School started in August and somehow it is already November. Amie has all four kids involved with the swim team, so they are always at the pool. A faint hint of chlorine can be smelled in the house from time to time. They are all swimming well. The boys are constantly improving their times. This is Lila's first season and she's fun to watch. During the breast stroke every time she breaks the surface to breath she has a smile on her face. She also is constantly looking to see where the other kids are...competitive much? For only six she's quick!
Amie is teaching three groups of Japanese women and is really enjoying it. One of the women she helps isn't so much teaching her English but helping her translate English to Japanese for TV shows and movies. Two of the major projects she's worked on are Disney's Phineas and Ferb, and the newest movie Big Hero Six. She's spent the last couple of months helping with the translation, so she was able to read the story line and see parts of the movie. We went and saw the movie as a family this weekend, it was awesome. What really makes the movie special for Amie is that the story is based on a Japanese Marvel Comic so there are a lot of Japanese references in the movie. For Amie to say she helped with the movie while she was living in Japan is something she'll always have to remember. Very cool.
What have I done? Besides work? I had to make a trip to the US Embassy in Tokyo. It was a simple matter of renewing my Passport. I thought is was going to be cool, not sure why but I was excited. Well it was somewhat of a let down. They were very helpful but it wasn't anything special. There wasn't a Marine guarding the gate (that I could see) or anything like that, the grounds looked like just another office building. The idea of running up to the gate to the safety of the US Embassy just isn't going to happen like in the movies. Not that I anticipated getting into some kind of trouble or needing to run up to the gate, I realize Japan is low threat, but you're not getting into the Embassy unless you've made an appointment on-line 3 weeks prior. Lame!
Heck, there was more excitement when I got into a car accident in Tokyo. You haven't lived until you've experienced a car accident in another country. To clarify, car accident is a bit extreme, it was a fender bender. Really it was just me backing our car into a parked car. I dented his fender, my car had zero damage. We were in the parking lot of Saint Mary's International School after the kids had a swim meet. It was dark, raining, and somehow we had picked up two extra kids. As I pulled out of my spot in the traditionally small Japanese parking lot I bumped into the other car.
The owner of the other car wasn't even there. The first thing they tell you at the Area Orientation Brief is to call US security if there is an accident. So we did and we called the police and we started looking for the owner. I am very thankful of the St Mary's assistant coach who hung around in order to translate. The owner finally arrived and he was actually the Founder of the school and a Monk/Brother and he was French Canadian to boot. So now we have Japanese Police (no English), our swim coach translator, a Monk with a thick accent (but still spoke Japanese and English) and yours truly. I provided zero to the situation. I figured my work was done, I hit his car and started this process, it was probably best if I just looked sorry and kept quiet. In the end, it went very smoothly (not surprisingly). We exchanged information and the insurance companies had it all sorted out within a week! The one English phrase the police used when he was trying to determine where on my car I hit the other car was "Where is point of attack!" Gotta love it out here. Even as the dummy that hit the other car, everyone was extremely helpful.
Monday, November 10, 2014
Friday, July 11, 2014
Summer in Japan...it's a hot heat
If you leave the United States to live in another country for a period of time, at some point you are no longer a tourist but just another average guy trying to get through the days. Living here at Yokosuka can easily become Groundhog day...wake up, go to work, go to the gym, go back to work, go home, help with dinner, clean the dishes, watch TV, go to bed. Sometimes we get excited and take a walk around the base. The point is, not everyday is a trip to a temple/shrine or some kind of site-seeing adventure. Now that it is summer the kids are out and about, hangin' with friends, hitting the pool, exploring off base. They still usually make it home for dinner, actually 3 out of 4 usually make it home for dinner. All is good.
Japan is a nation of strict adherence to the rules; only cross the street when sign says so, cue up in line when you are required. Even the weather follows the rules. If it is Spring according to the calendar then the weather reflects that to a T, rain showers, temperatures rising, generally nice days. The problem is much like Games of Thrones...only instead of Winter, Summer is coming. According to the Farmer's Almanac, in the Northern Hemisphere, June 21st at 6:51 AM EDT, summer will arrive. Why 6:51? No idea, but summer has arrived.
