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!