I woke up on the plane and had some breakfast.  I then fell asleep again.  I was pretty out of it, after the long night Sunday night, long day Monday, and the sleeping tablet!  I was awake again before arriving at Narita though.

Once off the plane I went through immigration.  I had a bit of fun there, as I had written down my Australian phone number (with the leading +61).  They weren’t happy that they could contact me on it so wanted a Japanese phone number.  I managed to find my Japanese mobile, turn it on, and look up Kaoru’s number.  I had to tell them it was my girlfriend’s number.  They asked me….wait for it…”Have you ever seen her?”  Sheesh, a look through my file would show this is my 4th trip in 12 months – you’d think that would account for *something*.

Kaoru was waiting for me at the airport.  We caught the train (green car, so reserved seating) to Fujisawa.  I fell asleep on the train a couple of times – the last couple of days were catching up.  But eventually we arrived at the station.  Fujisawa feels like home – everything looks so familiar, even though it had been 5 months.  I started by going to the bank to get some money out.  Then we went to the house.

Kaoru has a bed now!  So no more rolling the futon out and making it each night, and then rolling it up each morning.  Or walking around it while it’s out.  There’s less space in the room, but it’s a good use.  The desk was sitting there, waiting for me to set up my “office” on.

And then I didn’t do much other than work, so expect a big gap in my blogging…

We woke up about 630 and looked out the window at the lake.  I was surprised to not see a mist on the water.  After a shower we packed our bags, putting most of our stuff in my backpack, and packing a day pack in Kaoru’s.  We went down for an 800 breakfast, which was a typical Japanese breakfast.  After cleaning our teeth we checked out in time to catch an 845 bus.

At the depot we put my backpack ina locker (we had a plan…read on to see it unfold) and walked for about 5 minutes to the Kegon Falls, which were very impressive.  We had a quick look around and then had to rush back to the bus stop to go the opposite direction for todays hike.  We got off at the Ryuzu Falls, which weren’t as impressive, but we hiked up to the top of them, getting a few photos along the way.

Across the highway at the top, we continued our walk, through a gate.  This warned us of a recent (last month) bear attack on a human in this area.  If you survive the earthquakes, you still have wild bears to contend with over here!  And they call Australia dangerous!

As we progressed along the waters edge, we were amused by dragging our feet through the “shimo” – all I could call these are ice worms, although the dictionary translates it to ice needles or frost columns.  From the water in the ground expanding as it chills, it comes out in thin needles of ice which stick up vertically, or across horizontally, or anything in between.

More walking had us on a boardwalk that weaved its way through the valley.  There were several people doing the walk with a tripod and camera – I was glad to just be carrying Kaoru’s light backpack with minimum food and drink in it.  The day was very cold – I had my hoodie on to keep my head warm, as well as a couple of long sleeved T’s and a jacket, however the day was sunny and my sunglasses were on all day.

We eventually got to the Yunotaki Falls, which were the most impressive.  Until we found our next waypoint involved us following the steep path up them!  My knee was starting to get quite bad again but we had come this far, so there was no turning back now!  We took it easy and by the time we were at the top, my jacket and hoodie were unzipped at the front.  The next sign we saw gave us 2 options – a 30 minute or 40 minute walk to the Onsen.  We took the shorter one through the flowers and trees, instead of the long one throughh the forest.  It was a lovely walk around the lake, which is the primary water source for all of the waterfalls we had seen.  However at areas there was a very strong sulphur smell which was quite potent.

Finally we reached the end of our 8km hike, at the Yumoto Onsen.  There we were relieved to find the free area to soak our feet in the natural hot spring water.  Apart from the smell, it how cold your legs were where your pants were pulled up, the soaking was delightful!  We dried our feet and put our shoes back on, in time to catch the bus.

En-route back to Nikko, the bus had a 5 minute stop at the depot.  Kaoru ran out and grabbed my backpack from the locker.  I was thankful for the earlier suggestion from our hotel to do this.  The extra weight to carry would have been a struggle, especially up some of the hills.

We got off the bus and went back to the Futurasan Shrine, which was open at this time.  We walked around for 20 minutes or so and prayed in there, before making our way back to the train station.

