Larry's birthday, cooking class, Mt Fuji hill climb..

Well It was my birthday last week. Not sure when you are officially old, but I am now 39. On my birthday the Shionome sans came over after work to celebrate. They also brought me a new hat and Karasuyama shirts that Taka san made. Of course Kate made one of her delicious cakes for everyone to enjoy.

Here is one of the shirts and the hat. The Kanji says Karasuyama which is where Taka san is from. Karasu is crow and Yama is mountain, so I guess the town is named crow mountain.

Also this week Kate and the children attended a cooking class. The main item on the menu was Korean Okanomiyaki. Pictured is the entire group that participated.

One of the tasks required for the dish was to clean Ika (squid). Most children did not want to do this, but both Liam and Colleen volunteered to give it a go. Looks like messy work, but they did it.

While they were cleaning the squid Colleen's sensei Shido sensei accidentally squirt Colleen with ink from the squid. If you look at her shoulder in this picture you can see the black blotch. That is the ink..

I have been planning for a bit to hike to the top of Mt Fuji. I asked the family and only Liam was interested to do it. I did a little research on line and determined that he should be old enough to make it, but figured it would be a little tough for him. When climbing there are two main options. #1 climb up most of the way, stay in a hut, then just before sunrise make your way to the top, #2 start the night before and walk through the night arriving at the top before the sunrise. I chose option #2, the main reason was because the huts need to be reserved in advance and as a result there is no guarantee for the weather. When it rains the climb can be extremely cold and unpleasant, and in some cases make it impossible to get to the top. I watched the weather throughout the week and determined on Thursday that we were going to go for it. We finished packing on Thursday so that Friday immediately after I finished my job we drove to the 5th station of Mt Fuji. We spent about 1 hour to acclimate, buy our hiking sticks, grab some food, and purchase some emergency rain ponchos just in case. Here we are before setting off around 8:15 pm.

When we started the top was covered by clouds and there was lightning all around the sky. There was no lightning on Fuji itself, only clouds, and we could not hear the thunder. As a result I was no so concerned, but I worried a little it might rain. We were lucky, after about 1 hr the top completely cleared up and the sky filled with stars. We could still see a lot of lightning, but way off in the distance.

The trail itself is pretty easy to follow. It is well marked by paint and chains. Some parts of it are actually quite steep and require actual climbing. This area was particularly rocky and each step required a little thought for placement. Liam really liked this area and went up it quite fast. We started to sweat a little so I told him we should slow down. We were on pace to arrive at the top well before the sunrise, and I didn't want to wait at the top with damp clothing as it would be pretty cold.

Liam was pretty energetic up to the 8th station. It was at 3250 meters. The top is 3776 meters so we were a good ways along. He was a little hungry and the power bars I brought were not hitting the spot for him. I decided to get a cup o noodles for him from the station. As you got higher up along the mountain the price of everything also got higher. I think at this station I ended up paying $4 dollars for 1 cup o noodles, but it hit the spot for him so it was worth it. If you wanted Oxygen at this station I think it was around $20, in Utsunomiya I think it was about $5. After doing the research I decided not to take any. All around us people were huffing away at it, but we never had the need for it.

Between the 8th station and the top Liam crashed. He was battling two things, #1 too much exertion earlier on left him on low reserve, #2 it was 2 am and he is typically in a deep sleep by this time every night. He laid down on a rock and fell asleep. That is him in the green. We had multiple layers of clothing so that is why he is in red in the pictures above. At that point I debated my options. #1 Let him sleep until about 3 am and then wake him up to push on to the top. #2 Let him sleep until he woke up (even if it meant missing the sunrise) and then make our way to the top. #3 let him sleep and then turn back for home. I decided on #1 because I thought it would be the best for him, but after about 20 min something started him and he woke up. He looked like he had found a little energy so I said lets get to the top and then you can sleep. He wasn't super happy about that, but I could see the top and it didn't look much further.

While he was napping I snagged this short video. There is actually a line of people working their way up the mountain, most have a headlight, and so you can see the line snaking up behind us.

Once we got to the top I found a place with smaller rocks to make Liam comfortable. He laid down and I covered him with the extra clothing that was in the pack to keep him warm. It was freezing, and I was shivering pretty good, but it was 3:15 am and the sky was already showing signs of the sun rise, so I just sat and waited.

