September 2013

September was a very busy month for us! We had something going on each weekend which made the month seem to fly by.

First was Labor Day weekend for which we went back to Oshima Island with the same crowd as last year. This year we spent 2 nights instead of just one. We would have stayed 3 nights but September 1 (the Sunday of Labor Day weekend) was the last day of the season to rent cabins. (The Japanese think summer ends September 1?! If only the weather complied with that.) There was also a typhoon that hit Friday night and stayed all of Friday. This meant rain and lots of it plus extreme waves. Our beach vacation was once again spoiled by the rain. We had a good time nonetheless.

 The last 4 km or so of the drive to the cabin. REALLY curvy!

 

I had found this Super Kawaii floatie at Nafco and was really anxious to use it. Just because Hello Kitty.

So Saturday we made one attempt to go swimming but at the time it was pouring and the waves were huge, strong, and full of rocks, sand and seaweed so it was not pleasant to even try getting into the water. The first time I tried, I got knocked on my butt.

So we spent Saturday in the cabin. By Sunday, the rain had stopped and the sea had calmed. It was still raining- and just a tad chilly without the sun- but I was going to use my new innertube, gosh darn it! So like true Minnesotans, we swam.

 The storm had washed in lots of great shells and beach glass for the collecting.

 All too soon it was time to check out of the cabin. On the way home, we all stopped for lunch as this terrific sushi restaurant. The fish tanks out back were filled with what was on the menu = super fresh sushi! It was almost too fresh in that it was practically still moving... (see the videos)

 Octopus tentacle- we finally gathered up enough courage to try one. It was surprisingly good! (Tastes like chicken, I suppose.)

 Fish tanks out back.

 Nick's parking job: when we arrived, it was the only place to park. By the time we left, it looks like he parked in the middle of the driveway.

We laid low the following weekend but the weekend after that, Nick went on a Boys' Trip to Tokyo and Mt. Fuji. He did not take a camera with him so I have no pictures from it. There was another typhoon so he was unable to make it to the top yet again and they went to a really wacky Robot Show. This just means Round 3 of Fuji next summer and he'll have to take me to the Robot Show so I can post pictures here! Stay tuned for that!

 Oh, saw this van at the grocery store. 

I think September is a little early to get your skis ready, especially considering it was still 90*F and humid during the day!

The weekend after that we had more visitors!! Yay! Brittany and Sara (stars from the Seoul trip and Thailand adventure) came to stay with us for 4 days!

They arrived Wednesday night. Thursday Nick and I still had to work so they explored Hiroshima on their own. When they got back, we had an early "Korean Italian Thanksgiving in Japan." (Brittany and Sara were on break for Chuseok, aka Korean Thanksgiving.) 

That night was the Summer Solstice/Harvest Moon celebration- the largest and brightest full moon of the year. There was a celebration taking place at the Iwakuni Castle so we headed to Kikko park by night to check it out.

 Iwakuni at night

Nick took the day off on Friday and showed the girls Miyajima.

The next day they had fun combing through the convenience store on base for a few American products they missed in Korea. Afterwards, we went back to Kikko Park to see it by day. We, of course, got ice cream!

It was really quite hot in the sun so we then headed to Yuu Beach for a dip in the Inland Sea. That was followed by dinner at the Sushi-go-round.

Then, we took them to YouMe town (a mall) for fun at the arcade. We showed them our favorites: the photobooth and Taiko drum game!

 Too funny!!!!

Sadly, they had an early flight the next morning. Their trip was short, sweet, and jam packed! They plan to come back to Japan to see the rest of the sites- namely Tokyo and Kyoto.

For the last weekend in September we went to Okayama and Naoshima but I took enough pictures for it to merit it's own post. See my subsequent post for the story of that trip!

The happiest cat finds the cleanest sheets to sleep on. 

Time warp...oops/Oshima Island

Whoa. Sorry for the blogging hiatus there, people! I am going to blame it on how boring Nick and I have been. Also, I had a brief jog back to the States for my sister's wedding and then as soon as I got back I started a new job (I got the school nurse position- woot, woot!) and man, that was a rough transition. I went from total and complete no-responsibility mode to having to actually use my brain again! The first 3 days I worked full time and I came home absolutely brain dead. When school started the following Monday, I went to half time but I was still getting used to actually having to care for others again.

Excuses, excuses right? But I'm back with tales of Labor Day weekend!

Last weekend was Labor day weekend and Nick and I went to Oshima Island, a smallish island like a 2 hour drive away. (It is the A on the map from Google.)

We rented a cabin at a resort there with 2 other couples (one of whom has a 7 year old kid) from Sunday-Monday. It was really fun! It was so interesting to stay at a Japanese style resort because you just expect it to have, like, American style cabins because that's what you're used to but nope! Japanese style! (Ours is the red roof farther up the hill.)

You can't really tell in the photo but it was teeny! It was 2 1/4 stories- (the top 1 1/4 being lofts). The first floor had a single open room about the size of a small living room, that had a kitchenette complete with a one-burner stove, sink, mini-fridge and some counter space; the TINIEST bathroom you have ever seen; a super small fireplace; and 2 couches and a coffee table (well what we think of as a coffee table but was really just a Japanese style dining room table). The bathroom was so ridiculously small that the toilet was at an angle so your legs would still fit between the wall and the toilet when you were sitting down, the shower faucet was just a hose that you hooked up to the bathroom sink, and the tub was only long enough to sit in with your knees bent up but still had enough of an edge so that you could probably fill it up passed your knees. They are very serious about their bathing I hear.

Half of the upstairs was just an 8-mat tatami loft and there was another loft about 2 feet over and 2 feet up to the side of that one with all the futon mattresses and bedding for 8 people. So it slept 8 people but if this was in America, they would probably only allow 4 people tops to sleep in it. (Fire codes? Pish- who needs those?) I wish I had taken more pictures to show you just how tiny and compact it all was. Very Japanese! But cozy and fun!

There was also a balcony/deck that was lovely to sit out at-until the giant bugs came out! (The view of the resort/beach from out balcony.)

Being an island resort, we spent the majority of the time swimming the Inland Sea and just hanging out on the beach. Since the Japanese obviously didn't have Labor Day Monday off the place was dead except one other cabin of about 6 japanese people. They went swimming too- but just in their clothes! Like jeans and everything haha! It was great weather and a beautiful sunset.

The next day we went to another beach and saw lots of jellyfish washing in! I guess August is when the current is just right so that jellyfish are always in the beaches. (Our friend with a mini jellyfish on a stick.)

(Nick with a giant jelly fish on a stick.)

 

Nick and I underwater- so blue!

And now Nick and I have the travel itch- we realized we really haven't done much since being here up until last weekend and how much time we have wasted! We are starting to plan lots more adventures so stay tuned!
(Although, we might have to wait quite a while to climb Mt. Fuji because I guess it's going to erupt again!! I read here that the pressure inside Fuji-san is rising and it's now 16 times more higher than the last time it erupted! It is so likely that it will erupt in the next 3 years that they are planning for evacuations in 2014!)

Also. there was an earthquake here today (4.6 on the richer scale) but Nick and I still didn't even notice! We really should have because we were talking to our (American) neighbor who lives just a few blocks away and he felt it but Nick and I missed for some reason making us 0/2 for feeling quakes here and making me 0/3 in my life.

What a place to live!