We had about 90 minutes to kill so had a very late lunch, and a hot drink, across the road from the station.  We bought a couple of Bento boxes for the 3 hour train trip home, and boarded the train.  This train was very comfortable (we had paid a little extra for it).  We could see the “budget” train on the platform next to us – people were standing on it, it was so full.  Our car was almost full as we pulled out, and within 3 stops, it had picked up all of its passengers and was chockers (I expect the whole train was).  There was plenty of leg room (not quite as much as the Shinkansen, but not far off it) and we could walk around easily.

We ate the Bento boxes on the train.  The one I had bought had an egg.  Kaoru decided she would have it, however when she attempted to crack it open, we found it wasn’t hard boiled!  So we both had egg over us (and the seat), which has been the source of humour for us for quite some time to come (everybody can feel free to make egg jokes at Kaoru when you see her).  Of course, neither of us can understand why you would buy a Bento box, at a train station, obviously to take on a train, and it would come with a raw egg, and nothing to crack it on / with.  But that’s beside the point…

The train took us right to Ofuna, so we just had to change platforms and go one stop to Fujisawa to get home.  We had to go to Mister Donut for 100 yen donuts as Kaoru was still upset about the egg incident.  A visit to the shops for some breakfast and we were back, quite exhausted but happily relaxed from a great weekend.

Kaoru was up early as usual and went for a bath.  I dozed for a while and made my way to the main house about 730 for breakfast.  After an “ohaio gozaiemasu” and green tea we went in for a typical Japanese breakfast.  Sausages, sweet omlette sytle eggs, tomato, rice, some leftovers from last night, pickled vegetables…and an Orange Juice for me.

After eating we went back to our room to tidy up and pack.  Kaoru’s Dad then took me outside to show me his wood splitter.  We took some photos and got in the car for the train station.  It was a beautiful drive through the hills and the air was warming up as we got lower in altitude.  We got to the train station with aout 3 minutes to spare so no time for a proper farewell.  We were getting on at the start of the line so the train was waiting for us, and there were plenty of seats.

45 minutes later we arrived in Utsunomiya, where we changed trains for Nikko.  We had about a 10 minute wait before it departed, so our timing was perfect.  We arrived at Nikko about 1230.  Going through the ticket machine, I found my Suica card was 90 yen (less than $1) short (for a $20 trip).  So I had to wait in the fare adjustment line before getting out of the station.

Kaoru had planned on us buying a 2 day bus pass so we went to that line.  We noticed the train home tonight was full.  We weren’t leaving until tomorrow, but in case that train was full as well, we decided to get our tickets while we were here.  We came across a slight problem – they don’t accept credit card.  And I had planned to use plastic as I was out of money and the banks were closed.  Luckily Kaoru had enough cash on her, but it was a good lesson to learn.  Buying the tickets now was a good call in the end, as we were to find out the train will be full tomorrow!  So with everything sorted, we were ready to go sight seeing!

Nikko was very busy, and the cars (and buses) weren’t moving.  We decided to walk instead, which took us about 30 minutes.  We looked at cars along the way, and at the point we would have gotten off the bus, we were already a good 15 minutes ahead of it.

We crossed the road and started up the steps to the temples and shrines.  There was a lot of maintenance being performed so some of the structures were covered.  But we were able to pay our entrance fee and see the 3 wise monkeys and other carvings in structures.  We paid our entrance fee and climbed the steps to enter the main temple.  We then saw a line, and being Japanese, we had to join it.  It was to go up 200 steps to another area, which we thought “why not”?  We weren’t expecting to be taking the steps 1 by 1 for the next hour!  This was ridiculous.  It was made even worse by the fact that the top didn’t really have anything worth seeing.  We started the long walk back down the steps.

At the bottom there was another line to join.  We had to take our shoes off so this must be a temple.  The line was stationary for a long time, but eventually moved quite well.  Then it slowed and stopped again.  We concluded that it must be a group praying room, and luckily we were in the next group because I don’t know how much more standing around I could put up with!

A bit more walking and we found a short line.  This was for the Nakiryu – the crying of the dragon.  We were taken in to a room where it was explained the acoustics were such that a sound in the right place will echo, making the sound of the dragon crying.  This was demonstrated a few times to us.  We then moved on.

It was starting to get late, but there was one more place Kaoru wanted us to go to.  Futarasan Shrine is a place for couples to go to, to help fate tie their relationship together.  Unfortunatelly it was starting to get late, and it was closing, so we put it on the “tomorrow” list, and made our way to the bus stop.