You can see the progression as the sun gets closer and closer to showing itself.

I snagged a short video across the sky as I waited.

About this time I tried to wake Liam so see the sun, he woke for an instant, and then felt right back to sleep. I felt it was more important for him to get a little sleep because we still had to trek back down as well, so I let him sleep.

The sun showed itself a little after 4:30 am. There was a blanket of clouds below us, but they did not affect our view as we were above them.

Liam actually got a little more than an hour sleep at the top. Finally the light and warmth from the sun woke him.

We walked around the top a little to explore and take in the sights.

I set the timer to get a picture of both of us at the top, this gives a bit of perspective as to the height.

One of the things that kept Liam going was the stamps for the walking sticks. At each station for a fee of about $2 it was possible to get a stamp branded into your stick to show that you had actually achieved that station. Here is one of our sticks, the red stamp is from the temple at the top..

Finally we decided we were tired and had seen enough of the top so we started the descent. This was actually a little harder on me. The path is covered by small lava rocks that move when you step on them. The entire way down you have to resist gravities desire to make you go faster. My legs were a little tired by the time we got to the bottom and my knees a little sore.

At the bottom of the trail before heading back to the 5th station we looked up the side to see what we had done. From here you actually can not see the top as it curves away from this point. It was a great adventure, but we were both glad to be at the bottom.

I decided to take carry my Garmin GPS with me so I could see the route after we finished. From the data it is possible to see the difference in slope of the climb as compared to the descent. The elevation data is the green. Blue is our speed. I think we averaged about 2 mph on the round trip.

We were happy to make it back to the fifth station. We ate some more Fuji bread and then loaded back in the car to head home. I am really proud of Liam for making it to the top. It was really a challenge for him, but he didn't give up and was able to make it.

That is all for this post, have a great week....

Yochien festival, Nikko camping, More Kit Kats...

This week the Yochien (pre-school) behind our house had a small summer festival. The community was invited to go, not just the students and parents of the school, so Kate and the children headed over for the evening. There were drums and plenty of fair food to keep everyone happy.

The next day Liam and Colleen caught a huge bug out in the yard. It is difficult to tell from the picture, but it is probably the size of an adults palm, but the antennae stick out much farther than that. Liam had it in his bug container for a bit to study, but let it go before we headed camping for the weekend. He was actually taking pictures of it when he let it go and it flew right at him, I could hear him squeal from inside the house..

On Saturday morning after a bit of a rough start we finally got on our way to camp near lake Chuzenjiko (the lake in the Nikko mountains) We were invited to camp overnight with Arnulfo and Dinorah, Hiro san, Makiko san, and their son Tora kun, and Chiharu san and Yuski san. It was our first try camping in Japan and so a bit of a challenge getting everything ready for the trip. Upon arriving at the lake Arnulfo and Dinorah met us at the parking area with one of the many carts the camp grounds have to move goods to the camp site. This is helpful because it is not possible to drive the car up to the camping area. It is not quite as hard to pull as Dinorah is making it look..

Tora kun enjoys playing with Liam and Colleen. It didn't take them long to hang out together. Here they are trying to make Jiffy pop, that Makiko san brought, on a small campfire. I have never been able to pull it off on a camp fire as the temperature is not easy to control. This attempt was not much different and they ended up with a lot of burnt or un-popped kernels. Regardless it is always entertaining for the children to make.

Later we broke out the ball-slinger game we brought from the US. After a little coaxing we convinced Chiharu san and Yuski san to give it a go.

Everyone was able to enjoy playing and as always it was fun to see the looks from the other campers trying to figure out what kind of game it was. One woman in particular wanted to know the name of the game. First we said Hillbilly golf, and she stared blankly so we said, ladder golf, still nothing, so finally in Japanese Dinorah called it stairway golf. That was enough to satisfy her curiosity.

Hiro and and Makiko san brought 花火 (Hanabi). The Kanji means flower and fire, we know them as fireworks. The children all enjoyed lighting them and swinging them around, they were basically sticks that shot sparks out the end.

