I needed to pick up the new volume of Battle Rabbits from Animate so today was a shopping trip day to Takasaki! S was planning on going there as well so we decided to met up at Starbucks. At Animate, they didn’t have the new volume on the shelf (it had just been released), and it was the fullest I had ever seen the place. I had to ask a staff member for the third one. Luckily, didn’t require much Japanese. Then I stood in the longest line ever, as the staff kept apologizing for the long wait. The one guy even spoke to me in English! He tried really hard. I went to Starbucks afterward and got an overpriced coffee in the unique Japanese size of short (which is a secret menu item in the US apparently).

He accompanied me on my secondhand shopping expedition for some new clothes. First stop: Off-House. The prices were fantastic and the clothes in great condition. Clearly, the best place to do your shopping. I tried on a few pieces, but only one sweater from Uniqlo was big enough. $5 for something that probably cost $20-30 originally. I’d like to check out some of the men’s clothes. They probably have longer sleeves. Second stop: Jumble Shop, now Second Street. This place was a lot pricier and harder to look through as it wasn’t sorted by size. I gave up pretty quickly. S told me about two places, a secondhand anime/manga place and a stationary store. The manga place is actually open 24/7, but it was also crazy full! The whole parking lot was packed so we decided to just head over to the stationary place. I got some ink refills for my school pens and a new set of stationary. I really wish we also had them in the US. Why are we stuck with crappy pens and highlighters? After dropping S at the station so he could actually get some work done, I headed back home.

Ringing alarms early in the morning again. A bit later today as I got up at 7. By the time I got to the dining area, there were not a lot of people up. Too many hangovers. Breakfast was good again, with some Subway sandwiches as well today. M and Am were going cross country skiing with me today! It was their first time so I was going to show them the basics. After some thorough googling in Japanese, I found out the place I wanted to go to, Minekata, was actually closed and had been for two years. Since we needed rentals, we decided to do a different trail at Iwatake. Minekata is supposed to have amazing views, but it was still snowing anyway. Am is from a non snow country so she was so excited to help me clean off my car! It was really cute. Luckily the brush and scraper I just bought came in handy. I even lent it to another guy unfamiliar with snow and helped him clean off his car. I’m glad I know how to deal with snow!

It was about a twenty minute drive to Iwatake. The central part of Hakuba clearly had heated streets and sidewalks because everything was free. It’s a great way to use all that hot springs water. There wasn’t too much snow on the ground, mostly just packed down stuff. The parking lot was a bit scarier, high and fluffy, but I didn’t get stuck! The tires did their job. There was a huge line of people waiting to get lift passes, but we just asked at the English info counter about the cross country track and rentals. She said the trail was still ungroomed, which is like the norm for me and my backyard woods skiing.

We got our skis easily enough inside the building from the rental shop. Cost us 2700 yen for one day rental which is kinda steep, but since there’s no lift pass involved, it’s still cheaper. After dropping our shoes off at the car, Am decided she needed a larger shoe size. An Aussie guy from a ski school told us they had a map of the cross country trails inside too. When putting our skis on we had to be careful because we sunk really far into the snow! It was impossible to put your skis on that way ha. A couple of skiers had been before us so no trail forging. It was snowing and peaceful and beautiful. Doing downhill and cross country back to back made me remember how much I love cross country. The other downhillers thought we were crazy ha. One fall on a steep slope and barely any falls from the newbies! They did a good job. Later in the run, the snow picked up and it definitely got colder. It was actually comfortable skiing. You always sweat so much though this trail was less intense. There were too many uphill sections that you had to walk up.

We got passed by the trail groomer once which ruined the tracks we were following. Everything was flattened. He later told us that we had to turn around and go back because the rest of the trail would be finished tomorrow (Am got most of that conversation). Somehow he changed his mind (our poor faces maybe) and said if we thought we could do it, go ahead. So we did. I prefer the ungroomed stuff, ha. We only ended up doing the 3 km trail because we missed the turn-off for the 5k. They weren’t kidding about the lack of signage. After we returned our gear, I drove back into Hakuba to find some lunch. Visibility was really poor. We managed to park at the station and check out a cute restaurant/cafe in a log house. Jars of things and sun dried tomatoes around. Our waitress spoke fantastic English too. The decor and staff was really amazing as well as the food. Everything homemade, nothing artificial or containing preservatives. Even the cheesecake was made with raw milk products.

We barely made it back to the hotel, ha. I took a wrong turn and had to drive through really deep snow on some narrow streets. Then when I parked at the hotel, I got stuck in a snowbank, but reversing out worked. Totally picked a new parking spot, ha. I packed up my things. Both B and M were ready to go so we set off around 3:30 pm. I had to clean off the car again - fifth time today?? The snow kept accumulating. The wind had lessened so it was a bit easier to see at this point. Once we passed some of the gazillion tunnels on the way back, there was no more snow and clear roads. B told me while snowboarding, the snow was up to her knees! All the powder.

