Japan: Day 4

Today we ventured out of the hustle and bustle of Tokyo to see the quainter side of Japan. In addition to seeing more of the suburbs and countryside, we saw the most gorgeous hills/mountains enveloped in fog and tranquil rice paddies reflecting the intricate display of cloud formations above. We also passed seaside towns with hundreds of surfers (I can't help but note that the waves were not quite on par with SoCal). I couldn't really capture the beautiful landscape in photos, but it reminded me a great deal of the lush cultivation of Ireland or England but with a dash of exotic foliage that you might find in Hawaii.

The Great Buddha of Kamakura (or, much shorter, and as the Japanese call it, "Daibutsu") was our first official stop in Kamakura, about an hour and a half out of Tokyo. It was drizzling again, but it slowly eased up as we toured the shrine tucked into the trees.

Here's a CLIP of the inside, which you can peak at for a whopping 50 yen (38¢). The smell of the incense (you can see it wafting out of the bronze (?) urn above), was actually very pleasant; it was a kind of musky sweet smell.

(Fun Fact: Did you know hydrangeas are originally from Japan? They grow like weeds here, like blackberries in Oregon or poppies in California, and mostly come in beautiful shades of blue and purple.)

Our next stop, which was very close by, was Hachimangu Shrine. On the way, we snapped this quick pic of Mr. Newton doing a staple Mr. Newton pasttime (he's our favorite person to capture asleep because he can sleep anywhere and at the drop of a hat; he's also a great sport when we tease him about it! Next to him strapped in is Olly the Otter (he won Olly at Joypolis yesterday, in case you were wondering about his adorable seat buddy)):

We loaded off the bus and were sent off to enjoy free time to explore the grounds of the shrine and partake in all the snacks and street food that could be found nearby for lunch. We turned out with all the local tourists today, as the area was mobbed with people.

The chaperones and Lynette tackled Komachi Street in their free time, and we "ate our way through" Kamakura (as Prodan says; this was his goal for this Japan trip, to eat his way through the country). We saw lots of tourists and vacationers, and maybe even more poodles (along with pomeranians and shibas, all of which seem to be the pet dogs of choice so far; can't even count how many poodles I've seen), and had some delicious snacks, drinks and desserts as we strolled along. See the pics below for a few highlights!

Prodan found the "photo and eat" (that was exactly what the sign said) spot above the waffle place he bought a street snack from:

This is also where we finally found a trash can for the trash we had accumulated from our various street snacks, since trash cans are almost impossible to find here in Japan on the streets and in public areas. You're meant to eat your snack standing near the shop you purchased from, then hand your trash back to the employee of the shop. Definitely a different system!

After enjoying Homachi Street and the shrine in the very, very humid and sticky weather, we made our way a few hours south to reach our hotel in Izunokuni, which features some traditional Japanese activities. This hotel boasts hot spring baths (or "Onsen"), which are public baths for all hotel guests (however, this is not your average hot tub; these baths do not allow you to wear traditional swimwear and are separated by sex (that's all I'll share; your kids can explain further)); in addition to this, we all wore kimonos (for women) or yukata (for men) for dinner and sat Japanese-style at low-lying tables. Here's a CLIP of Michiyo showing us how to properly wear a kimono/yukata (Jack was her guinea pig). 

It was quite the experience! Colton gets the award for sitting on his knees in the traditional manner the longest. The rest of us gave up after about 10-15 minutes; he made it through the whole dinner. Edward and Ronia were a close 2nd and 3rd. 

I will feature the traveler's responses to the baths tomorrow once I hear from them about their experiences!

Tonight was a big night for me because for the first time ever, I tried raw fish (if I'm going to be brave, why not here?). Not only was it not terrible, it was one of my favorite things they served us! 

I think everyone enjoyed this unique experience. There was a lot of laughter and experimenting with strange foods, and I think today stretched some travelers considerably out of their comfort zones (I'm even just speaking for myself!). By the end of the meal, however, a few travelers might have gotten a bit more relaxed with their sitting positions than was appropriate for the setting... (tsk, tsk)

That's all for today! I won't share the details of Mr. Newton getting chased on a jog in Hachioji or about all the jokes cracked on the bus, the staring contest at dinner, or the details of Ms. Ruch and me rolling apricots down a large hill...we'll leave those a mystery. Stories for another time.

Tomorrow I'll include more traveler impressions and details about the Onsen experience, Lake Ashi, our volcano visit and the bullet train. Stay tuned!

~Ms. Carr