Liam decided to pose with one of the stones in the river that had been eroded by the water over the years.
After I fell in the water with Colleen we continued on our journey toward Nikko lake. The next interesting sight was the giant Tori Gate that spans the road. I posted a picture of this last week, but it was from my cell phone so the quality was not so good. If you double click this one it will expand and is of better quality. I had a picture of us standing under it, but we were so small you couldn't really see us in the thumbnail size photo.
Next we hit a small temple that I saw while on the bike ride, but didn't stop at. It had a number of interesting statues and is beautiful with the mountain backdrop. I included a couple of the more interesting photos below.
I really liked the thick moss growing on this stone pagoda. Makes for an interesting picture.
Next on the route was another temple. This is the same place I had ice cream while on the bike ride. The ice cream was so good the last time that I decided to have it again. It was better the first time, but still very tasty. This time we paid the money and explored the temple a bit. At the gate they were selling fish food. I decided to buy some for the children not knowing what kind or how many fish they would have. Turned out there was a beautiful pond on the property that was filled with monster koi. They actually were some of the biggest I have seen. As the children started feeding the fish you could see ripples coming from all corners of the pond as the coy swam toward us. It was like jaws. Before long we were swarmed with carp and the calmness of the garden was drowned out by the slurping noise of all the fish fighting for food. shleerp, shloop, shlerp.......
Here is a better overview of the pond that the koi were in.
Once we finished with the temple it was back in the car for more super curvy and narrow roads. I was able to connect this route to Irohazaka which took us to lake Nikko. In the past the children have asked to ride in the swan boats at the lake so this time I decided to comply. We all piled into one pedal boat (it was a very tight squeeze) and pedaled out into the lake. Jim and I did the pedaling, Warren steered, and the children climbed all over the boat, both inside and out.
I wrapped the camera strap around my arm and held the camera out over the lake for this one. Came out OK for not even looking through the lens.
and one of Colleen taken using the same method.
This is a picture of another family out on the lake. I couldn't hold the camera far enough out to get this angle of our boat. As you can see it was a bit cloudy. It threatened to rain all day, but never really did.
We were able to eat soba noodles and head down to the town of Nikko in time to see the temples before they closed at 4:30. On the way back I finally successfully found Kegon falls. To see the falls you have to pay an elevator fee. The elevator goes down through the bed rock to an observation deck where you can get a good view of the falls. This water fall is created from the run off of the lake we were just boating in. It was worth the stop as it was a very beautiful waterfall.
While we were driving around and seeing the sights in the mountains Kate went to make Udon noodles with Sachiko san and the Caos. The Udon noodles are made with water, flour, and salt. First the ingredients are mixed by hand.
After it is mixed well the dough is put into a bag and then stepped on repeatedly with your feet.
The next process is rolling the dough out to the desired thickness.
Then the dough is folded over and cut with a knife. Here is Mike displaying his mad Udon cutting skills for the camera.
The finished product just before boiling in water.
The finale of the class was lunch made from the days work.
Mike and Kwan enjoying the finished product.
If you want to see the actual process I have attached a video of a chimpanzee making Udon for your viewing pleasure.
Finally to close out the week we took a trip back to Ohya. I didn't include some of the pictures as I have posted them in the past, but this was the first time we went down into the Ohya stone mines. It was hot outside, but quite cool down in the mines.
Kate went down the left handed traffic route as she is left handed. we stood there confused as there was no path for right handers...
The stone was mined here for more than 70 years. It was amazing to see the huge rooms that were carved out as the stone was harvested the pamphlet said they were the size of a professional sports arena. Today the stone is mostly used for sculpture and out buildings as it has been deemed too soft for structural use, but as you drive around Japan you see the Ohya stone everywhere.
I can't take credit for this picture, I found it on Flickr, but it shows what a building made from the stone looks like just to give reference of what this stone looks like. I see this stone a lot in the country side on older farms as well.
Finally Colleen recently picked up a new skill while in Japan. I decided to post a picture because it is easier to show than explain. It took her a lot of practice, but she has finally mastered it. When we get back we may give America's got talent a shot. From what I have seen on TV of that show she may have a shot...look No Hands...
Have a good week...
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