Somehow, while playing games during the ride, we didn’t realize that my gps was on silent. We missed the exit to the train station I was bringing them back to. B panicked because she had to catch the train around 6 pm or she wouldn’t be able to make the last bus. The next exit was mine in Tomioka! We way overshot. I drove them to Annaka instead and they were still able to make the train. Back home and bed for me. Completely wiped out.

The first person’s alarm went off at 6 am, blehhhh. And then to proceed to ring every 15 minutes another three times. Such a pet peeve of mine. If you’re sharing a room, don’t hit snooze! It was impossible to go back to sleep so I just got ready and put on all the layers: synthetic tank, base wool layer of shirt and leggings, fleece leggings, thermal shirt, and sweater. Fleece jacket, coat, and snow pants to come later. Breakfast started at 7 am. It was hopping in the dining area and I managed to get a spot at a table with some people I didn’t know. Breakfast was really yummy - eggs, salad, hashbrowns, rolls, yogurt, cereal, oj, tea, and coffee.

Still a bit chaotic. I tracked down my boots and skis which were labeled. I need to get goggles from the rental guy, but he wasn’t in the entry way anymore. After waiting, I found him outside where he told me to go wait inside. He took pity on me since I already had all my gear on, boots included, and gave me a pair from the truck. They weren’t in great condition, but worked well enough. I headed towards the slopes with K and J. It was an uphill walk of about ten minutes, and so not comfortable. Ski boots are not made for walking in. I hadn’t even done up my binding yet. By the time we got to the entrance station, I was already exhausted ha. I took a break, while they headed up to the black diamonds.

I spent my time on the greens, only beginner for me. Some of the beginner trails were too easy but others just perfect. One was actually quite narrow. Sadly, it was snowing the whole time so we couldn’t see any of the surrounding mountains. It’s supposed to be a fantastic view. On a gondola ride up, I did get to see Japanese serow! It’s a type of goat-antelope. It was foraging for food in the snow, really big looking with its winter coat. I liked the upper trails much better because it was less crowded. It’s so annoying to have to worry about crashing into people left and right, including all the snowboarders who just sit down on the middle of the slope and hang out. I slid out once on a sharp turn with three snowboarders around me. I was riding the gondola back up when I realized my phone was no longer in my pocket. I had taken a photo shortly before I fell and forgotten to zip the pocket back up. Cue the suppressed panic. I retraced my steps and checked the area where I fell. No phone. On to plan #2 - check lost and found. I went to the nearest information desk and with a mix of English and Japanese told her what happened. After describing my case, she asked her coworker if one had been turned in. She returned with my phone in hand! Yes!! I’m so glad no one stole it. It was just a tad wet but working fine.

I headed to the top of the peak for lunch. I definitely felt the altitude (1676 m). Everything I skied down and moved back up, ears popping. Without coordinating anything, M, Am, and later J, K, and S showed up so we had a nice lunch party. I was glad for the respite as the wind had really picked up with the snow. Visibility was dropping sharply and there was a lot more snow on the slopes. Such powder. We were supposed to get snow all through the night and tomorrow too. Post lunch we split up. I did a couple more runs before calling it quits. So tired. I trudged back the hotel with all the gear before grabbing my camera and heading back outside! I crossed the street to play in the snow. My feet just kept sinking down, down, down. 90 cm, about 3 ft, on the ground. I made a snow angel finally! I really like the cold and snow when I have the right clothing!

We played some Settlers of Catan before dinner with B and F. Dinner was okay. Way too much meat that I couldn’t eat with only two potato fries, but the fish was good. After dinner, the party started in a giant basement room. A bunch of people went to take naps. I could barely keep my eyes open at this point as well, but they had ice cream for dessert there. I was pleasantly surprised by the alcohol choices - Angry Orchard cider! It was all American booze thanks to the military base and Navy guys at the event. They even brought snacks. I got to have Cheetos! After hanging out and meeting some people, I ended up in bed around 9 pm and read for an hour. My body was done. It was a little bit easier to fall asleep this night despite the noise. I think M came in around midnight, but he was quiet. I have no idea what time it was when the other two came in. Thank goodness I was really tired and not bothered as much.

Big ski trip in Hakuba, Nagano this weekend. Ski check #2: I had planned to ski in Gunma, Nagano, and Hokkaido as this is probably my only chance ever. I picked up B and M at Matsuida Station about a 25 minute drive away. They had a much further distance to travel. I still had time to go home after school, pack, and cook dinner. We drove another two hours from Matsuida to the hotel, Lady Diana, in Hakuba via the expressway. With three people, the tolls only cost us about 1000 yen a piece and saved us an hour driving time. The roads were really straight and snow-free although I’ve never driven through so many tunnels. I broke my tunnel length record three times on that stretch - 4475 m long. We stopped twice, one at Beisia for B’s meds and once at McD’s so B could get some dinner. I managed to get a pair of waterproof gloves at Beisia. I knew I’d need some this weekend with all the snow! A bit later down the road, I realized I forgot my phone charger, noooo. At least I had the car charger.

