It’s Monday. Usually these days frighten me but at this particular hour I’m rather grateful for Monday. I could use a rest from the weekend, and it’s rather nice to have this holiday off and catch up with myself. With the exception of being completely surrounded by Japanese people I could almost feel like I’m at home, sitting in a Starbucks lounge chair with my laptop open to a blank page, waiting for my classical music selection to command inspiring words from my mind.
That’s what I’m doing. Sitting here. Waiting.
Waiting for the 1:30 Shinkansen to pull into Koriyama so I can see my friend Kenta and have a catch up chat for the afternoon. I haven’t seen him in 5 years! Now I’m in his country and we meet again. I love it!
As I’m just sitting here I suppose I might as well recount the past 48 hours…
Friday night: Dan’s birthday. We all went out to dinner and Rachel helped me make one of my favorite desserts: Oatmeal Cake. I know, doesn’t sound that fabulous, but the ample amounts of butter, sugar, and coconut/walnut topping will make you a believer. It was a success.
We slipped into movie time and packed Jay and Ashley’s apartment to watch the feature film of the evening, “The Abyss.” It was so epic and dated and fabulous. Have I ever mentioned that I think Ed Harris is one of my favorite actors? Well, he is. The movie went long into the night and it was almost 1:30 before I attempted to go to sleep. I failed, however, because I was just a tad excited about the coming weekend’s events.
Saturday morning I got up a little before 7 and started packing my backpack with essentials: 2 sets of clothes, hand towel, sanitizer, first aid kit, deet, Keens, lunch, train schedule, phone, wallet, leisure book (Perlandra), water bottle, sunscreen, sunglasses, rain jacket, deck of cards, camera, and my two coworkers/friends/sisters/parters in crime—Rachel and Celeste.
We walked to the train station and arrived just in time. Rachel RAN to the station and got there just in time.
In Koriyama we juiced up on frappachinos, tea, and a blueberry scone from Starbucks before jumping on the connecting train to our destination. Well, Rachel and I walked on and sat down, but Celeste got caught in the back crowded train so she jumped out at the first stop and then ran up 10 car lengths to us and jumped back on right before we embarked. That was right after my water bottle jumped out of my backpack, crashed on the metal floor and popped off the lid spilling water all over the place.
Here come the Americans.
That’s what I’m doing. Sitting here. Waiting.
Waiting for the 1:30 Shinkansen to pull into Koriyama so I can see my friend Kenta and have a catch up chat for the afternoon. I haven’t seen him in 5 years! Now I’m in his country and we meet again. I love it!
As I’m just sitting here I suppose I might as well recount the past 48 hours…
Friday night: Dan’s birthday. We all went out to dinner and Rachel helped me make one of my favorite desserts: Oatmeal Cake. I know, doesn’t sound that fabulous, but the ample amounts of butter, sugar, and coconut/walnut topping will make you a believer. It was a success.
We slipped into movie time and packed Jay and Ashley’s apartment to watch the feature film of the evening, “The Abyss.” It was so epic and dated and fabulous. Have I ever mentioned that I think Ed Harris is one of my favorite actors? Well, he is. The movie went long into the night and it was almost 1:30 before I attempted to go to sleep. I failed, however, because I was just a tad excited about the coming weekend’s events.
Saturday morning I got up a little before 7 and started packing my backpack with essentials: 2 sets of clothes, hand towel, sanitizer, first aid kit, deet, Keens, lunch, train schedule, phone, wallet, leisure book (Perlandra), water bottle, sunscreen, sunglasses, rain jacket, deck of cards, camera, and my two coworkers/friends/sisters/parters in crime—Rachel and Celeste.
We walked to the train station and arrived just in time. Rachel RAN to the station and got there just in time.
In Koriyama we juiced up on frappachinos, tea, and a blueberry scone from Starbucks before jumping on the connecting train to our destination. Well, Rachel and I walked on and sat down, but Celeste got caught in the back crowded train so she jumped out at the first stop and then ran up 10 car lengths to us and jumped back on right before we embarked. That was right after my water bottle jumped out of my backpack, crashed on the metal floor and popped off the lid spilling water all over the place.
Here come the Americans.
After arriving at Lake Inawashiro we passed through the smokey waiting lounge into the great outdoors and checked the laminated bus schedule. I could read most of the kanji….but sometimes it’s just not enough. All you need to do is miss one kanji that can negate the entire sentence and you’re screwed.
