Mt. Fuji

The clouds and rolling hills beneath

Ritchie and Paul arrived in Tokyo on the 9th of September. The last two weeks flew by and as expected, we were busy as ever touring in and around Tokyo.

It was great exploring new sites and restaurants with Ritchie and Paul. After learning the Tokyo Metro and Japan Rail Systems, they explored much of Tokyo themselves.

A view of the exhiliarating sunrise, from high atop Mt. Fuji

I'm sure they would agree with me by saying that our Mt. Fuji climbing expedition on September 15, was most memorable. Indeed it was an arduous journey and we were so happy to have made it to the top at over 3,776 feet (12,300 feet) high. A group of us including Rodney's co-workers Monma-san, Ian Haggerty and Tark Martin, along with Ritchie, Paul and myself (Rode) started the ascend at approx. 1:45am. Rodney stayed home with Markus since he'd done the climb back on a previous visit in 2003.

Ritchie and I trailed, but we made it in time close enough to the top to see the breathtaking sunrise above the clouds. Absolutely spectacular! Words cannot explain the sense of peace and awe I felt gazing at the expanse of blue sky above and white clouds beneath me. It was unbelieveably quiet up there, I could hear my heart thumping underneath all the layers of clothes. We experienced drastic temperature changes on our ascend. We climbed during the off-season, so huts or stations were not open as usual. At one point, (can't remember if it was the 8th station), it was so cold that I shivered so much I felt I was going to keel over. The altitude's thin air didn't help much with my feeling of lightheadedness. The thought of turning around and heading back crossed my mind, but at that point I was so committed, I had to continue. It was almost 8:00am when we reached the summit.

Breathing in oxygen

Ironically, the descent proved to be more difficult, though taking less time. Climbing down was much like a balancing act stepping down on unstable lava rocks. Ritchie slipped and had a rough tumble. Luckily no major injuries, just some small rock debris embedded in this palm and not to mention a nice gaping hole in his pants at the knee. Paul claimed he had a religious experience on the mountain. Up ahead in the distance, we could see Paul wobbling down the mountain and at times hunched over huge boulders, perhaps praying to the Mt. Fuji gods to end the misery!!

Paul taking a last break at the summit of Mt. Fuji before descending

Ritchie struggling to get up shortly after his tumble

Looking back, it was a fulfilling challenge both physically and mentally. I'm happy we did it and happy it's over! Special thanks to Monma-san for driving us out to Mt. Fuji.

Okinawa Vacation

During Obon week, Japanese summer holiday, we vacationed in Okinawa, Japan's southernmost island. It was a short 2-hour flight from Tokyo.

Tucked deep into the lush fields of sugar cane was our hotel. We stayed at the beautiful Hotel Nikko Alivila Resort for 4 days and 3 nights. It was very relaxing to sit out by the pool and enjoy the scenery of the ocean. The weather was cooperative to our schedule for the most part. It was sunny and warm - I mean HOT during the day and it rained only one afternoon. The sub-tropical climate, emerald ocean and sandy beaches make Okinawa known to be one of the most traveled destinations for Japanese and foreigners.

At first, Markus was overwhelmed by the all the excitement happening in and around the pool and beach. However, it didn't take long for him to get comfortable floating around the water in his tube and playing in the sand.

While in Okinawa we learned many new interesting facts about the city. Apparently Okinawa has Japan's highest percentage of centenarians. They say they live longer due to a healthy diet which uses many tropical ingredients, pork and fresh seafood. Again, we tasted many new foods such as goya, a popular Okinawan dish, which is bitter melon. Rodney and I didn't prefer the taste too much, but we hope somehow it did our bodies good!

There is a very strong presence of the U.S. Military in Okinawa. On the small island, about 75% of its bases are occupied by the U.S. Currently in Japan, there are approximately 47,000 military personnel and another 5,500 other American civilians employed by the U.S. Department of Defence, most of whom are stationed in Okinawa.

We visited the massive Churaumi Aquarium, known for housing several Whale Sharks in one tank. The average length of one Whale Shark is about 7 m. You can also view schools of the largest of all rays called the Manta Birostris. The largest tank called the Kuroshio Sea allows a fabulous panoramic view of many kinds of sea creatures through the largest acrylic window in the world. It was interesting to learn that the size of the window panel measures 10 m high, 35 m wide, 27 m long and 60 cm thick. The tank holds 7,500 tons of water! As we expected Markus gazed in awe during the whole time at the aquarium.

For the first time in the world, the Churaumi Aquarium has enabled a breeding ground for the great Whale Sharks in the tank. The photo below shows the Whale Shark with its' offspring gliding close below.

Here is picture of our bright magenta Toyota rental car. It reminded me of a little dinky toy car, though surprisingly spacious on the inside. It was nice for a change to be sitting in a car rather than in a train.

On our last day we drove along the Naha coast of Okinawa and took in the breathtaking views of the landscapes and ocean. We visited Glass House in Forest, a glass production company, with hopes of creating our own glass art. Unfortunately part of the process would require returning to the location after 2 days to pick up your piece; we would be gone by then.

Since I couldn't possibly post all of our pictures on this blog, you can view more photos of our vacation by clicking here. Okinawa was worth seeing and definitely a nice break from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo.

Summer fun!