Things were a bit crazy inside the hotel as we had a 141 people participating in this weekend from thirteen different prefectures. Some JETs, some private teachers, some people in other professions like the military. We booked out the two adjoining hotels completely. Luckily B had been there before, and knew the way through the building to our rooms. I took a slightly cheaper room that didn’t have an en suite toilet, but one right across the hall. I was rooming in a small basement room with the fake plastic tateami where we could barely fit the four futons. It wasn’t really clean, but it’d do as a place to crash. The heater was a kerosene one and you were supposed to keep a window cracked with it on so you don’t suffocate on the fumes. Scarily enough, we only had one thin futon layer and a thin blanket to go on top. It was a down blanket, but still! I slept in my wool and fleece leggings, and a fleece jacket. The blanket was short enough that it only reached halfway up my chest.

I hung out a bit upstairs before heading to bed at 10:30 pm. I should have grabbed a pair of the earplugs. It was still loud in the room, and people were up late. Two of my roommates came in around 2 am and I felt like I barely drifted off before then. So much noise.They also kept the heat on overnight and I don’t think the window was open because it smelled quite gassy. Don’t know how I survived!

I’m a little sore in my shoulders - from pushing with the poles - and legs, but otherwise my body feels great! Last night, they forecasted snowfall across Gunma - about 30 cm. When I woke up this morning, it sounded like it was snowing so I jumped out of bed at 6:15 am and ripped open my curtains. SNOW!! I ran to get my boots and coat, and stepped outside on the front and back porch area to take some dark photos. The snow was coming down thick and wet. I estimate about 4-5 inches. A bunch is sliding off rooftops so you have to watch out!

After showering, I was way ahead of schedule so I went for a walk to the nearby shrine and took photos. The roads look horrible. No snow plows will do that. A couple cars had left my parking lot. I saw some tree branches cracked off. Back at home, I also lost power for a minute. Made me nervous about the power lines. I tromped my way to school, leaving a bit earlier. About twelve teachers were out in the parking lot shoveling snow. I dropped off my bag and joined them. A couple students trickled in. Trains are canceled so the phones were ringing off the hook in the staffroom with parents calling in. Normally when public transport is canceled, there’s no school for the students, teachers still have to show up or take PTO. But because some local students showed up anyways, they have to do something with them.

Post-shoveling, many teachers huddled around the heater. There are coats surrounding it on chairs, and a pair of pants hanging from the ceiling to dry. Classes started an hour late with the first class being canceled. We then had a meeting at lunchtime where they canceled the rest of the day, and the first class for tomorrow. It’s quite wet outside so I’d imagine it’ll all turn to ice overnight. On the walk home, there were a bunch of older ladies out shoveling. People also were clearing the roads in front of their houses.

Today was my first time skiing in Japan! And my first time skiing in 9 years. It’s about a two hour drive to Minakami in the north of Gunma where we went skiing at Hodaigi. Sadly the lack of snow made itself known there as well. The ski slopes were mostly okay - some grassy patches and icy slopes. The drive was like Japan’s usual - windy, curvy, and mountainous. I met up with two other people who were snowboarding. Renting wasn’t difficult, all the ski stuff was called ski set, ha. Had to fill out a form, pay, and keep my receipt for when I return them. When buying my lift pass, the lady spoke English so again no problems. Either way, the two people I was with speak Japanese and could translate. The runs were pretty long. We stuck to the green so both of them were beginner snowboarders. Skiing came back to me pretty well. I’m glad it’s like riding a bike. The views were stunning - all the snow covered mountains. I spotted a couple other foreigners, including some ski instructors.

Parts of the ski resort were still closed because the snow conditions weren’t safe enough. The blacks looked super scary and high up though. The greens were a little bit too easy so we tried a partially red/green trail next. We get to the top of the ski lift and it looks like the trail is closed. There’s a bunch of signs warning about off-trail skiing and to watch out for rocks and things. So instead we have to go down the solid red/intermediate side. It looks quite terrifying from above. Somehow I made it down alive, heart pumping. It was super icy and slippery and my skis almost slipped out from under me several times. After I get down, I see the other side is open after all. Cries. I decide to brave the other side, deciding it couldn’t possibly be worse.

There was a quite a flat stretch where I had to push myself with the poles and do the awkward shuffle with the skis. The first bit was a bit snow less, but much less steep than the other side. This was more of an enjoyable ride down. The whole trail I’d consider a proper intermediate, not partially beginner!

It was pretty different from the three ski places I’ve been in the US. Less fancy halls for rentals and foods. Kinda the bare minimum needed. We ate at a cafeteria partially down the slopes. There were three places to eat in total. No snow machines here, all natural snow. The lift passes were also cards that you scanned to get on the lift, not tags to attach to your zipper. I had to learn how to walk in ski boots again.