Luckily our confused state was apparent enough to attract the attention of a kind Japanese man who wandered over and explained the schedule using the little English he knew.
We got on the right bus.
In 40 minutes we said sayonara to our fellow passengers who had listened in silence to our English giggling the whole way and stood in the parking lot of the Mt. Bandai Eruption Museum.
It was everything I thought it would be: a bunch of pictures with Japanese captions and cute little stuffed animals for sale. I loved it. I wish I had bought a squirrel for Celeste.
Luckily our confused state was apparent enough to attract the attention of a kind Japanese man who wandered over and explained the schedule using the little English he knew.
We got on the right bus.
In 40 minutes we said sayonara to our fellow passengers who had listened in silence to our English giggling the whole way and stood in the parking lot of the Mt. Bandai Eruption Museum.
It was everything I thought it would be: a bunch of pictures with Japanese captions and cute little stuffed animals for sale. I loved it. I wish I had bought a squirrel for Celeste.
Here's an 'Eastern style toilet.' We call them 'squatty potties.' You'll usually find them in public restrooms, most restaurants (especially if they're more than 10 years old), and my work.
We headed up the short trail to the main visitor center. We had been here in May because our boss took us here when we first came to Japan. At that time I was so disconbobulated about directions and sense of time that I had no idea where I was in relation to my living quarters. Now I know.
What we missed from that first visit we more than made up for this weekend.
The area is called “goshikinuma” which means “the five colored lakes.” The lakes were created as a result of the mountain’s eruption in 1888, and change colors depending on the season due to the minerals in the water. There’s a trail that goes between them and a visitor center at either end of the trail. Where we started was the largest of the lakes.
Since it was a lovely day I spontaneously suggested going out in one of the many rowboats they rented. For 700 yen we split the cost and got a half-hour out on the clear green/blue water. Celeste took an interest in rowing the shallow boat and I looked her in the eyes. “You know how to row a boat?” It sounds like a silly question, but from personal experience rowing a boat isn’t as easy as it looks if you’ve never done it before. “Of course I know how to row a boat!”
“Have you rowed before?”
“Yeah!”
Oh, okay. I mean, Celeste is an amazing swimmer, loves the water, and worked at a camp for several summers. Of course she’d be able to row! What was I thinking?!
I offered to sit in back and Celeste took the middle rowing position. She was confused when I reminded her to sit backwards. That should have been my first clue.
It was about 5 seconds after we pushed off from the dock that I remembered what I was thinking…
We were sitting in the boat…not moving. Celeste was figuring out the oars. I started giving some directions because from my viewpoint I could see the Japanese couple carefully rowing into the dock…and we were in the way! Actually, Celeste was preparing to row BACK into the dock on accident. When she got the oars in the side rings and gave it her best pull it sent us careeneing into the oncoming boat and we slammed into them.
Here come the Americans.
Let’s not forget the touring Japanese hoards that are all standing on shore watching our gimmick, wishing we weren’t scaring all the koi away.
We got out into the open water and I gave Celeste a little rowing lesson. Turns out, paddling and rowing are a little different. Yes, yes they are.
It was a very lovely feeling though, trolling my fingers in the cool lake water as I basked in the sun at the back of the boat. Little lake plants gathered in patches like a water garden, and the shores were surrounded by green foilage and red-trunked trees, eventually giving way to jagged mountains and a montrous exploded volcano. It’s still active, by the way.
After our boating adventure we headed out on the trail and proceede to take plenty of pictures and smell the smells for the next hour and a half. We passed quite a few older couples, young couples, families, and an Elementary school group. Each of the little kiddos were excited to say “Hello” to us as we passed by. You just can’t escape them!
What we missed from that first visit we more than made up for this weekend.
The area is called “goshikinuma” which means “the five colored lakes.” The lakes were created as a result of the mountain’s eruption in 1888, and change colors depending on the season due to the minerals in the water. There’s a trail that goes between them and a visitor center at either end of the trail. Where we started was the largest of the lakes.
Since it was a lovely day I spontaneously suggested going out in one of the many rowboats they rented. For 700 yen we split the cost and got a half-hour out on the clear green/blue water. Celeste took an interest in rowing the shallow boat and I looked her in the eyes. “You know how to row a boat?” It sounds like a silly question, but from personal experience rowing a boat isn’t as easy as it looks if you’ve never done it before. “Of course I know how to row a boat!”
“Have you rowed before?”
“Yeah!”
