That's correct. I had the wonderful opportunity two weeks ago to go to Karuizawa, where, among other amazing things, there is an outlet mall! Karuizawa is on the Eastern border of Nagano prefecture and its a pretty nice area. Lots of money, (rich people have second homes there for summer use) and I guess its a big tourist place, though during the whole day there, Kim and I only saw 5 and a half gaijin. I think perhaps by tourist place they mean lots of Japanese people go there as a destination. We did start a new game, however. (Sarah, you're gonna love it!) It's like punchbuggy, only with gaijin instead of VW Beetles. If you are in Japan and you see a foreigner, you can punch all your friends!
ANYway, besides shopping, we went to see this really amazing waterfall. If you look at the picture, you may be wondering, "Hey! Where is the water coming from, anyway?" Well, seeing as I read the sign posted next to the waterfall, I can tell you! The water is from the rainfall that falls on Mount Asama (which is still an active volcano, btw). The water takes about 6 years to come out at the top of the waterfall. Also, due to volcanic activity, the water is warmer and thus never dries out or freezes, even in the winter.
Fun fact about Karuizawa: it is the only city in the world that has hosted both summer and winter Olympic events (equestrian in 1964 and curling in 1998) How about that?
Karuizawa is only a shinkansen ride away, so there is a good chance I will be visiting again, especially if I find myself in need of more winter clothes. Considering I already need to wear leggings under my pants because it gets so cold at school, I will probably need more winter clothes! However, I have heard that once they start using the heaters (or, as they call them, stoves) that only the hallways will be cold, and all the classrooms will be hot, so I might be able to handle that. Layers will be the way to go, I think. Its interesting because people here are like "oh is it this cold in America?!" and I'm like, "parts of America are this cold, or colder, BUT we have heat inside, so its not a big deal." The cold would be fine here if it were escapable (not a word, I dont think, but I am using it anyway), but you go from cold outside to cold inside, so you are just always cold! There is no escape!
That is my rant for the day.
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