The two specks by the trees are
my friends by the top

Post-skiing, we went to an onsen, Takagawara, which has been recommended to me multiple times. I didn’t realize it was so close, only 10 minutes away! The long, hot soak was good for ensuring a lack of sore muscles. Very interesting decor. There were two black bears in cages on the way in. Three mixed bath pools, and one ladies only built along the river. Very picturesque. There were actually some other foreigners here as well. My first mixed bathing experience. Everyone wears towels into the water. Most of the dudes just have a small towel they hold in front not so carefully, while the women are wrapped up. It was interesting...the towel is really floaty so it just billows around in the water. It was more freeing to go without in the ladies bath. This was also much cooler than others I’ve been to. There are wooden boards sectioning off the water where the temperature differs.

After work, I went to go pick up S in my car. I finally met another person in Tomioka! We are both super fans of Free! so she agreed to go watch the movie with me in Isesaki. It’s about a 40 minute drive with tolls to the movie theater. After parking at the movie theater, we went to a nearby restaurant first to get some dinner: gyudon, beef bowl. Another place with an automated machine that actually had English written too. We got free postcards at the theater and took some photos of the Free! posters. The movie was excellent! I only understood about 50% with the help of the second light novel. The beginning was the easiest. Not bad though, I had thought it’d be worse!

I chatted with my parents first thing in the morning. It was only about 6 C in the room so I grabbed my phone real quickly. I did get up at some point to finally switch the heat on. It was flurrying a tiny bit outside. We packed up everything into the car, and headed off on foot to the second onsen we wanted to try, sai-no-kawara, open air bath. This one was about 20 minutes away. You walk through the Sainokawara Park to get there. Water is streaming through the ground, creating little ponds and rivulets of hot water. The fog was intense. Absolutely stunning.

The baths were pretty crowded in the small changing area, but the main pool can hold so many people! This one felt much hotter than yesterday’s. Probably because it’s outdoors and the air was cold. We rinsed off really fast. We walked back through the town and tried a onsen manju sample. I also bought an onsen egg, which are eggs boiled in the source water. We stopped by a glass factory too - such beautiful little figurines! On the way out of Kusatsu, we got gas before I dropped A back at the station to catch her train at 1 pm. The drive back was less hilly, google took me a different route. Managed to get home in the afternoon and go grocery shopping.

We could have bathed again this morning, but didn’t want to get up that early. We took a bunch of photos in our yukata. I was wearing a pink one and A a green one. After going down for breakfast, we found out the green one is only for men, and A had to switch to the pink. The faces of the staff cracked me up. They were so shocked! I personally can’t see the big deal… The only difference is the color. So in all our photos, A is wearing “men’s” clothes.

Breakfast was amazing. What a spread. And so much food! I could barely finish it all. During breakfast, they put our futons away. When we went back up to the room, they had locked it! Oops, we had left it open with the key inside the room. Tis was an easy fix though with lots of apologies on both sides. We checked out and they gave us directions towards the monkey park. She helped carry our things back to the car and even waited outside for a bit in the cold! I had to defrost my car first, so I’m glad she finally went back inside.

Another wonderful sunny day. The road up to Jigokudani was rather narrow. We stopped to talk to the parking attendant who actually had a sign written in English since he couldn’t speak it. We had to park a big further away at the Roman museum because the other parking lots were already full! We got here at 9:30 am and the place only opened at 9 am! The amount of tourists was crazy. There was only a tiny bit of snow on the ground, some leftovers. The walk to the park takes about thirty minutes through the woods. There are some informative signs about the Japanese macaques along the way. The Jigokudani ryokan was nestled picturesquely by the river. Here we spotted our first monkeys! Beyond the entrance gate was a small gift shop, and two walkways. One headed to the main hot pool, and the other down the riverbed where normal cold water flowed. There were monkeys everywhere, running around, and climbing high on the opposite bank of the river up the mountain. I even got to see baby ones! One mother was carrying two, one her back and one hanging under her stomach.

The pool area was massively crowded with people sticking their cameras into the monkey’s faces. I don’t know how they could relax, but there were some digging for food, and grooming and bathing. Their positions and faces looked so blissful. It was pretty cold out, my hands growing numb quickly. I’m glad I wore so many layers, but A had much less clothes. We went into the gift shop to huddle by the kerosene heater. I ended buying some postcards with the monkey’s snow hats. Sadly, we didn’t have enough snow to see that. I also bought apple Kit-Kats back at the bottom gift shop and a wall hanging with bathing monkeys.