I know what you are saying, "Oh it get's Hot and Humid in the States too", and I was inclined to agree with you. We just left Pace Florida, it got hot and humid pretty good. Last year on June 21st I actually saw the sun move closer to us. It was easily 15 feet away from my head. I kept saying this was just like Florida, I had remembered those hot and humid days, but then I finally remembered those hot days were me walking on the flight line with all my flight gear on. Here in Japan its like that with just shorts on. (We also had our pool in our back yard in FL.) They have some nice pools here but its not the same when you have to share a pool with everyone else on base. Far too many kids. By the way, if I could go back in time, i'd find the person who said for the first time "Hey, let's play Marco Polo" and drowned them!
Now, I'm not complaining about the weather because its hot. There is no helping that. I only bring it up because after a certain amount of time in the heat, kids want to come inside to play or watch TV. As it gets hotter, the time outside gets shorter. So sometime after breakfast, maybe 15 minutes later the calls of "Can we come inside?" start to echo through the halls from the front door. There is typically two problems with this, one the kids leave the door open so the AC is immediately negated, and the other is that somehow they have rounded up 5 or 6 of their friends. Amie is a saint, she loves having tons of kids around. Me on the other hand, well if I know the kids I don't mind...but I don't even recognize many of these kids. It actually isn't that bad, they are usually gone by the time i get home from work because all the mom's are calling the kids home for dinner. We'll see how it goes with the weekends as summer progresses and the sun continues to move closer to the surface of the Earth!
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Bali for Spring Break!
The strangest thing happened in between our trip to Phuket and Bali. The older boys were adamant about not being pulled out of school because they said it was too hard to get caught back up. After a teacher conference or two, I realized who the boys were dealing with and sympathized with their request.
So after a cold, windy winter, shortly after our friends left Yokosuka to go back to a sweet flying job (you know who you are), we decided enough was enough, we were going to go big in Bali. We decided to stay at a Club Med because of the activities, Kid's club and off course all inclusive food and booze!
But first the flights…
The Japanese airline ANA is pretty nice. Very clean, very friendly, everyone has their own TV with movies, shows and music. The food is good considering it is airline food. Of course any food is good after a few glasses of wine. The only complaint I had was the seats. They are not the normal tilt back seats. When you hit the little button on the armrest and push back, nothing happens. These seats recline by having the part of the seat you're actually sitting on slide forward. It achieves the same effect as a tilt back and the head rest has those little wing things to stop your head from flopping like a fish, but there is one problem. When your knees are already jammed into the seat in front of you, there is no where for your legs to go when you slide the seat forward. So if you are over, I don't know, 5 foot 8 inches, you are sitting straight up the entire flight! More wine please!
Finally, welcome to Jakarta. It was everything I imagined, minus the chickens running around the terminal. It was hot, humid, and slow! "Oh, 250 people just showed up to pay their Visa charge and go through customs? Yes, one line will be enough." Thank god we had a four hour lay-over. It took us 3 hours just to get through the lines. The airline we flew next was Garuda airlines, the Airlines of Indonesia. It was okay. The over the intercom prayer prior to take-off was interesting. Whatever works. At least my seat reclined.
Welcome to Bali.
Bali was beautiful. Staying at Club Med was awesome. It gave everyone tons of things to do, but also offered some really nice quiet time to chill by the pool or beach. The kids clubs were great, the kids tried archery, cricket, wind-surfing, kayaking, trapeze…all sorts of stuff.
Everyone had a great time. It felt like the day-to-day stresses were gone, no longer confined to a tiny house, dealing with school or work. There were moments of bickering but they seemed to sort themselves out.
We didn't spend the whole time on the resort. We found a driver, name Kadak, who for one day took us around the normal tourist spots of Bali. That's where we saw the volcano, the coffee plantation, the traditional Indonesian dance, and an impressive temple. He was a very nice gentlemen who was very helpful, talking about the sites. It wasn't until after the ride that Amie told me she was asking him a ton of questions to keep him talking so he wouldn't fall asleep. We did impart upon him the wonders of a vending machine. At one point in the conversation I was explaining a Sushi go round. Amie and Harrison thought it was hilarious when I said, "a conveyor belt delivers the sushi, like a Choo-choo train." To my defense Kadak knew exactly what I was talking about.