Oh, okay. I mean, Celeste is an amazing swimmer, loves the water, and worked at a camp for several summers. Of course she’d be able to row! What was I thinking?!
I offered to sit in back and Celeste took the middle rowing position. She was confused when I reminded her to sit backwards. That should have been my first clue.
It was about 5 seconds after we pushed off from the dock that I remembered what I was thinking…
We were sitting in the boat…not moving. Celeste was figuring out the oars. I started giving some directions because from my viewpoint I could see the Japanese couple carefully rowing into the dock…and we were in the way! Actually, Celeste was preparing to row BACK into the dock on accident. When she got the oars in the side rings and gave it her best pull it sent us careeneing into the oncoming boat and we slammed into them.
Here come the Americans.
Let’s not forget the touring Japanese hoards that are all standing on shore watching our gimmick, wishing we weren’t scaring all the koi away.
We got out into the open water and I gave Celeste a little rowing lesson. Turns out, paddling and rowing are a little different. Yes, yes they are.
It was a very lovely feeling though, trolling my fingers in the cool lake water as I basked in the sun at the back of the boat. Little lake plants gathered in patches like a water garden, and the shores were surrounded by green foilage and red-trunked trees, eventually giving way to jagged mountains and a montrous exploded volcano. It’s still active, by the way.
After our boating adventure we headed out on the trail and proceede to take plenty of pictures and smell the smells for the next hour and a half. We passed quite a few older couples, young couples, families, and an Elementary school group. Each of the little kiddos were excited to say “Hello” to us as we passed by. You just can’t escape them!
One of the lakes
A pan shot of the largest lake. It continues past the 'tree island' to the far left. It also continues to the right.
Round trip brought us back to the main area and our lodging at about 4:30pm. We stayed in a youth hostel near the largest lake. With some time to kill before dinner we trekked our white bodies over the river and through the woods to the hotel where we entered the onsen. You’re issued a “privacy towel,” or at least that’s what I’m calling it. It’s about a foot wide, 2.5-3 feet long, and about as thin as a cheap washcloth you’ve been using for the past 20 years. Unfortunately that’s all we had when we crawled out of the amazingly relaxing hot spring water. Once all the moms with their small children came into the outdoor pool we knew it was time to head out.
With fresh skin and pampered hair we came back to the hostel and had a nice Japanese dinner. It’s always nice when someone else makes it, right?!
With fresh skin and pampered hair we came back to the hostel and had a nice Japanese dinner. It’s always nice when someone else makes it, right?!
The tatami mat room. All the bedding is behind the closet doors at the back.
After dinner we decided to practice our song for the upcoming town concert, so the two other guests were serenaded as we sang “Power of Your Love” in 3-part harmony accompanied by me struggling to get a decent sound out of the upright piano.
We were applauded.
Too bad we didn’t know anymore songs.
The evening’s activities…well…I can’t tell you everything that happened, but here’s how it began:
“Guys, we need some snacks.”
“Let’s go back to the hotel and buy some from the omiyage shop.”
“Okay!”
That’s the store where you buy things in individual packages to bring back to your coworkers. It’s expensive, but it was also our only option.
So, 3600 yen later we came back to the hostel and proceeded to have fun playing slapjack. Let’s just say I have a picture of Celeste doing a headstand in the closet.
We woke bright and early, but it was no big deal since we retired fairly early in the evening. After a scrumptious breakfast at 7:30 and checkout at 9, we played frisbee in the front yard before officially taking off. Of course we had no plans.
We were applauded.
Too bad we didn’t know anymore songs.
The evening’s activities…well…I can’t tell you everything that happened, but here’s how it began:
“Guys, we need some snacks.”
“Let’s go back to the hotel and buy some from the omiyage shop.”
“Okay!”
That’s the store where you buy things in individual packages to bring back to your coworkers. It’s expensive, but it was also our only option.
So, 3600 yen later we came back to the hostel and proceeded to have fun playing slapjack. Let’s just say I have a picture of Celeste doing a headstand in the closet.
We woke bright and early, but it was no big deal since we retired fairly early in the evening. After a scrumptious breakfast at 7:30 and checkout at 9, we played frisbee in the front yard before officially taking off. Of course we had no plans.
Breakfast. I'm not sure I can even identify everything here...let's see...(clockwise) Orange, konbu, scrambled eggs, bacon, salad with some kind of gobo root(?) with mayonaise-ish texture. A kind of miso soup, tsukemono (pickled veggies; these were daikon, cucumber, carrot, and maybe something else), and rice and green tea not yet dished out.