We finished at 12:30 pm ish and got lunch at a restaurant right by the parking area. I had this fantastic salad with sashimi salmon in in. Yum, yum. We had to share a table with another couple, since everyone was stopping there to eat. We decided not to walk around this onsen town area, but instead to head directly to Kusatsu. The way back was much better! No turn arounds. Took us a little under 2 hours. We first stopped by the tourist info center to grab a map and check out the observatory where you got a great view of Mt. Asama.

We parked at a public lot near the center of the city and walked around. First stop, a shrine. We descended the stairs to Yubatake (Hot Water Field) where 5000 liters per minute pours out of the source. The air was filled a light scent of fresh eggs as it’s a sulfuric source. The water is at pH 2.1 here! The colors were stunning until the wind blew a wave of egg fog into my face and I couldn’t breathe. We stopped at a cafe in this area to get a cake set - cake and tea - and warm up a little. As soon as we were back in Gunma, the wind made itself known. Brrr. We meandered through the streets past all the shops. A ended up buying some yummy flavoured honey. I got some phone straps and socks with Gunma-chan bathing.

By now, it started to get dark outside and the light decorations were turned on. More picture time! I let our airbnb host know that we were on our way. Google did a poor job of directing us though. Took us down a tiny road that was blocked off for pedestrians only. I had to turn around in a narrow alley, but A helped by going outside the car. Finally, we made it out. The next obstacle was a steep hill. I pulled over to park by a temple entrance. The airbnb was part of the temple grounds. Our host came out and welcomed us and directed me to where I could park. This required me to drive further up the hill, back into her narrow driveway. I’m horrible at reverse driving, absolutely horrible. She moved her car and I somehow maneuvered backwards into the parking spot in her garage. I parked too close to the wall and since I’d have to climb over the other seat to get out, she moved her other car as well so I could re-park my car. Phew! And all in the dark hills.

Our host was really welcoming. We put on our guest slippers as she showed us the indoor baths with hot water from the source! She led us to our large tatami room with a kotatsu and the futons all laid out. It was like staying at a ryokan, but so much cheaper, haha. There were even snacks set out and a tv. First onsen stop, Otaki no Yu, one of the top baths in Kusatsu. It was only a freezing 7 minute walk from our place. It was a big onsen, really nice. After pre-washing and soaking in the main indoor and outdoor pool, we went to the other side where there are five pools of different temperatures. The onsen I’ve been in were all 42-45 C. The first pool was lukewarm, the second comfortable enough for me to hang out in, but too cold for A. The third was a great temp and thus crowded like the fourth. I tried to get in the fifth and made it for less than 30 seconds. I felt like my skin was burning off! It was so hot! The water from the source was about 70 C from the source! The internet tells me the hottest one was 46 C, but there’s no way because I can handle 45 C. Post bath, I got strawberry ice cream to enjoy a milk product. We stopped at 7-Eleven on the way back for dinner supplies and crashed in our futons. All the layers.

I headed out early this morning to go pick A up at the train station, Naganohara- Kusatsuguchi, at 9 am on our way to Nagano and Jigokudani Monkey Park! It’s about a 1.5 hour drive from me there. The drive was stunning. Gunma is really picturesque with the snowy mountainous backdrop and farms. Sadly since there hasn’t been any snow, everything was really clear. Good for driving at least. While A and I were still in the station, the station attendant warned us the bus leaving. I somehow managed to convey that we were here by car. So courteous.

We headed off on the second leg of the journey that should take us about 1.5 hours. The first part took us right past Kusatsu - the best onsen town in all of Japan. We’ll come back here tomorrow for the second part of the three-day weekend. We have Monday off because it’s Coming of Age Day where Japanese children, who have reached the age of majority at twenty, have a big ceremony. We got right by a ski slope when a sign written in English and Japanese forbids cars from driving further. We parked in the skiing lot and asked the attendants in broken Japanese. He told us it’s only open to a shuttle bus. We backtracked and tried google’s route #2. It took us 30 minutes to get to this point so one hour driving wasted.

After backtracking, it was another 20 minutes before we hit a toll gate. We stopped to take some scenic photos along the way, A was snapping pictures out the window the whole time. Very pretty especially with Mt. Asama getting closer. At the toll gate, he asks us where we’re going - presumably to figure out how much we have to pay. When I told him Jigokudani, he shook his head and told us no. We pulled into a parking lot and walked over where the other toll guy brought out a map and showed us where to go. We have to take google option #3, a route that takes an extra 30 minutes from the station. The other guy spoke enough English to tell us road closed for winter. (Later I checked online and it appears the connecting bit of 292 is closed from late spring till Nov - don’t make the same mistake as us. You can’t get from Kusatsu to Shiga-Kogen area.)

We turned around once more. We’ve lost 1 hour and 40 minutes at this point, but we were on the right route now with 1.5 hr eta driving time. It took us right past Sugadairakogen ski area, up in the mountains. We actually started seeing some snow on the road. Driving with snow tires was interesting. I could definitely feel them grip the road more. No sliding at all. I took all the corners slowly. Looking back at the GPS trail, it doesn’t even fully convey the curviness. We pulled over at one point to get more photos. I jumped into the field of snow, stumbled in a ditch and got part of my pants covered. Ahhh, snow!