The best part of the day out in town was the stop at Monkey Park. For what ever reason this park is infested with monkey's (it probably has nothing to do with tourists coming everyday giving them bananas). I won't get into the story of the monkeys that attacked Harrison and Ethan, which took me playing the roll of the great Silver Back to scare off the monkeys and save the boys, but I will tell you that for 2 bucks, you could get about 20 bananas and feed the monkeys. If you held the bananas up in your hand, like the Statue of Liberty, the monkey's would climb up to your shoulder and sit down while eating the banana out of your hand.
While Lila continued to try, until the very bitter end.
So after a cold, windy winter, shortly after our friends left Yokosuka to go back to a sweet flying job (you know who you are), we decided enough was enough, we were going to go big in Bali. We decided to stay at a Club Med because of the activities, Kid's club and off course all inclusive food and booze!
But first the flights…
The Japanese airline ANA is pretty nice. Very clean, very friendly, everyone has their own TV with movies, shows and music. The food is good considering it is airline food. Of course any food is good after a few glasses of wine. The only complaint I had was the seats. They are not the normal tilt back seats. When you hit the little button on the armrest and push back, nothing happens. These seats recline by having the part of the seat you're actually sitting on slide forward. It achieves the same effect as a tilt back and the head rest has those little wing things to stop your head from flopping like a fish, but there is one problem. When your knees are already jammed into the seat in front of you, there is no where for your legs to go when you slide the seat forward. So if you are over, I don't know, 5 foot 8 inches, you are sitting straight up the entire flight! More wine please!
Finally, welcome to Jakarta. It was everything I imagined, minus the chickens running around the terminal. It was hot, humid, and slow! "Oh, 250 people just showed up to pay their Visa charge and go through customs? Yes, one line will be enough." Thank god we had a four hour lay-over. It took us 3 hours just to get through the lines. The airline we flew next was Garuda airlines, the Airlines of Indonesia. It was okay. The over the intercom prayer prior to take-off was interesting. Whatever works. At least my seat reclined.
Welcome to Bali.
 |
| Beautiful view from the Club's private beach |
 |
| Terraced Rice Fields |
 |
| No caption necessary, Right? |
Bali was beautiful. Staying at Club Med was awesome. It gave everyone tons of things to do, but also offered some really nice quiet time to chill by the pool or beach. The kids clubs were great, the kids tried archery, cricket, wind-surfing, kayaking, trapeze…all sorts of stuff.
Everyone had a great time. It felt like the day-to-day stresses were gone, no longer confined to a tiny house, dealing with school or work. There were moments of bickering but they seemed to sort themselves out.
The best part of the day out in town was the stop at Monkey Park. For what ever reason this park is infested with monkey's (it probably has nothing to do with tourists coming everyday giving them bananas). I won't get into the story of the monkeys that attacked Harrison and Ethan, which took me playing the roll of the great Silver Back to scare off the monkeys and save the boys, but I will tell you that for 2 bucks, you could get about 20 bananas and feed the monkeys. If you held the bananas up in your hand, like the Statue of Liberty, the monkey's would climb up to your shoulder and sit down while eating the banana out of your hand.
This didn't work for everyone. Ethan and Liam stopped trying to get the monkey on their shoulder and ended up just chilling with new friends.
While Lila continued to try, until the very bitter end.
Friday, February 21, 2014
Stone Sauna…how relaxing became a feat of strength
So there are many ways to relax in Japan. You can't walk a mile without running into a temple or shrine. Despite the feeling of crowds and tight space sometimes, the temples are very quiet and respectful places. Some go to worship, some go to quietly reflect…some of us go to look around an hope not to bother anyone. That's just what a Japanese local would like…"hey honey, it's a nice sunny day, let's go down to the temple and watch the big American look around trying to be quiet!"
Now one method of relaxation we found is the 'Stone Sauna'. You dress up in what is equivalent to surgical scrubs and go in and out of the sauna. The sauna is not the typical wooden benches surround a heat source. This sauna is a room full of dime sized smooth stones like a beach but not sand, larger stones. The stones supposedly have 'detoxification' qualities. The room is separated into little bed-like areas with little pillows. You lay down on the stones wiggle around to get the proper body (butt) implant into the stones and relax. The stones are heated from below so it is actually very comfortable. There is a small clock on the wall. You lie still for 10 minutes then move out of the sauna to a cooling room. Round 1 complete.
