Kurihama Flower Park - First Trip

Mom, Andrea and I took another trip while Mona and Macie were at school, this time we went to Kurihama Flower Park. Our timing wasn't right because the flowers were not quite to full bloom yet - we thought that it might have something to do with how cold the weather had been up to that point.

Here mom and Andrea are walking through the main section of the flower park. Although there are lots of flowers, the bulk of the flowers had yet to bloom.

Andrea and mom take a picture with a 'memorial photo' sign that is a familiar sight at most of the tourist spots in Japan. Notice the date - 29 - 4 - 21.

It is hard to tell by this picture but the ice cream that Andrea is holding is blue and white. It was very unusual in that the ice cream actually had a vivid flowery taste to it.

I had never heard of the nemophira plant. When I used the googler on the internet machine, the Hitachi Seaside Park in Japan and this picture popped up. Very pretty and definitely some place we need to go next time mom comes to visit (only a little over two hours from here).

Cape Kannonzaki - The Lighthouse and a French restaurant

On a day that Mona and Macie were in school, mom, Andrea and I went to Cape Kannonzaki. It is located at the tip of the Miura Peninsula - only about 15 minutes from the Yokosuka Naval Base.

We decided to walk to the lighthouse first. It was very pretty and scenic.

It was fairly steep at times. I should have taken pictures of the steeper parts but this picture shows Andrea and mom climbing the final incline to the lighthouse.

A picture of Andrea and mom in front of the Kannonzaki Lighthouse. The original lighthouse was the first lighthouse built in Japan. It was a western-style lighthouse built by western engineers shortly after Japan was opened to trade by Commodore Perry. The original lighthouse was destroyed by an earthquake in 1922. The current lighthouse was constructed in 1925.

The lamp that once lit the lighthouse.

A view from the base of the lighthouse. In the background is the other side of Tokyo Bay - Chiba. This is the narrowest point of Tokyo Bay.

After our walk, we decided to eat at a restaurant located where we parked and in the same complex as a small nature museum. We knew the restaurant had opened because there was a small French flag placed on the side of the road - they do this to let people know they are open. The restaurant itself was very unassuming - more like a place where women go to have tea during the day. But the food was amazing and exquisitely prepared. I had a pork filet mignon and a pork tenderloin. Andrea had salmon and cod with caper lemon sauce. Mom had some sort of pasta that she really enjoyed.

I don't remember the name of the cake but it was very good. In the cup was a pumpkin custard pudding that was also very good.

Oi Futo and Cherry Blossom Trees

On Saturday, we traveled to a ward (borough) of Tokyo called Shinagawa. Macie had a track meet at the track and park complex called Oi Futo.

We thought we were going to a regular track for the meet. But the park was very scenic and had one of the prettiest displays of cherry blossom trees that we have seen here in Japan.

Here is a close-up view of the cherry blossoms.

It was a rainy day but still a nice day. Here is mom, Mona and Andrea watching Macie competing in the shot put. She placed 3rd out of about 20 girls. She was extremely excited to do so well.

Here is Macie and Andrea.

The track was extremely scenic - especially with the cherry blossoms in full bloom. That is mom, Mona and Andrea resting against the wall waiting for Macie to compete in the discus.

Despite the off and on rain, the Japanese were still having their traditional activity of combining a picnic with viewing the cherry blossom trees.

Mom was off and wandering while we waited for Macie to compete in her next event.

Yokosuka Port Cruise

At the end of the week, we took the Yokosuka Port Cruise. The cruise took us through the US and Japan sections of the Yokosuka Port.

Here we are before the start of the tour.

The carrier USS Ronald Reagan

The second ship is Zach's - USS Shiloh, a guided missile cruiser.

 Although the submarine is on the US side of Yokosuka Port, it is a Japanese sub.

 Although the weather looks nice, it was actually a little chilly. So we spent most of the tour on the enclosed first deck.

 For about 15 minutes we spent some time on the open upper deck. Here is a short video of mom of looking out over the Japanese side of the port. I would have included the girls but they bailed pretty quick because of the chilly wind and went back downstairs.