At the end, we took a short bit on the toll road. I’m so sick of driving, I’m okay with paying the exuberant prices. We stop to eat at a ramen restaurant. There’s actually a wait so it must mean good ramen! I managed to write my name on the list in katakana, whoop. They even brought us a menu translated into English! Oh, the benefits of being close to a tourist spot. The ramen was amazing and I’m not a big ramen person. The best I’ve had yet in Japan.

Then we headed on to our final destination, Yudanaka Onsen, in Yamanouchi, Nagano. We drove around in circles on narrow roads for a bit trying to find our ryokan, but it was a bit confusing since the roads were small and buildings close together. We decided to investigate on foot first. We parked in a random lot and walked around. We had about two hours before check in to explore the town. We tried to stop by a visitor center and get a map, but it was closed so we just wandered. First, checked out a shrine and climbed the hill behind it to see huge boulders that were sealing in an evil spirit. It had the rope around it, shimenawa, and was really cool to see!

We also stopped by another shrine that had the source running through the temizuya, water pavilion where you wash your hands and mouth, and by this Buddha statue you could also wash. There was a free foot bath too, but we didn’t have towels with and it was too cold. The town was filled with older buildings and public bath houses. We checked out another temple with a huge Kannon statue and climbed a steep hill with amazing views. We took a walking path back through the forest and A made sure to ring all the bells along the way. Later, with the help of google translate, we realized they were called peace bells and supposed to bring peace. On the way back to the car, we passed by a shop that handed us a map and told us about a lantern festival that started later. Yay, map!

We carefully followed the streets to the vicinity of our hotel. I pulled into a parking lot to check the map, when a woman came towards us. She asked about me by last name, had us get out and give our luggage to her, and the keys to the other guy. The man parked my car for me, and she carried our things into the lobby. We removed our shoes at the entrance. She was the English speaking staff member. The others knew a couple words, but we tried to reply in Japanese to them. A was really excited about everything and the staff loved her. During check in, we got to select our private bath time in their outdoor bath - onsen as well as see the public schedules when men or women could enter. The indoor one was open 24/7. We also selected whether we wanted breakfast at 7:30 or 8 am. She would give us a room call then. She showed us to the room, and served us tea. It was salty, broth-like tea. I don’t remember the name. She brought me an extra yukata in a longer size hah.

The hotel had a lovely, traditional decor. Our room had an entrance area with mini fridge, tea maker, sink, and toilet with toilet slippers. Beyond the sliding door, we had a large room with a low table and floor chairs with huge cushions. Two snacks awaited us, an onsen manju (sweet bun) and something else.The heater was running nicely. In one of the closets were our yukata - socks with the toe separate for geta, yukata, sash, over-robe, a bag with toiletries. A decided to go in the first women bathing time slot, so I hung out in the room.

When we went to leave, we let them know so they could set out the futons for us. A and I went back to the store which gave us the map and got mulled apple juice there. It was fresh, local apple juice. Nagano, especially this area, is famous for all its apple orchards. It warmed us up while we set out to make our free lanterns. We got to decorate a sheet of wax paper that we put in a lantern. The woman there attached it to a bamboo stick and we set off into the streets to deliver to the end destination. Outside, we were stopped by a lovely lady asking to do a survey. Her English was so good! She had studied to become an English teacher for JHS, but changed her mind. Amongst the survey, we bonded over Glee and Bones. She even gave us beautiful, free postcards as a thank you.

At this point, we were running out of time to get back to the ryokan for our private onsen time between 8-8:30. We hurried to drop off our lanterns on the shelving around a foot bath. The light reflected off the water. It was a wonderful light. Then we rushed back. A stopped at the shop to buy some souvenirs, and I popped by Lawson’s - a convenience store - for a small dinner (still full from ramen!). We both luckily made it back just in time. The futons were out in the room, looking quite inviting. I put on my pink yukata and went to take some rare photos of the bathing area. It was really cold outside and the water felt great. I love the feeling of warmth and cozyness post-bath. It makes your skin feel amazing too. The bathing area was really beautiful with a little waterfall and all the rocks. You could look up at the stars too. After returning to the room, I ate my dinner, and we went promptly to sleep in our yukata. The futon layers were warm and comfortable.

We had a small breakfast this morning as I was still recovering from all the food the day before. Y’s mom packed me some omiyage and then we were off to Tokyo Tower! It’s about the same size as the Eiffel Tower, 33 m taller, but the base of each leg felt narrower. It’s also 3000 tons lighter! After getting our tickets, we rode an elevator up to the first observation area. It was a clear day so you could even see Fuji-san! There was a cafe and a shrine, as well as a mailbox where you could get a special stamp on the letters you mailed there. The special observatory at 250 m had a bit of a line before we made it to the top. Such good views! Tokyo is huge.