Part of the admission price for a two hours session, they provided towels and a water bottle. When we walked in the first time, they said "No more than 10 minutes". Of course Amie and I thought, "10 minutes…easy!" In a two hour session, at 10 minute intervals, you travel into the sauna 6 times. After the first trip, we were sitting quietly in the cooling room looking at some of the other "relaxers". We thought it was weird that they were breathing heavy and sweating like crazy. I said to Amie, "I didn't think it was that hot."
That is what Karma heard…Karma is a fickle bitch with a twisted sense of humor. Trip 2 and 3 were much like the first, a slow sweat had started and I found myself refilling my water bottle after each trip. The tail end of the third trip I thought I noticed the air much warmer near the ceiling on my way out, as I held the door open for Amie I thought is would be funny if someone had to crawl out because of the heat. (Did you hear that one too Karma…I hate her. Yes Karma is female!)
So trip 4 the clock started to malfunction. After laying on the ground for what was easily 10 minutes I looked up and supposedly only 4 minutes had past. I swear the second hand was moving back one second for every two it went forward. Finally we hit ten minutes. (Side note, for those of you who are wondering, yes we could have left before ten minutes, but that's not what obsessive, competitive people do…we suffer for no real gains other than to be able to say…Yes i did…idiots.) So with this relaxing, session done I tried to get to the exit quickly. Two things happened during this exit that I should have taken as a sign to go a little easier. One, chivalry went out the window…if there was a damn window in this heat box. Amie can get her own damn door. I am a foot taller than her, heat rises so I am getting hit more than she is. The second was my vision of the little Japanese sauna attendant, whose job it was to open the second glass door leading into the cooling room, began to get fuzzy around the edges.
Awwww, the cooling room. Sitting there was awesome! The only problem is I have to keep filling my water bottle. This is a 16 ounce water bottle, I've had to re-fill it 3 times in a ten minute break, how can that be? Oh and now the clock out here is making up for the malfunctioning clock in the hot room. Why are heading back in already? I think I'm starting to see things, swear to god I just saw the "You've entered the Twilight Zone" guy laughing at me. Oh and now somehow I can speak Japanese…as I walk back in the little Japanese sauna attendant with a smile on here face said "Bet you can't make it another 10 minutes fatty!" The hell I can't! 10 minutes, I can do this, I just need to distract myself. I know I'll take my pulse…I don't know why I thought that, remember just two seconds ago I could speak Japanese, now clearly I'm some kind of physician. So my resting heart rate, normally I am proud to say is around 55-60, has jumped to 125! What is going on? I am laying down for god's sake, RELAXING!
Round 5 complete, that's what this has turned into, a damn boxing match. "Mic, I don't think I can make it". "Listen Rock, you're gonna go back in there one last time." I told Amie I think I can go five minutes. She said something like, "if I had a dime every time I heard that!" On our way back in the little sauna attendant, I swear, is outright laughing at me. Yea, it'll be real funny when this big sweaty American comes crashing down on top of you on my way out! Karma!!!!
Okay, one last trip. I told myself, I can do this, just need to find a way to get through this relaxation! Spend extra time sorting out the stones for a perfect bed…dammit, that only killed 30 seconds. So I laid down and clamped my eyes shut. Even SERE school didn't prepare me for this relaxation I paid up front for. In an effort to distract myself, I starting singing Wild Rover, an old Rugby song in my head. At least I thought is was in my head, Amie swore she heard someone speaking in tongues, can't be sure it wasn't me. Anyways, two renditions of the song and we've killed 7 minutes, one more song and we're out. After the last song, ironically finishing on the last second, I stagger my way to the door. I think the little attendant saw the possible disaster heading her way, and nimbly moved out of the way, "was she still laughing?"
We definitely took our time in the cooling room, showering up and walking home. Nothing says relaxing better than a self-induced, out of body experience!