Summer in Japan has been full of excitement for us. Since Markus has Jidokan summer hiatus until the first week of September, we've had more time during the week to venture off to different places (most of which cater to Markus). We visit with our neighbor friends and have afternoon tea together almost every other day. You will see in the slideshow that Markus had a chance to meet Elmo live at Isetan Mall in Shinjuku. A week-long Sesame Street tribute and presentation was held in the children's department of the mall. We joined in the arts and crafts activities. Markus helped make an Elmo puppet and a paper fan.

Get Your Own! | View Slideshow

On August 5, we held a Hanabi (fireworks) party at our home. The fireworks display was held at the Arakawa River, a few miles north of our apartment. We were able to view the fireworks from outside our front corridor. We celebrated with an assortment of food including Mexican, Italian, Japanese cuisine and of course spinach dip. It was a crowded house, but plenty of room for good company and good conversation. We continue to experience many new Japanese foods - some of which have not been so easy on the tastebuds, but we enjoy most of it.



In addition to our busy summer, I have begun teaching private English lessons to three students. It's been a great experience so far. They enjoy conversation and learning about our western culture. We spend about an hour and half reviewing basic grammar and pronunciation. They are very interested in learning the meanings behind common cliches and idioms.



For added enjoyment and convenience, we bought a bicycle with a child seat. Rodney does the riding with Markus most of the time. I'm still a bit hesitant to ride on the busy streets and narrow sidewalks especially with Markus on the bike. I prefer to jog beside them and keep a close eye on traffic. Usually we'll bike around our neighborhood to parks and also to other supas further away.



Other trips included a boat tour down the Sumida River with the Haggerty's. We sorta saw the sunset as we docked off the Hinode Pier heading towards Odaiba where we enjoyed a dinner overlooking the water.

It has been wonderful and endearing to be a full-time housewife and spending all this time with Markus. Each morning Rodney gets Markus out of bed and they spend quality time before he heads off to work. He has grown so much in such a short time and we are enjoying every bit of watching him develop into a fun-loving toddler. He still enjoys watching Baby Einstein videos, but nothing compares to Finding Nemo, which he will watch from beginning to end - even the credits. He loves dancing to the theme songs. He performs his dances on Skype webcam for family and friends. Each day we show Markus pictures of family and friends with hopes he'll remember the faces when he reunites with everyone next spring. Each new day, he surprises us with something new he says or does. What can I say, he's just a pure joy!! Thanks to Skype, we keep in close contact with our loved ones.



We hope you enjoy our Okinawa vacation posting. We had a fantastic time! So what's next...Mt. Fuji climb on September 15. The excitement continues so stay tuned...

Happy 31st Birthday Rodney!

Addy and Markus cute as can be!

Markus gifted daddy with a Sesame Street fan he made (with a little help from mommy).

On August 12, we celebrated Rodney's 31st birthday. We opted for a relaxing afternoon at home and had a nice dinner with the Haggerty's at Gyubei Restaurant, known for Korean BBQ cuisine. It was delicious. Like many restaurants in Japan, we had a "DIY meal", as I like to call it. Basically we cooked the food ourselves on a built-in grill on our table. It's always a fun time. After dinner, we strolled to a park nearby the Ikebukuro Station and watched Markus and Addy play and get wet by the water fountain.

Tokyo Disneyland

Tokyo Disneyland has definitely been one of the most exciting adventures of our summer in Japan, thus far. You can imagine we took a plethora of pictures throughout the day - too many to post. Here is a highlight of our first family Disney experience.

We visited the park on Friday, July 28, during a Honda holiday so Rodney had a much deserved day-off of work.

The forecast leading up to the day had predicted an 80% chance of rain, but we took the chance and to our surprise not one drop the whole day. The hour long trek by train was well worth it. Our first stop was Toontown to explore Mickey’s home and Movie Barn, then a visit to Mickey in person. When we approached Mickey's home, we were deceived by what seemed like a short line. Little did we know it wrapped along side of the house into a snake formation around back. It was roughly an hour wait, but not too bad since Markus napped throughout most of it...thank goodness!

We wondered how Markus would react to the life-size Mickey, but he did pretty good until Mickey reached out to shake Markus' hand.

Inside Mickey's house

Throughout the day, we were entertained by many attractions and shows. Markus thoroughly enjoyed the Disney Dream On Parade, "Moving On", that featured many characters from favourite Disney movies. The make-up and costumes were phenomenal. Markus had a totally different experience with the mini-floats like Goofy's Cool Panic and other water-spraying vehicles. It felt great being caught under the mist of cool water while in the scorching heat. Perhaps we were situated too close for Markus' comfort since he was absolutely traumatized! He was just shocked and caught way off guard. Needless to say, it didn't ruin our day. We explored Cinderella's Castle and watched Mickey's watershow performance. We did get splashed a few times, which again left Markus unhappy, however the music and dancing was very entertaining.

The evening Electrical Parade "Dreamlights", which was said to have over 1 million lights, was spectacular. Markus was in awe of the bright lights although often startled by the blaring music. Mommy had to cover his ears most of the show.

Tokyo Disneyland is a definite must-see if you're in the area. It is nearly impossible to see all the attraction in one day. We are definitely planning to head back to visit Tokyo DisneySea, adjacent to Disneyland. It's is a whole new other theme park we don't want to miss.

Even days after our Disneyland adventure, Markus continues to enjoy reliving his memories by watching our home videos of the parades.