Shortcuts through rice fields: December 2011

Ok, ok, so I was going to make you wait until next week or so for a post about Korea, but I thought this could be fun to share. Mostly I want everyone to feel bad for me in this ridiculously snowy area.

Friday...it sorta blizzards on and off all day. I drove to Iiyama station because we were going to Tokyo. Parked at the station and went to warm and wonderful Tokyo.

Sunday... came back. TO THIS:

I know, it does not look like much in the sorta of crappy cell-phone-camera-with-no-flash-in-the-dark picture, but trust me, this was a disaster. It took about 20 minutes to clear it, and this was some dense snow.

Thankfully I was able to park on the paved side of the station that has the "magic water" as I like to call it. Mainly, the ground has like sprinklers of sorts built in and when it snows, they spray water and melt the snow. I had to drive Crystal home once to get a shovel, and then we came back and dug out her car which was parked on the other side of the station. No magic water.

So a few weeks ago (in November...) I went with my teachers to Yamanashi Prefecture. Deciding whether or not to go was really hard because the AJET thanksgiving dinner (WITH TURKEY) was the same day. I missed the Thanksgiving last year, too for the same reason, so this year I waited until the very last minute to decide and I went with the logic that I will have many many many years to eat turkey in America, but this was my only chance to go on a trip with this particular group of teachers, thus, I went with the teachers. long sentence!!!

Our day started at 7:30 when the bus came and picked us up. Actually, we could request where we wanted to be picked up, so it picked some teachers up at school, then came to where I live and picked three of us up, and proceeded from there. We had some slight delays getting on the highway (freeway? expressway? there is a toll...so call it what you will.) because of an accident but then we were finally on our way to Yamanashi. Yamanashi is the prefecture next to Nagano and it is full of mountains!! The kanji for Yamanashi are 山 (mountain) and 梨 (pear) so... I did not see any pears.

I DID SEE MOUNT FUJI though! Finally. Reason number one I am glad I went. Two years and this was my first proper sighting of Mount Fuji. Though I am sure after I climb it next year, I will never want to see it again.

When we got there, we first went on a bit of a walk so we could admire the "changing fall colors" Japanese actually has a special word for that, whereas English does not. Seeing the fall colors is reason two I am glad I went. Every year, Iiyama goes from green to brown in a week. It's not beautiful at all! I don't know why people here brag about fall...they got nothing. However, the place we went, we were a little late but even so, it was really pretty! There was a nice path and a river and mountains and lots of colors. I was happy.

Our walk led us to a restaurant where we first took a group picture and then went in to eat. It was good. Japanese food is good. All of it (almost).

After lunch, we went to a winery. Due to some planning difficulties (read: stupid teachers who don't know how to plan...), we only had about 30 minutes at the winery, but it was enough to taste a few, buy some souvenirs and get back on the bus.

And last, we went up up up a mountain to an amazing onsen (that's natural hot spring...yeah the kind where you go in naked.) I am so used to onsen now that it is just fun and relaxing. You would think going with coworkers would be awkward like whoa, but it's not at all. It was nice and we had an amazing view of the valley from the bath. Again, planning issues meant only 40 minutes total, which was a challenge since I can spend 40 minutes in the shower...er....

Anyway, some pictures for you to enjoy.

Next update...KOREA!