Now one method of relaxation we found is the 'Stone Sauna'. You dress up in what is equivalent to surgical scrubs and go in and out of the sauna. The sauna is not the typical wooden benches surround a heat source. This sauna is a room full of dime sized smooth stones like a beach but not sand, larger stones. The stones supposedly have 'detoxification' qualities. The room is separated into little bed-like areas with little pillows. You lay down on the stones wiggle around to get the proper body (butt) implant into the stones and relax. The stones are heated from below so it is actually very comfortable. There is a small clock on the wall. You lie still for 10 minutes then move out of the sauna to a cooling room. Round 1 complete.
Part of the admission price for a two hours session, they provided towels and a water bottle. When we walked in the first time, they said "No more than 10 minutes". Of course Amie and I thought, "10 minutes…easy!" In a two hour session, at 10 minute intervals, you travel into the sauna 6 times. After the first trip, we were sitting quietly in the cooling room looking at some of the other "relaxers". We thought it was weird that they were breathing heavy and sweating like crazy. I said to Amie, "I didn't think it was that hot."
That is what Karma heard…Karma is a fickle bitch with a twisted sense of humor. Trip 2 and 3 were much like the first, a slow sweat had started and I found myself refilling my water bottle after each trip. The tail end of the third trip I thought I noticed the air much warmer near the ceiling on my way out, as I held the door open for Amie I thought is would be funny if someone had to crawl out because of the heat. (Did you hear that one too Karma…I hate her. Yes Karma is female!)
So trip 4 the clock started to malfunction. After laying on the ground for what was easily 10 minutes I looked up and supposedly only 4 minutes had past. I swear the second hand was moving back one second for every two it went forward. Finally we hit ten minutes. (Side note, for those of you who are wondering, yes we could have left before ten minutes, but that's not what obsessive, competitive people do…we suffer for no real gains other than to be able to say…Yes i did…idiots.) So with this relaxing, session done I tried to get to the exit quickly. Two things happened during this exit that I should have taken as a sign to go a little easier. One, chivalry went out the window…if there was a damn window in this heat box. Amie can get her own damn door. I am a foot taller than her, heat rises so I am getting hit more than she is. The second was my vision of the little Japanese sauna attendant, whose job it was to open the second glass door leading into the cooling room, began to get fuzzy around the edges.
Awwww, the cooling room. Sitting there was awesome! The only problem is I have to keep filling my water bottle. This is a 16 ounce water bottle, I've had to re-fill it 3 times in a ten minute break, how can that be? Oh and now the clock out here is making up for the malfunctioning clock in the hot room. Why are heading back in already? I think I'm starting to see things, swear to god I just saw the "You've entered the Twilight Zone" guy laughing at me. Oh and now somehow I can speak Japanese…as I walk back in the little Japanese sauna attendant with a smile on here face said "Bet you can't make it another 10 minutes fatty!" The hell I can't! 10 minutes, I can do this, I just need to distract myself. I know I'll take my pulse…I don't know why I thought that, remember just two seconds ago I could speak Japanese, now clearly I'm some kind of physician. So my resting heart rate, normally I am proud to say is around 55-60, has jumped to 125! What is going on? I am laying down for god's sake, RELAXING!
Round 5 complete, that's what this has turned into, a damn boxing match. "Mic, I don't think I can make it". "Listen Rock, you're gonna go back in there one last time." I told Amie I think I can go five minutes. She said something like, "if I had a dime every time I heard that!" On our way back in the little sauna attendant, I swear, is outright laughing at me. Yea, it'll be real funny when this big sweaty American comes crashing down on top of you on my way out! Karma!!!!
Okay, one last trip. I told myself, I can do this, just need to find a way to get through this relaxation! Spend extra time sorting out the stones for a perfect bed…dammit, that only killed 30 seconds. So I laid down and clamped my eyes shut. Even SERE school didn't prepare me for this relaxation I paid up front for. In an effort to distract myself, I starting singing Wild Rover, an old Rugby song in my head. At least I thought is was in my head, Amie swore she heard someone speaking in tongues, can't be sure it wasn't me. Anyways, two renditions of the song and we've killed 7 minutes, one more song and we're out. After the last song, ironically finishing on the last second, I stagger my way to the door. I think the little attendant saw the possible disaster heading her way, and nimbly moved out of the way, "was she still laughing?"
We definitely took our time in the cooling room, showering up and walking home. Nothing says relaxing better than a self-induced, out of body experience!