We walked over to Zojo-ji, the nearby temple, for some good views of the tower, before they drove me to Ikebukuro Station. Y’s family were all so kind! They kept treating me to things and really included me in their family. I’m lucky to have met Y. Despite some traffic and panic, we made it to the station with 15 min to spare. I said my goodbyes and Y walked me to the gate. It was really crowded. The rush of people returning back to normal life from their families. On my platform, all the vending machines were sold out! I managed to get something from a vendor though. Didn’t want to be trapped on the train for 1.5 hours without food or drink. People in Japan don’t really eat or drink on trains, so I just tried to be clean about it. I still had leftover bread from a couple days ago and all the things Y’s mom gave me before I left to snack on.

Suddenly at one point, they had an announcement that the train was splitting. From 15 cars, 5 were being removed. This always happened to me in Europe. I had headphones in so I missed most of the message, but managed to figure out that I was in car 7 (I’ve never looked for the car numbers before!) so no matter what, I was safe. After the hour and a half, I was back at Takasaki station - also super full - and got back on my little train. Felt good to finally be home and in my bed.

I woke up still feeling tired, uhhh. I think this overnight jaunt will take several days to recover from. Y’s mom had prepared a grand spread for breakfast with some of the leftover food from yesterday. Y and I went out so she could show me the shrines around her home and so that I could do hatsumode - the first shrine visit of the new year. At one of the larger temples, there were so many stands selling food and trinkets. I bought two charms, one with a monkey for the new year and one with a wooden horse, the year I was born in. Many people were out and about. A couple of the vendors commented on my height and figure, ha. I think I may have been the only foreigner around too. We also got omikuji - fortunes - based on our birthdays.

We walked around her neighborhood, and saw part of the Waseda University campus. Such gorgeous weather, warm too! The winters here are sunny. We went to a smaller fox shrine on the way back. One of the shrine maidens told me Happy New Year in English! It’s always cute to watch people gather their courage to speak with me. There was a lovely, small park next door.

For lunch, K’s mom’s side of the family came over, four of them including her cousin, an adorable little girl. Absolutely amazing food again. We had ozoni - traditional new year’s soup. I overate as per usual. My stomach was feeling much better today so I wanted to try everything! Shortly after we had dessert and tea. I got to try baumkuchen for the first time! It’s really popular in Japan although I’ve almost never seen it in Germany.

After the relatives left, we headed out to complete a stamp rally with the Seven Gods of Fortunes. We got a poster board to place our stamps on and then had to use a map to find all the shrines and temples. We split into two teams, Y’s parents, and Y, her brother, and I. I took over navigating and thoroughly impressed them. Only had difficulty finding one because it was outside the cemetery we were walking through, not inside like we thought. Her parents won, but they knew where all the stamps were since they’d done it last year!

Nabe - hot pot - was for dinner with some kind of seafood I’ve never had before. Abalone, maybe. I could only eat a tiny bit because I was too full! We watched tv as well, a comedy show where I comedian plays sports with pros. It was a tennis match with Nishikori Kei and two other pro players. They threw in giant rackets and had 6 players versus Nishikori and his coach. Very funny. When bathtime rolled around, they offered me the first bath (just like everything I’ve read and seen!), but I declined since I was going home tomorrow. K’s parents also worked on New Year’s cards. She told me they get about 300 cards!

And the night continued till 7 am. We went shopping next. All the stores and at exoborant prices. We stopped by the car to drop off the bags and took an hour nap between 1-2 am. At around 4 am, we headed over to Disneyland. I finally got to see the castle! I only saw Disneyland briefly, but Disney Sea seemed more intricate so I rather liked it better. Ride-wise I sat out on one, and went to a 4D and 3D movie. A Star Wars themed one and one about music. My first time to hear all the big Disney numbers in Japanese, haha. When we left the park, the sun was rising and people were already camping out in front of the gates with blankets for the next opening time at 9 am. So hardcore! I think experiencing it in Japan was a positive. Everyone is uber-polite, the service amazing. I’m curious to see how the atmosphere would differ in the US. I’m so glad I got to go. It was magical.

I left via the train station to go to my friend Y’s house in Shinjuku. She invited me to celebrate New Year’s Day with her family! I was going to meet her around lunchtime. The line to get into the station through the ticketing gates was insane. Such a flood of people from the resort park. E told me how to get to Shinjuku station since my phone died earlier in the night. I really need to get a portable battery charger. I had to switch trains at Tokyo station so I wandered around unsuccessfully looking for an outlet. I bought some bread for breakfast and a drink, but no outlets anywhere. I searched for a Starbucks outside the station, but exited via the back entrance and had to circle around to the front. Everything was closed for New Year’s. I found a McD’s by the station with an outlet and had some hash browns before a worker told me I couldn’t charge there. Seriously, Japan?? Even the McD’s in Kyoto had outlets built in and was a fav study spot.

