Day Hike to Mt. Kuratake

A week and a half ago I went hiking West of Tokyo with a couple of Ryan's coworkers. All three of us were supposed to go, but Ian started getting sick the day before the hike. While Ryan stayed at home cuddling our feverish boy (thanks, Ryan!), I headed out into the country. It was about a 2.5 hour train ride from our house. The best part about the hike was that it was a loop. We started at one train station and ended at another.

Here is a torii gate near the entrance of the hike:



This is the view from the top. It was a gorgeous day and so nice to see some views. On clear days you can see Fuji at the top. Surprise, surprise...she alluded me this time. (it's actually pretty hard to see Fuji, especially this time of year) I guess that's reason to return.



There were about 15-20 people at the top. If you look closely, you'll see that this guy actually brought his cook stove with him in his day pack. He used it to make cup 0' noodles. I couldn't believe he trekked up with his cook stove in his day pack...all for noodles! The Japanese do love their gear.




It was great to get a taste for the hillside. Now I'm working on finding a time for us to head to the Japanese Alps.

Day at the Beach

Earlier this month we finally made our way down to the end of our peninsula for a day at the beach. (about a 25-45 min. drive depending on traffic) In July and August the beaches are crowded during official beach season. They actually set up temporary buildings right on the beach that serve food. Depending on the location, some beaches have quite the scene of young, good looking people dancing to music.

When Japanese people go to the beach they bring everything but the kitchen sink. Most families will have a tent to provide shade from the sun, a large vinyl sheet to sit on, their own BBQ, and a cooler to store food and drinks. When we went to the beach we brought an umbrella (for shade), towels, and a bucket and rake for Ian. We have a lot to learn from the Japanese.

We made our trip after the official beach season, so it was definitely more low key.

Here Ian and Ryan are checking out the waves:



As they got closer to the water Ian wasn't so sure he wanted to actually get in the water.


He was much more content to play in the sand. (and reach for the camera with his sand-filled hands)

Mommy Juice

Earlier this year Ryan and I had a wine and cheese party. One of our friends brought the following to the party:






That's right, it's wine in a juice box container. Now I can send Ian to play in the park while I relax on a bench and sip some of my 'Mommy Juice Box.' Or, better yet, I can give this to Ian on an upcoming flight to help relax him to sleep and no one will know the difference. Brilliant! I must admit I haven't actually tried it yet. It's hard to imagine that wine in a juice box could actually taste good. ...but I like the possibility.

Ian's Walker

Ian is 15.5 months old right now and is still not walking. I'm thankful that he wasn't walking for our recent flights to/from Minnesota, but since we don't have any flights in the near future now is a prime time for him to start. ...except for the fact that he really isn't interested in walking. He'd prefer to climb up stairs and furniture rather than walk.

So, we decided to get him a walker to give him a little encouragement. We found this 'Kata Kata' walker at a used clothing/goods store for 200 yen. (about $2.50) Perfect! Ian loves it. I'm not sure that this will get him any closer to walking on his own, but who cares. He'll walk when he is ready. For now, he can enjoy using his walker to get him where he needs to go.


The walker came with 3 dogs that move up and down as Ian pushes the walker, but 2 of the dogs tend to fall off all the time. So, he spends most of his time taking the blue dog for a stroll.