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Closing out 2013
Wow…before you know it, 4 months has gone by and I am now writing an end-of-the-year post vice just another up-date! I'd like to give you a list of things that have kept me from writing, but it is mostly my adult ADD, or more commonly known as, "bright shiny object disorder".
BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front, for all my non-military family and friends): School started, Amie became president of the swim team, multiple swim meets, Ethan's soccer, Liam's soccer, flag football and dodgeball, serious consideration of retirement, fortunate series of events to change my mind, trip to Thailand, a trip to Taiwan and the holidays. So in other words…not much going on, I should have written a bunch! Mea Culpa
I'm sure that you are all sick of hearing about Thailand since Amie and I both hit it hard on Facebook. It was an awesome trip, something I won't soon forget. We've got some more big trips planned for the future so stand by to hear about Hawaii or Bali, New Zealand, Singapore, Osaka and Kyoto to name a few!
It's pretty amazing to think that a year ago we were stuck in the lodge suffering from major culture shock and a little bit of regret. We'd just left VT-3, the best tour I've had to date, leaving all our friends and family behind. The simple thought of driving out in town was horrifying! Now, hitting the road is as natural as it is stateside, once you figure out where you are going to park when you get to your destination. Big shout out to Carl and Michelle for getting us on our feet. We wouldn't be able to run now if it was for you guys. I still laugh a little thinking of the first train ride that completely turned me around.
2013 was a crazy hectic year, but it has finished much better than it started. Now that we've got the basics down, living in Japan is great. Look forward to seeing what 2014 has in store!
Here's some of the pictures from our 2013 that sum up our year.
BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front, for all my non-military family and friends): School started, Amie became president of the swim team, multiple swim meets, Ethan's soccer, Liam's soccer, flag football and dodgeball, serious consideration of retirement, fortunate series of events to change my mind, trip to Thailand, a trip to Taiwan and the holidays. So in other words…not much going on, I should have written a bunch! Mea Culpa
I'm sure that you are all sick of hearing about Thailand since Amie and I both hit it hard on Facebook. It was an awesome trip, something I won't soon forget. We've got some more big trips planned for the future so stand by to hear about Hawaii or Bali, New Zealand, Singapore, Osaka and Kyoto to name a few!
It's pretty amazing to think that a year ago we were stuck in the lodge suffering from major culture shock and a little bit of regret. We'd just left VT-3, the best tour I've had to date, leaving all our friends and family behind. The simple thought of driving out in town was horrifying! Now, hitting the road is as natural as it is stateside, once you figure out where you are going to park when you get to your destination. Big shout out to Carl and Michelle for getting us on our feet. We wouldn't be able to run now if it was for you guys. I still laugh a little thinking of the first train ride that completely turned me around.
2013 was a crazy hectic year, but it has finished much better than it started. Now that we've got the basics down, living in Japan is great. Look forward to seeing what 2014 has in store!
Here's some of the pictures from our 2013 that sum up our year.
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Brockzilla Vs. Mt Fuji-san
The Japanese say "A wise man climbs Mount Fuji once, a fool twice!" It is definitely an experience I am happy to have had. Thankfully, I don't see any need to do it again!
The day started at 2:00 am. First off...a huge Thank You to our friend Michelle for staying the night to watch Liam and Lila for us!
 |
| View of Fuji-san from Kawaguchiko 5th Station |
Amie, Harrison, Ethan and I got up and out of the house and were on the road by 2:30. We each had a backpack with water, power bars, extra clothes, sun-screen, winter hats, gloves, Yen, rain gear and of course cameras. Seems like a varied list but we ended up using, or should have used, all of it (forgot to apply sunscreen, which I paid for later!)
From Yokosuka to Fuji is about a 2.5 hour drive, not very scenic in the dark, but the anticipation was more than enough to keep us awake. Mount Fuji towers up to 3,776 meters, approximately 12,338 feet, but starting the climb at the Kawaguchiko Station already puts you at 7,500 feet. The station has a number of shops to buy the climbing sticks, extra gear etc. All reasonably priced...like buying a sandwich in an airport terminal! From station 5 you work your way up through another 4 official stations but there are other little huts along the way. The remaining 5,000 feet or so is stretched over 5-6 km. From one of the travel guide pages...
