It was a quick trip down to the Izu peninsula again for the New Year this year. The family managed to enjoy a few mild days away from the big city and relax in the surrounds of Ito City.

Rina commented on arriving back in Tokyo that she wanted to stay at the white house. No not the one in the US, but the one she knew down the coast. Apparently the red house where we live does not quite match up to the white one.

We also managed to venture down to the southern tip of the Izu peninsula on New Years day. A small place called Irozaki. There is an interesting little shrine hanging on to the cliff near the furtherest point that one is allowed to walk “safely“. It was good to see and walk about the place…. a thing that we can not seem to stop Emma from doing now. Once she is on her legs and moving about, she does not want anyone to interfer with her progress. All well and good for a kid who is not even one year old just yet.

The girls and the parents enjoyed the time away – though the resounding feeling as we headed back into Tokyo in the 30km long traffic jam…. if only it were a few more days.

Enjoy it while it lasts…

We managed to get-away for a quick visit to Shousenkyo Gorge, in Yamanashi Prefecture. An area that is:

considered Japan’s most beautiful gorge. It is part of the Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park, which covers more than 1250 square kilometers of forested mountains, valleys and some rural towns in the prefectures of Yamanashi, Saitama, Nagano and Tokyo.

As usual it was good to get away from Tokyo for a short time and see somewhere else. Everyone seemed to enjoy the time away, though not the very very cool/cold autumn weather. It did help that the heater in the cabin we stayed in worked in a sporadic beat. It was on and off all the time… Rina enjoyed keeping us warm with her concert performances after dinner.

Apparently the day before we arrived there were fierce thunderstorms all around the area – causing a lot of problems. But what that did for us was clear the day of all the weekenders from eastern Japan. We were able to enjoy the autumnal color changes with gaggle of thousands, rather than the throngs of millions – well not quite like that but close enough.

We were able to fill a short three day trip to Hokkaido with some of the interesting sites of the North Island.

Leaving Fuji in the distance

After leaving the warm morning clouds of an early autumn Tokyo, we arrive in Memanbetsu to an overcast and quite cool mid-morning. Once we collected our bags, got the rent-a-car, it was off to the World Heritage Shiretoko area situated in the North East of the Island. It was great to be heading to see some mountains, though the weather was leaving a lot to be desired. The closer we got to the Shiretoko peninsula, the heavier the rain became. Not a good sign for the few days we had on Hokkaido. It was interesting to see the Hokkaido farm houses and the large open fields of green, just a little different from the Tokyo urbanscape.

After arriving srounf Shiretoko, the rain onslaught began. When ever we attempted to venture out of the car, the heavens opened up with an even fiercer downpour. The three days that we were to spend there were looking fairly glum.

Awaking to the sight of blue skies from the hotels fourth floor was a welcome relief. So after tucking into as many of the breakfast buffet croissants it was time to head off to Shiretoko. We went to the area around the Nature Center, grabbed some information and then headed off for a short 1.5km trek from the center to the coast. It was an easy walk along some well trodded path… though made a little challenging by the fact that we had Emma in the pram.

After passing group after group of senior citizens making their way back along the trail we arrived at the coast. It was great to see the place where the cliffs met the sea. We didn’t see any wildlife, but just after we leisurely arrived back at the nature center around two hours later the walking track was closed due to the sighting of a bear in the vicinity. It would have been good to see.

To Continue with Part II… later

Emma’s growing up

The first signs of two small teeth are pushing through her lower gums and causing a lot of dribbling. It’s just the beginning, but it hasn’t stopped her making lots of little six month old noises and sounds at all hours of the day or day. Her particular favourite at the moment seems to be around 5:00am, much to the delight of both mum and dad. All signs of a healthy kid they have also heard.

She continues to keep it cute and keep everyone busy in her ever expanding little world.

Rina on a walk

Rina has developed in a very friendly little girl around the neighbourhood. She greets everyone she has met at least once with a very loud Ohayo gozaimasu (good morning). The catch is that she uses it at all hours of the day and night. She sees some man dressed in a security/safety style uniform and she’ll greet everyone of them. The ladies in the kimono shop nearby – she opens the shop door to greet them.

After missing the Golden Week crush, we made a short trip to Hakone admist the rain and the foothills of Fuji-san. The Golden Week break, one of the biggest breaks – which also means one of the most crowded breaks, where you can experience 40+km traffic jams getting out of Tokyo – the “Official National break” was full of sunshine and warm weather. We chose to go away the week after this period, to rain and cloudy weather. Though the crowds were none existant. Well except for the occasional school trip crowd.

We went to Hakone. Just a few short hours drive from Tokyo, or a few short hours train ride. In the foothills of Mt Fuji and surrounding Lake Ashino. It was good to get away. A short visit to the Hakone Open Air museum was also unexpetently timed with a visit of the Emperors brother, and the head honcho of Fuji TV. Along with visits to the Little Prince museum, where Rina was fascinated by the bubble machine that they had out the front of the place producing an endless flow of bubbles into the air.

We also managed to see the Hakone Aquarium where they had an interesting collection of aquatic life, huge “live” Hokkaido crabs, sting rays, fish from the Amazon, penguins and seals, along with the occasional bird and other mammal.

It was good to get away from Tokyo for a few short days, now only if there was more of it.

The sping breeze and weather has blown in during the past few weeks. One day raining, one sunny, one raining, also being hot and cold all the time. It’s been good to see the cherry blossoms about the place, along with all the other flowers of spring.

Rina started a new school last week – she is already ruling the roost of sorts there. This time she is not the youngest, and with all her experience doesn’t need (or possibly want) to say goodbye to Mum or Dad once she is in the school gate. Rina finds her friends and she’s off.

Emma is getting bigger all the time, nearly the ripe old age of three months now. She’s also beginning to interact more with the surrounds – if you talk to her she will goo and gaa, particularly in the morning. She also loves to show off her smiling gums. Like in the footsteps of her big sister, Emma much prefers to be moving and be out of the house. SO Mum and Dad are kept busy with her and her very active big sister all the time.

Another little girl joined the family yesterday at around 3:20 in the afternoon.

Emma is her name.

She even has her own little information page “Emma & Everything“.