in Tokyo have hovered around 30C for the past week and the commute to and from work is not becoming any easier. Because of varying factors, Lake Kawaguchi is considerably cooler than Tokyo. Temperatures hovered around a very comfortable 22C.

We booked in to the Fit Resort Club at about 3pm on Saturday and got settled into our room. Clara was badgering me to go swimming so we went down to the pool soon after our arrival and had a pleasant swim. In the evening, we all headed to a nearby yakiniku restaurant where I ate the equivalent of two cows and drank the equivalent of two Olympic sized swimming pools of beer. Upon returning to our room, Clara was dispatched off to bed, while we all stayed up and chatted.

Clara woke me up this morning at about 7am and made me get organised for breakfast. By 9am, I was sufficiently fortified to be coerced back into the swimming pool by Clara. We were really lucky to have the whole pool to ourselves as all the other guests at the resort seemed to have disappeared. Clara and I really enjoyed our swim and were in the pool for nearly two hours. We had also brought our tennis racquets but did not have enough time to play on this visit. Next time.

After out departure from the resort, we drove around Lake Kawaguchi. We had a local speciality called Hoto for lunch and then Clara selected me to take the helm of a pink pedalo for 15 minutes. Clara started to cry when I started showing her my repertoire of pedalo tricks but I eventually managed to stem the flow of tears by reverting to conventional navigation and propulsion techniques. After I had regained Clara's trust and respect, she started calling me Captain.

I was hoping to get some pictures of Mount Fuji standing over Lake Kawaguchi but the weather did not cooperate. Despite that minor disappointment, we all had an excellent weekend which should give me a good boost for the coming week.

Yakiniku and Onsen

We were lucky to have the Labor Day holiday in Japan on November 23rd. Yuki's parents and brother visited Shimogo for a few days, arriving on Thursday morning and leaving this morning at 9am (Sunday). I think they had a good time in what was probably their last visit to Shimogo before we move to Tokyo in late March.

On Thursday, we drove to Yurari onsen which is in a town called Tadami. I really love the onsen when the weather gets cold and I felt really refreshed after the bath - very good for your circulation. The water in Yurari onsen is a reddish colour because of the high level of iron in the water. After the bath, we relaxed in the lounge on zabuton (Japanese cushions) and played cards on the low tables. Because it was a holiday and I was not driving, I was also able to have a couple of Kirin beers. Lucky me.

Yuki's parents took us to a yakiniku restaurant on Friday evening in the next town called Tajima. Yakiniku is a Korean style BBQ of meat and vegetables, cooked over a charcoal or gas brazier. I really love eating yakiniku and so I was looking forward to the meal and a few beers. The beef was excellent and was made even better after dipping it in a spicy soy sauce mixed with chilli paste. Delicious!! On Friday, I was pretty tired after a busy week at work (despite the holiday on Thursday) and was looking forward to relaxing and enjoying the food at the yakiniku restaurant. Next week will also be busy with evening conversation classes (which I was volunteered for without anyone telling me!!), elementary school, and junior high school.

We didn't do much on Saturday. We drove to Kirara onsen for a bath and spent a lot of time in the lounge relaxing and dozing. Very pleasant. Our visits to the local onsens will become ever more frequent as the weather gets colder and the snows piles up. I am now mentally prepared for the oncoming winter assault.

Not long now until December and the end of year party season in Japan. With all the parties, snow, and skiing, I'll probably have a lot to blog about. Cheers.