About 30 minutes on the bus took us to the end of the line.  Our hotel was another 3 stops away, but the next bus going that way was about 50 minutes away, so we opted for walking it.  What we hadn’t planned on was for the (what felt like) sub zero temperature!  We had to walk next to the lake, which didn’t help things.  It took us about 25 minutes and we were relieved to arrive in a warm room to defrost.  We were told it was 3 degrees outside, but I’d argue it was colder.

Up in our room, I decided to enjoy the Japanese lifestyle and have a bath before dinner.  It had notjing on my one the previous day – I couldn’t even stretch out!  But it was nice to be warm again, and the beer went down very well.  I was starting to think of getting out when the room began to shake.  “Great”, I thought.  The place is going to collapse in an earthquake and I’m going to be stark naked in the freezing cold!  Once it stopped (about 30 seconds) I got out and asked Kaoru about it.  She was watching the TV and finding out about it.  It was a level 2 where we were, but a level 4 back at Fujisawa, so if we were at home, we may have been sheltering under the desk and table.  The footage from a camera on a bridge in Yokohama was shown, which exhibited a violent shake for a few seconds.

I got dressed and we went down to dinner.  It was included in our room price, but served at 630 so we couldn’t be late.  It was a nice meal, and good atmosphere.  Once we finished we returned to our room and watched some TV while I worked on my blog.  Kaoru had a bath while I enjoyed another beer, and looked out the window at the lake.  We eventually called it a night, knowing we had a long day ahead of us.

What a long day.  My alarm went off at 530 and Kaoru was already up getting things ready.  I had a shower and breakfast, and we were out the door just before 630.  On the way to the train station there was a sprinkle of rain but not enough to warrant getting the umbrella out.  Nobody told the locals that though!

We waited about 5 minutes for our train to arrive.  Once seated it wasn’t too long before we fell back asleep, so the trip to Shinjuku didn’t seem that long.  We walked to the bus station which took about 10 minutes, and had a hot drink while waiting for our bus to arrive.  We pulled out of the station about 1020.

Another sleep passed the time, as well as some eating and Hirigana and Katakana practice.  We arrived in Shinasu about 1220, and were feeling peckish, so had soba noodles.  We then caught a taxi to Kaorus parents second house.  We sat down for some green tea and a “chat” (which basically means Kaoru practiced interpreting).  We were then taken to our “room”, which was the guest cottage.  This was just amazing.  We walked outside, along the garden path, to the building that was only about 5 years old.  It had a strong pine smell to it, but I don’t think there are words to describe it!  So I’ll just use the word “Japanese”.

Kaoru and I went for a walk while her parents went for a drive.  We ended up at a farm, which was fun.  There was everything you could imagine, from horse rides to “rent a rabbit” that you put on a leash and could walk around with.  You could catch a fish, put a skewer through it, and cook it on the fire.  It was awesome.

Another 30 minute walk got us home and we had a tea and more talking.  Kaoru’s Dad wanted me to have a “Japanese style” bath.  So Kaoru showed me where it was and instructed me on its use.  The best way to describe it would be like a spa but rock tiles construction.  The water level was flush with the top and I was told part of the luxury is getting in and letting the water overflow as your body disperses it.  It was very relaxing and after the sitting and long walk, just what I needed.

I was out around 530, which is about dinner time at the Kodama house.  WHAT A FEAST!!!  Tuna Sashima, Wagu beef, rice, salad, a japanese sweet potato, some beer, scallops, salad…the meat was cooked on a hot plate at the table and as soon as I took something off my plate, it was replaced with something else.  Kaoru’s parents were very impressed with my use of chopsticks.  Apparently Japanese people these days don’t use them properly.  My years of practice were recognized and earnt some good brownie points 🙂

After dinner it was Kaoru’s turn to have a bath.  Instead of going to our room though, I stayed and dried dishes and attempted to chat to her parents without her.  We managed to laugh a few times – hopefully at the same thing!  Given her father speaks no English, they made a great effort to make me feel welcome.  Once Kaoru was out of the bath she joined us, and I was invited to come back whenever I want – especially in the Spring time which is his favourite time of year out there.  And I was told to bring friends and family, and there’s a golf course nearby, and it’s in the mountains, so you’ll love it, Dad!!!

We then went to our room and made up our bed.  We watched Iron Chef in Japanese and it occurred to me that the commentators job realy isn’t necessary, as the show was enjoyable not understanding a word of it!  We eventually went to bed after a very long day.