So, we took the bus back to the eki, but ended up getting off before then. Following a tourist map I picked up we started an afternoon adventure looking for “blueberries.” That’s what it said on the map.
A few hours and trucker’s sunburn later, we gave up and started heading back.
Then we found it.
I saw the sign and practically kissed the ground. As we walked down the driveway and came into the main complex area a kind Japanese fellow greeted us. Inquiring about the berries, he sadly apologized that the berries had just finished their season but there were plenty of vegetables that we could pick. Did we like eggplant? Green peppers? Tomatoes?
Yes…..
We were obliged to pick some from his vegetable garden and he thrust small buckets and scissors in our hands.
Oh wait! The field is a little far to walk (as if we hadn’t just walked 5 miles to get there) so he was going to drive us down to the field.
We had no idea where it was.
So we got in a car with a strange man. Apparently the D.A.R.E program axioms don’t apply in this country. Or maybe it’s just if he offers us candy…
We picked as many vegetables as we dared to carry back with us and he drove us back up to the main area. We got a small tour of the grounds, passing by the camping area, the picnic area with tabletop barbecues, the lawn and small pond adorned with lily pads, and the family house which allowed diners into the main area equipped with a karaoke machine. The eating area was like an enclosed porch with windows surrounding it. The only difference was that these windows could be easily folded accordian-style allowing the fall breeze to waft up from the lake through the room, with it carrying the sweet smells of ripe golden rice fields and late summer vegetables.
We offered to pay for the vegetables but of course he wouldn’t hear of it.
Then he fed us lunch.
Then he helped us figure out the train schedule.
Then he offered to drive us down the mountain to the train station.
Then he ushered us into the main hall and turned on the karaoke equiptment, asking us to relax and sing while we waited for the next 2 hours.
What can you do???
So….we sang for awhile.
He did indeed drive us to the eki and we said our long farewells to our new friend. We practically passed out from fatigue on the train but managed to drag our sunburned and battered bodies into Starbucks in Koriyama for one last drink. Arriving in Funehiki, our little journey ended on a happy note and we went our separate ways to recouperate…for at least an hour. Rachel and I finished our cribbage game we’d started a few days ago, and watched “Up” since she’d never seen it.
Oh, happy days.
A few hours and trucker’s sunburn later, we gave up and started heading back.
Then we found it.
I saw the sign and practically kissed the ground. As we walked down the driveway and came into the main complex area a kind Japanese fellow greeted us. Inquiring about the berries, he sadly apologized that the berries had just finished their season but there were plenty of vegetables that we could pick. Did we like eggplant? Green peppers? Tomatoes?
Yes…..
We were obliged to pick some from his vegetable garden and he thrust small buckets and scissors in our hands.
Oh wait! The field is a little far to walk (as if we hadn’t just walked 5 miles to get there) so he was going to drive us down to the field.
We had no idea where it was.
So we got in a car with a strange man. Apparently the D.A.R.E program axioms don’t apply in this country. Or maybe it’s just if he offers us candy…
We picked as many vegetables as we dared to carry back with us and he drove us back up to the main area. We got a small tour of the grounds, passing by the camping area, the picnic area with tabletop barbecues, the lawn and small pond adorned with lily pads, and the family house which allowed diners into the main area equipped with a karaoke machine. The eating area was like an enclosed porch with windows surrounding it. The only difference was that these windows could be easily folded accordian-style allowing the fall breeze to waft up from the lake through the room, with it carrying the sweet smells of ripe golden rice fields and late summer vegetables.
We offered to pay for the vegetables but of course he wouldn’t hear of it.
Then he fed us lunch.
Then he helped us figure out the train schedule.
Then he offered to drive us down the mountain to the train station.
Then he ushered us into the main hall and turned on the karaoke equiptment, asking us to relax and sing while we waited for the next 2 hours.
What can you do???
So….we sang for awhile.
He did indeed drive us to the eki and we said our long farewells to our new friend. We practically passed out from fatigue on the train but managed to drag our sunburned and battered bodies into Starbucks in Koriyama for one last drink. Arriving in Funehiki, our little journey ended on a happy note and we went our separate ways to recouperate…for at least an hour. Rachel and I finished our cribbage game we’d started a few days ago, and watched “Up” since she’d never seen it.
Oh, happy days.
If you can't stop to smell the roses, the least you can do is stop and blow on a dandelion.
South side of Mt. Bandai from the golden rice fields.
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