"The initial stretch through flowery meadows is pleasant enough, but the bulk of the hike is a dreary and interminable slog: the volcanic landscape consists of jagged red rock in varying size from dust to boulder, with the trail zigzagging left and right endlessly, and the hike just gets steeper and steeper as you progress. Actual rock climbing is not required, but you will wish to use your hands at some points for support."
"The initial stretch through flowery meadows is pleasant enough, but the bulk of the hike is a dreary and interminable slog: the volcanic landscape consists of jagged red rock in varying size from dust to boulder, with the trail zigzagging left and right endlessly, and the hike just gets steeper and steeper as you progress. Actual rock climbing is not required, but you will wish to use your hands at some points for support."
Sounds real enticing doesn't it! Maybe if you are the Three Stooges! (Thanks Aunt Betty Ann, perfect caption for this picture!)
Now add in the rain and wind. Rain and wind predictions for Fuji are a lot like predicting afternoon thunderstorms in Florida during the summer. They always say there is a chance, because you just don't know if it will happen. Well for us it didn't turn out to be a chance but an actual occurrence. From about station 6-8 we were walking straight into the rain and wind.
Funny things is, as bad as the wind and rain got, the view was still pretty amazing. You just had to turn around to see anything!
 |
| View behind us as we worked up our way up in the rain and wind. |
Thankfully, the wind and rain let up. The second half of the climb to the top the weather cleared but was also getting colder. Not a great addition to wet clothes.
Despite the rain and wind, we slowly made our way to the top. We were worried about altitude sickness. Leading up to the climb, people had been sharing their experiences (always bad ones) and the MWR safety brief kept harping on the effects of altitude sickness (vomiting, extreme headaches etc). Thankfully, we didn't have a single symptom, except for mild headaches that aspirin took care of. It was easy to get short of breath, but we didn't see any of the really bad stuff we'd heard about. They sold bottles of Oxygen at the stations along the climb. One of our neighbors gave us a bottle before we left. We tried it once on the way up but I don't think it did anything.
The best cure to the effects of altitude, sore feet or general fatigue was the food and beer at the top, the views helped as well. The Ramen that Amie and Ethan had and the Curry that Harrison and I had was probably the best food we've had in Japan to date! The beer was great too!
Of course, i am sure everything tastes better with great views and a sense of accomplishment! I am so very proud of Harrison and Ethan. Harrison had been talking about this climb since we found out we were coming to Japan. Both H and E climbed up the mountain, without a single complaint or doubt of getting to the top!
The ironic part of climbing Mount Fuji is that the hard part is the climb/walk back down! They have a groomed path with switch-backs to come back down the mountain. It is loose dirt which makes it hard on knees. This is also when you start to notice the blisters! Regardless of the sore feet, the sun was out and we made our way down a lot quicker than going up!
By the time we got to the car and made our way home, with the obligatory stop at McDonald's...don't judge me, the fries and cheeseburger hit the spot, we were home by 7:00 pm. Amie's Fitbit (small wrist band that tracks your steps etc) said she had taken 38,000 steps, 15.9 miles! Thankfully Michelle had kept Lila and Liam busy throughout the day. So by 8:30 we all had the same idea in mind...
Of course, i am sure everything tastes better with great views and a sense of accomplishment! I am so very proud of Harrison and Ethan. Harrison had been talking about this climb since we found out we were coming to Japan. Both H and E climbed up the mountain, without a single complaint or doubt of getting to the top!
The ironic part of climbing Mount Fuji is that the hard part is the climb/walk back down! They have a groomed path with switch-backs to come back down the mountain. It is loose dirt which makes it hard on knees. This is also when you start to notice the blisters! Regardless of the sore feet, the sun was out and we made our way down a lot quicker than going up!
 |
| Ethan making his back down from the top. |
By the time we got to the car and made our way home, with the obligatory stop at McDonald's...don't judge me, the fries and cheeseburger hit the spot, we were home by 7:00 pm. Amie's Fitbit (small wrist band that tracks your steps etc) said she had taken 38,000 steps, 15.9 miles! Thankfully Michelle had kept Lila and Liam busy throughout the day. So by 8:30 we all had the same idea in mind...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)