Later in the night Arnulfo introduced us to Hirezake (hot sake with Tiger Fugu fin). I have attached a link on it if you are interested to see. Basically it starts with heated sake, and then seared Fugu fin is soaked in it for a bit. Prior to drinking the alcohol vapor is lit, sounds like for additional excitement. It really had an interesting taste, It is possible to taste the fish flavor in it, but it is not strong. An interesting experience for us all..

http://kyotofoodie.com/home-cooking-hirezake-hot-sake-with-tiger-fugu-fin/

Kate and Dinorah giving it the smile of approval..

In the evening we only had rain for about 20 min. Not long after the rain the clouds cleared and we could see stars. It was a great evening.

The next morning as usual the sun came up super early. Our family gave in to the sun and got out of the tent at 6:30 am, but the sun had been up for some time prior to that. We were greeted with a beautiful view of the lake in the mountains.

This is the side the tents were located on. Sleeping was great with the cool air coming in across the lake.

With the sun really warming up the day the children put on their suits and got in the water. I thought that because the lake is in the mountains that it would be too cold to get in, but it was not so bad and the children really enjoyed it. There was a sand bar a short ways out. It took Liam a bit but he finally decided he could walk out to it, after that Colleen gave it a go. Tora kun wanted to go, but was a bit scared, so Liam and Colleen came back and each held a hand. That was enough to give him confidence to do it and all three enjoyed walking around on the little island for a short bit.

Liam and Colleen have both grown about 2 inches in the last year. Recently I can really notice a difference in them..

Before leaving the camp ground we posed for a quick picture. Dinorah asked us to make a silly pose, so I whipped out a move I have been practicing that I saw in an add when we went to Tokyo. I still have a little work to perfect it, but it is getting closer every time I break it out. Colleen is also now working on the same pose. For some reason it looks more appropriate when she does it...

Before heading down the mountain we stopped to give some of the swan boats a try. These boats were not in the best condition, but they were cheap ($15 per boat/30 min). Our family grabbed one boat, Arnulfo and Dinorah another, and the third by Hiro san, Makiko san, and Tora kun.

30 min does not sound like a lot of time, but when your paddling one of these things it turns out to be plenty. Here Kate enjoys hanging out the front window as we cruise around the lake.

When we took Erin to the airport to head home we discovered a few different Kit Kat flavors that we had not yet tried. The first and the best of this bunch was the Soy Sauce flavor. It had a white chocolate with a hint of soy flavor to it.

Second was a citrus blend. The citrus flavor was a bit strong for me, as a result not my favorite.

Melon flavor. This was a bit more mild of a flavor and it went well with the chocolate.

And the final flavor was apple. This would sound like one of the better flavors, but I didn't like the apple flavor in combination with the chocolate.

That is all for this post, have a great week..

To Tokyo to send Erin off, Geisha and other stuff...

This Sunday Erin headed back home to the US. Before she left we decided to take her to Tokyo to see the city. Being that she is now 18 we figured she could really enjoy a exploring Tokyo a little. We debated how to go as we also had to escort her to the airport on Sunday to see her off. Finally we decided to drive the car and park near the airport, then take the train from Narita to the city. Then on Sunday we could just go back to the airport and drive home. This turned out to be the cheapest and easiest solution with all the luggage.

I took a few days off of work to ensure we had adequate time to see the city. On the first evening we took the subway back to Ueno and explored the shops under the tracks and the 6 story toy store near the station.

Friday morning we boarded a train towards Mitaka. It is the location of the Ghibli Museum. This is the museum created by Miyazaki san the man behind movies like Totoro, Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away, Kiki's Delivery Service, etc... This was Erin's idea and both Liam and Colleen were excited as well as they also enjoy his movies.

When we got off of the station there were two options, ride bus or walk. Since the distance was about 1.2 kilometers we decided to walk. The route was well marked with signs periodically stating the distance left until the museum.

When we did get there, we knew we were in the correct place by the huge Totoro.

Pictures are not allowed inside the museum and as a result I could only take a few in the outdoor areas. I checked the internet and could not really find any pictures so the rule must be well enforced. This picture is the robot from Laputa on the rooftop, but actually my favorite was display was on the first floor. There was a display with a number of figures fixed to what looked a little like a ferris wheel. It would periodically spin and a strobe would flash. The figures were solid, but each with a slightly different position and so when the strobe would flash it gave the illusion of motion to the figures. Erin said it looked like live action claymation and I would agree.