I gave up and continued on to the Yamanote line which goes in a circle. I was told by locals that it’s great for sleeping on. I promptly fell asleep for the 30 minutes it took to get to Shinjuku and then missed getting off and had to return. I was planning to sleep at a manga/internet cafe, Manboo, because I thought it’d be more restful than the train. Wrongggg. The five minutes I charged at McD’s got me to 10% and enough directions to find Manboo. It’s 9:30 am at this point. I descend into the basement and approach a lady at a counter to check in. I borrowed a membership card so I show that and ask for a flat, 3 hours booth. Only smoking is available, but I take it. It costs me 1100 yen. You could also pay extra for a shower.

I was counting on being super tired and easily falling asleep, but no. All the walking this morning woke me up and I only started drifting off an hour later at 10:45 when I have to wake up at 11:15 am. At least I could properly charge my phone! It was quite interesting to experience. Rows of booths, shoes outside them, with a small sliding door and about 1 x 2 m space. I had a computer and guest slippers. I managed to fit my backpack in, and used my coat on top of the small pillow they provided. I couldn’t completely stretch out, a little too short for me, but the mat was comfortable and it was warm. The coughing, shuffling sounds were a bit distracting, but I felt there was barely any light. I draped my scarf over my head to block out some of the smoke, but I’ve definitely been in smokier situations (coughGermanycough). There were shelves of manga - so many of my favorites!

After checking out, I head off to meet Y at Shinjuku station, the southeast entrance since the place is huge. At this point, I’ve had 2 hours of sleep and my body feels like it’s swimming through air. This is why I’ve never pulled an all-nighter. Y finds me easily enough despite being wrapped up with my hair tucked under a hat. We are both surprised by the number of tourists and people around. Tokyo is quite empty because most Japanese people return home to their families for New Year. It was actually the most pleasant time I’ve had in Tokyo, haha. Her father picks us up at the station nearest to her house.

Both of her parents are elementary school teachers and speak a couple words of English, but Y has to do a bit of translating with her basic English. She warned me that her house was small, but I didn’t really think so. A narrow building with three stories. We put my luggage in the room I was staying in - it also had a loft. The second floor was the main living area. I now understand why Japanese people hang the entryway curtains - to trap heat in a certain area when you don’t have doors. I met her mother who’s the same age as my parents and her older brother who’s the same age as me. She was busy cooking, preparing so many amazing foods for lunch. I also met her dad’s side of the family who was visiting - two cousins, great aunt, grandpa, aunt, and uncle. The one cousin spent a month in Alabama so he introduced himself nicely in English.

I got my basic intro out of the way and quickly picked up the new year’s greeting. So much active listening to all the Japanese. I can still pick up words here and there with the help of context clues. Her uncle even gave me otoshidama - new year’s money that’s supposed to be for kids. So sweet. Y explained some of the traditional new year’s food to me, osechi: fish cakes, mashed sweet potato with chestnut that’s supposed to bring wealth, black soybeans - health, and anchovies - abundant harvest. I didn’t eat too much, still worried about my stomach issues, but it was all delicious. Post-lunch, the younger folks played jenga and some card games. They taught me a Japanese game and I taught them spoons.

We all went outside to send them off in the afternoon. It was about 3 pm and I headed upstairs for a 2 hour nap. I crashed hard on the warm and comfy futon. Woke up groggy, but in better condition than before. After my nap, we planned to go to a sentou - a really nice modern one. Y and her parents came with. They treated me to the bath and to dinner afterward. I felt so included. Unbelievably kind. It’s the first sentou I’ve been that had a big, mixed gender pool where you wore swimsuits. Y and I rented them. I had to guess my size, 3L! It actually fit decently well length wise, if a bit big width wise. They were the traditional school bathing suits that I’ve seen in manga/anime. Once in our swimsuits, you still rinsed off in showers - like in the US - before getting in the pool. There were different spots with massagers - neck, back, leg - and an area to walk in, practicing water aerobics. There were two outdoor baths and a sauna as well. By far the largest sentou I’ve been to. One of the outdoor baths was mineral based and had a brown, yellow color to it.

Afterward, we stripped off the bathing suits and spun the water out in a machine before placing them in a plastic bag. We then did the traditional sentou stuff and baths. These ones were much hotter. Again, we went outside and even sat in the individual old style bathtub ones. My skin felt amazing and I was all warm and cozy. I love this part of Japanese culture. We got dressed in the outfits they provided and went up a floor to get dinner. I didn’t eat much, just some fries and salad, but also got to try nabe - hot pot - for the first time! It was kimichi nabe so a bit spicy. Then we got soft ice cream for dessert, matcha and vanilla flavor. The matcha was okay, but the vanilla really good. Much better flavor than US soft ice cream. Then back to her place and bed!