Afterwards, we stopped at Starbucks. The store had a second floor lounge area that looked out over the bay.

Tanzawa Oyama Quasi National Park

The day after our first trip to Kamakura, we took another trip to the mountains. We followed the same route that we used earlier in the week to get to Hakone - a very scenic road that followed the coastline. However, we turned towards the mountains about halfway to Hakone and headed towards the city of Hadano. From Hadano we took a very small, very winding road that climbed in elevation very quickly.

 Here is a picture from the scenic overlook near the top of the mountain that rises above Hadano.

 I added this picture because the picture after this is taken at the top of the tower - it was quite a walk getting to the top.

 Andrea, Macie, mom and I in front of the plaque that signals the beginning of the quasi national park.

Here is a picture of Andrea, Macie, mom and Mona.

First trip to Kamakura with mom (continued)

After ascending the stairs, we entered the shrine itself. No pictures of inside the shrine because camera and video use is prohibited. Once inside, people would bow and pray while also making an offering (in the form of coins placed into an alter).

After leaving the interior of the shrine, there was a place to buy things like incense and to get a reading of your fortune for the coming year.

Here is a video of mom getting the paper who shows her fortune for the year.

As we were leaving the shrine, there was a wedding taking place with the priest reading from some sort of scroll - it was very solemn and appeared to us to be a very traditional ceremony.

As we were leaving, we stopped by a large pond filled with carp and goldfish and surrounded by cherry blossom trees.

On our way home mom did a good impression of a typical Japanese train commuter. We have been amazed at how so many Japanese can sleep on the train - especially as they are going to and coming back from work.

First trip to Kamakura with mom

The day after the Hakone trip, mom wanted to take the train to visit Kamakura. By train, Kamakura is only about 25 minutes away. It is one of the most popular tourist sites in Japan - even for Japanese tourists.

Mom's first ride on a Japanese train.

Here we are about to go down the main street of Kamakura - Wakamiya. Notice the Shinto gate at the entrance to the street in the background.

This pictures captures Wakamiya street during a lull in the number of people window shopping. Typically, it is wall to wall people. 

Something mom always enjoys - us picnicking on our excursions instead of eating at a restaurant. We found a place to sit just off the main street.

This was the scene across from where we were picnicking. Anytime you see a Japanese lady in a kimono, it is because of some sort of special occasion. I have read that during Sakura season, women will dress in Kimonos as they celebrate going out to view the cherry blossoms. Notice the cherry blossoms in the background. The rickshaw driver was very elaborate in his preparation and very deferential to the women.

Here we are with the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu shrine in the background. Over 12 million people visit this shrine every year.

Mom going through the purification ritual before she enters the shrine. Grab the ladle by the right hand, wash your left. Then switch hands, wash the right. Then pour a little into your hand to rinse out your mouth.

Here we are on the steps leading up to the shrine. I will create a second blog with more pictures from the shrine tomorrow.

Hakone

During mom's second week, the schools here were having spring break which allowed us to take several day trips during the week. The first place we visited was a mountain resort area called Hakone (pronounced A-cone-ee). I would describe the main tourist area as a Japanese version of Red River.

One of the big attractions in Hakone is the Hakone Ropeway. It is like a tram or ski lift and it takes about 40 minutes for the entire ride. Unfortunately, part of the Ropeway was being worked on, so we ended up on the ride for only about 15 minutes.

 Here is mom and Andrea as we are descending towards Lake Ashi - which was formed by the collapsed caldera of a still active volcano.

 A better view of Lake Ashi.

 At the base of the Ropeway was a restaurant. Although it looked like a typical tourist cafeteria, the food was prepared and presented with extreme attention to detail. These entrees are especially popular in Japan - curry, rice and even an egg to add texture.

Macie and Andrea taking a picture with a replica of the Ropeway and Mount Fuji.

Andrea, Macie, Mona and mom pose at the stream that runs through the town of Hakone.

A video of mom walking and shopping the stores of Hakone's main street.