Fuji-san

What an amazing trip to Mt. Fuji we had. We went with MWR (Moral, Welfare and Recreation Office). We rode a big chartered tour bus with people from base. Our tour started at the Fuji Peace Park. This was indeed a very peaceful place and we were blessed with the most spectacular day and view of the mountain.



After the Peace park we headed to an area called Oshina which is known for the 8 small ponds with fresh spring water from the mountain. The girls are trying to keep their hands in the water for 30 seconds. It is very, very cold.


Here I am filling up our water bottles with this crystal clear pure water. There were ponds with Koi fish and the girls enjoyed feeding them. They did that while I went into the many little shops in the area searching for new and interesting food.

Next on our trip was the Seiko Bat Caves. These are caves made from lava. It was very cold down there and most of the way we had to bend over to walk.


They had on display bat eggs which I found a little disturbing.

We had a full day exploring the area and would not have seen half of what we saw if we didn't go with our outstanding Japanese tour guide. The only glitch in the day was the 5 hour bus ride home. It took us just 1 1/2 hours to get there, but seems we were heading home with the rest of Tokyo that evening. We were just thankful that we were not driving and that we had a toilet on the bus.

Odawara Castle

The Odawara Castle, from the Edo period, is located in the city of Odawara. It is a beautiful castle although the girls were a little disappointed at how unlike Cinderella's Castle it looked like. There is a museam inside and on the top floor you can go outside and have a spectacular view of the surrounding areas.


Right outside the castle was a stand where you could rent costumes to take pictures in. The girls felt very sillyand we had to bribe Allie to come outside for the picture. Chad refused to dress up in the samari one.

Strange, although very Japanese...there was an elephant right outside in this concrete area. I liked how he lifted his leg for the picture.

Thanksgiving Performances

Both Lauren and Allie had Thanksgiving performances that they did with their classes. They also both had feasts with all the yummy fixings that come with Thanksgiving.

Here Lauren (way in the back) and her class are reciting the turkey poem.

This is Allie with her preschool teachers Ms. Nabue (on the right) and Ms. Denise (on the left).

Here she is singing Under the Spreading Chestnut Tree (O key na ku lee nor) in Japanese. Thanks for teaching that Ms. Nabue.

Monkeys in a Tree

Lauren and her friend Anna

Ornament Making

Last week we got together with the Japanese Spouses from base to make ornaments for a Friendship Christmas Tree that will be in the Officer's Club. Let me just say that they had so much patience with us teaching all the Americans to make oragami balls. I was so proud when I was actually able to put the pieces together to form the ball.


After making the ornaments they brought homemade sushi for us to eat for lunch. The food was amazing, but the friendships we are forming with these ladies is what will be unforgettable.

Mt. Fuji

This is a shot of Mt. Fuji from earlier this week. It is a grand sight to see. Since we moved here in August we have only seen it three times. I can't wait for Chad and I to hike it next summer!

Kodomo nu Kuni (Children's Land)

With today being Veteran's Day and the preschool and Elementary school being closed, we thought it would be a great day to go on an adventure. We convinced some other families to come out and explore this place called Kodomo nu Kuni or translated...Children's Land. It is this amazing huge park that is filled with many fun, uniquely Japanese things. We started our walk around the park and stumbled upon this Peddle Roller Coaster. There were litterly bicycle pedels in it and we "rode" around the track. It actually got going pretty fast and was so much fun.

There was a huge group of school age kids here running as if for PE or something. I have to say they LOVED us. We got lots of hugs, waves and screams from them as they passed by.

Also within the park is a real dairy farm and petting farm. You can buy homemade icecream, fresh milk, etc. This was one of the cows we saw relaxing.

Lauren and Allie taking a break from petting the sheep.

They had pony rides.

Laure is here hiding her disappointment with riding the pony instead of the horse.

Situated around the park are many different playgrounds. Japanese playgrounds always have the coolest play structures.


This was my favorite slide to slide down. I got going really, really fast.

The Longest Slide Ever....

Many of my girlfriends described a park to me that had a really cool slide at it. I had no idea that it was going to be this cool. The girls were in heaven. They must have gone down the slide and run up the hill 100 times. Nana and I sat at the bottom and enjoyed a yummy picnic lunch.


Here comes Lauren down it.


And now here is Allie.

After the girls ate their lunch we went exploring around the rest of the park. There were great trails to walk and loads of stairs to climb. We found a wonderful Koi pond that had rocks that you could climb across.