We also had the opportunity to see an exclusive movie by Ghibli studios that is only shown at the museum. There were a number of scenes we could really relate to, now that we have actually lived in Japan, although it would be impossible for me to explain. The children really enjoyed the museum and the gift shop. I enjoyed the museum, but about went crazy in the gift shop. It was tiny and packed with people and merchandise. There was almost no room to get around and finally I ended up deciding to just wait outside.

When we finished up at the museum we went back to Shinjuku station for lunch at El Torito for Mexican food. There are not many options for Mexican in Japan and we found this place over a year ago with Dan Croasmun when we went to the fire walking festival so we knew it was good. It was nice to have good Mexican again and after we hit the Krispy Kreme for dessert.

When we finished up and were leaving the rain really let loose. It rained pretty hard for the rest of the night. After a short stop at a book store in Shinjuku we took the subway to Shibuya to see the huge intersection. Kate and Erin went to a clothing store called Shibuya 109 while Liam, Colleen, and I went to Tokyu Hands to look around. While walking to the store the rain really let loose and we had to stop to buy a cheep umbrella to try to keep dry. Our upper bodies were OK, but the river we were walking in soaked our shoes. Here is the huge intersection from the Starbucks on the corner. I like the view from here, but it is never any fun to find a seat and enjoy the view. Fortunately I could find two seats for the children to use while we tried to dry a bit and waited for Kate and Erin.

After that everyone was tired and so we headed back to the hotel. There is a pet shop close to the hotel and the children always enjoy checking it out. This time along with the monkey, they also had an owl for sale, and on the first floor we found what we dubbed a Mogwai. There were two and they were tiny monkey like creatures. I have never seen anything like them. One was $6000 and the other was $16000. We couldn't make out the kanji but it looked a little like "Do not get them wet!!" There were signs that said no pictures, so I didn't snag any.... maybe next time.

The following day we woke up to beautiful weather, in fact it was possible to see Mt Fuji from our hotel in Roppongi. This was a first for me and we have stayed here multiple times.

Today was the day Kate scheduled for Erin to do the geisha photos in Ginza. Kate and Colleen stayed in with Erin during the preparation phase while Liam and I hung out in the lobby. First step is the white face paint.

Then a dash of color is added..

And after the wig and kimono the final touches are added.

We were then loaded into a van and driven to a nearby park for the pictures. The weather was perfect for the pictures and Erin and the park were beautiful.

The studio workers were all very friendly and helpful during the photo shoot. This gentleman's name Yuta and he had a very positive energy about him. This really helped all of us to enjoy the day.

The pictures on the blog are all taken by Kate. In about a month we will receive the studio pictures and they should be even better quality (although I have to say Kate's came out pretty good.) The park was open to the public for a fee and so it was fun watching people stop, comment about how pretty Erin looked, and then take their own pictures.

While Erin was getting her pictures taken the children explored around the park a little. They found this bright red dragon fly as well as turtles, fish, and a number of bugs.

In the end it was a great experience for everyone. I would have no trouble recommending the photo company to anyone. I can't find the name of the company tonight, but will add it on here later in case anyone would like to find them later.

After the pictures were finished we hit a pizza joint in Ginza near the station. Many times the pizza in Japan is a little different than what we are used to in the US and this shop was no exception. I ordered the seafood pizza and it came out with a big variety of seafood on it. Octopus, full shrimp, oysters, ect.. Erin said we should take a picture as it was definitely not your ordinary pizza. It was delicious and I ate more than my share of it.

To finish off the day we went to Harujuku. I think this was probably Erin's favorite place. I have to admit not my favorite, but we weren't there for me, so no worries. I caught Kate in the middle of saying "Harujuku......aawwe yaaayaah." That is why she is sporting the wicked cool expression.

As it was mostly shopping in this area and we were all a bit tired from all the walking I don't have so many pictures from this area. Kate is better at remembering to take a lot of pictures so I should have had her carry the camera..

Today's main focus was working our way back to the airport to make sure Erin could board the plane and get home safely. There is an add campaign we found in many of the subways now advertising the Japanese lottery. The adds show people very excited after winning a some of money. Kate and Erin stopped to pose with one of the signs and pretend that they were one of the winners.

Onto the Skyliner and back to the airport. We were able to get her back with no troubles. I certainly hope she was able to enjoy her time in Japan. I know we were happy to have her visit.

That is all for this post, have a great week..