Adventures of January

January is winding up though winter will still be around for awhile.

Tetsu and I had thought about going to an onsen during New Year's but in the end we decided it was too expensive and we waited until the middle of the month before school had started but after most people had gone back to work.  Tetsu found us an onsen in the mountains of Nikko and after entrusting John's care to our vet, and asking a neighbor to come in for the cats, off we went.

Though our part of Nikko has only had a sprinkling of snow once this winter, we were a bit concerned that the mountains of Nikko might have more snow.  As a Southern California girl, if there's snow on the ground that means "No Driving" but Tetsu didn't think he'd have any problems and we headed out.  Though the onsen we were headed to was only a bit over an hour away, sure enough, about 40 minutes into the drive I pointed out snow banks along the road but actually it was quite clear and the roads were dry.  

Still... there was snow that had been snowplowed, around the hotel.

The hotel that we stayed at had a gorgeous lobby yet here and there we could tell that it was past its heyday.  Not too much in the way of decorations (except for the lobby).

The room was wide and we had a picture window view of the opposite mountainside and river running below.  I was thrilled to have the little sitting area where I could spread out my sketchbook and paints and I got to work trying to paint the mountainside.

Before dinner we played a ping-pong for about half an hour, (I don't know why, but traditional onsen always seem to have ping-pong tables available) and then we dressed in our cotton kimonos with jackets and went for a bath.  We made a stop in the lobby again.  You can see how luxurious this place seems.

Dinner was nothing to rave about... a wide buffet of common foods, but it was adequate.  After dinner we went to a family outdoor bath (different times are reserved to guests who want to use it) which was breathtaking.  The night air was icy and the steam from the bath rose around us.

I went to bed that night thinking I'd finish my sketch of the mountainside the next day...  "I'll add a few more trees..."

"Gyaaa!!!"  During the night there was a major snowfall and the scenery had completely changed!!  This was actually a great opportunity to see if I could depict the scene in snowy colors and with less detail.

Breakfast was another buffet meal, and afterwards we went off to the respective outdoor baths for men and women.  The snow around the bath in the light of day was just beautiful!  Actually by the time we were ready to leave that morning, the snow had melted enough that driving was again no problem.  It was a wonderful weekend and made us think about what we like about onsen.

Actually, in a couple more months, Julieta-san and her mother are going to be visiting Japan for a few days and Tetsu and I want to take them to an onsen...  I've already checked to see if Julieta-san's mother is comfortable with public bathing (OKAY!) and so now we are adding up pros and cons of places we've stayed that are not too far from us.  

Onsen, the hot springs, are the most important part of onsen for Tetsu.  A scenic outdoor bath is a must and I like bathing among the decorative boulders rather than just be in a big square bath outside.  Food is something to consider also.  I prefer the separate dishes and meals served to each guest but Tetsu likes buffet style where he can eat a lot!  For Julieta-san and her mother?  I don't know...  buffet-style allows them to pick and choose while a set meal you've either got to eat it (whether you know what it is or not) or leave it...  Onsens with set meals tend to be more pricey as they've got a chef who does a lot of planning and loads of little pieces of decorative pottery are used.  For me, a room at an onsen with a view is always eye candy, and I love to sit and look out at the mountains or river or rice fields or whatever.  Looking out at another hotel is very disappointing...  Little touches like flowers and sometimes even a cookie or two in the rooms is another treat...  A nice giftshop is always fun too though I rarely buy anything in the giftshops...  It is just fun to look through.

So that's how I rate onsen according to our budget...

That's about it for what has been going on in our corner of Japan.

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The big news in Taiga's world is...

...he's learned how to walk!

He is also doing a great job of keeping Leiya on her toes.  Being the mother of two very active boys sometimes makes her want to tear her hair out!

She looks like she's having fun though...

Another bit of big news is....  The Smith family is going to be moving to Colorado!  Tony will be taking a job in a hospital in Denver and so this weekend the family is in Colorado looking for a house or apartment to rent.  This is exciting news for them though Leiya said they were a bit sad to moving farther away from family (in Detroit.... I pointed out she will be moving closer to family in California and Japan).  Still, they have never minded the long road trips back to Michigan to see Tony's parents and grandparents and other family members so I can understand the mixed emotions.

New adventures await!

The first weeks of January 2025

Winter vacation is over and our daily routines have started again...  Not that we had any real change during winter vacation other than to sleep in until 7:00.  We are back waking before the sun is even lightening the skies...  

As with Japanese tradition, Tetsu and I ate a lot of pounded rice cakes, mostly with sweet bean paste, sweet soy powder, and with seaweed and butter.  Nothing in the way of vegetables so I did make a big pot of pork and vegetable soup that we ate for the next three days.  

We realized that just sitting in front of the TV and eating all day wasn't very good for us so we took John out with us and walked to the elementary school picking up trash along the way.  Exercise for us and a good deed done to start the New Year!  

We also got in some pool time and I have decided to put my sports watch to work and see if I can track laps.  Takumi and Julieta gave me this watch a couple of years ago and though I track it for walking I balked at the idea of putting a watch in water (I know... silly.  It's a SPORTS WATCH!) and also could predict that the pool wasn't going to like it either as it has a no jewelry policy.  It (and many places in Japan) also has a no tattoo policy but guests with tattoos, mostly foreigners, get around that by wearing long sleeves or covering the tattoos with large adhesive...  So...  I have been wearing my watch in the pool with a large wrist band covering it, sort of edging around the no jewelry policy...  If they can't see the tattoos it's okay, so if they can't see my watch, maybe it's okay.  No one has said anything to me yet though someone jokingly asked me if I'd gotten a tattoo...

This is not an exciting picture but I have decided to take photos out our bedroom window on the first of  every month to record how the construction of the factory that will be built behind us progresses. 

January 1st, nothing started yet, though since then workers have be doing some deep soil testing.  Stay with me to watch how the landscape changes.

Here is a zoom shot on a prettier day.  We are hoping that though there will be a road passing right behind us, the actual factory will not disrupt our view of Mt. Nantai.  That may be wishful thinking but as far as we understand the construction plans that have been sent to all of us in the neighborhood, the factory should be farther to the south of us... (this photo is towards the north).

Trying to capture the scenery in my bullet journal.

Goodness, I can't think of much else I did during the holidays except take online art classes, so I have an awful lot of sketches and paintings of things that have nothing to do with my daily life.  They are great for learning but not so great for showing...

I have started a new quilt with Stitched In Color.  It is a Scrap Cabin quilt and my goal is to use up the bin of fabric strings I have.  I'm already questioning if I want to make this bigger than the pattern which is for a square quilt.  I sort of like rectangle quilts but that will make for nearly twice the work and I'm not sure I'm up for that...  

M-san however, spent most of her winter days appliqueing and then hand quilting this Hawaiian Quilt piece.  Look at how much detail she put into the quilting!!!!  She seems to find the quilting very relaxing and she certainly does a fantastic job with it!

John has for some reason taken a shine to Tetsu, AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! and will scratch at Tetsu's leg if he wants attention and is very happy to sit on Tetsu's lap.  We have no idea what prompted the change in John's attitude, maybe old age?  but he is very cute and we don't worry QUITE so much about getting bit anymore.

And this is how the above photo turns into a sketch.

And I guess that's about it for the Watanabe family in Japan.  Stay warm and safe!

Happy New Year's!

Wishing you the best from Tetsu and Tanya and the rest of the family!