I got no hiking boots
Howdy folks and welcome back to the little slice of my mind that I make public to all internet peeps. It's been about a month since I've updated this thing and since then I've done a lot of ascending. I use the word asending because most of the (going up) I have been doing hasn't really been climbing so much as I have been walking up some pretty steep inclines. The fall here in Touhoku is the best time of the year since it is the only time where you are not being eaten alive by bugs, frozen to the core, sweating balls or swimming through 101% super saturated humid air. If only the people back in Michigan could eperience true humidity that you can not escape from.
Since the fall is so refreshing here I've been making it a point lately to go out and experience the raw beauty of Japan. There is a huge difference between Michigan and here that I just can't ignore, and that is Mountains. Sure the US has plenty of mountains, but Michigan is flatter than (insert innapropriate analogy here) and quite boring, but as I am indeed indeed surrounded with volcanoes and mountains and the like, I figured ascending them would be awesome. So last month and this month I made two separate trips to two mountains. The first was Mount Azuma in Fukushima prefecture. On this trip I was accompnaied by my wee feather, miss Suzi Rhea from Kurihara, and mi Rosa, miss Jessica Rosa from Tome. The trip up to the parking space was fun on it's own as google maps had us going every which way while being completely overwhelemed by the smell of sulfur from the surrounding Onsens (hot springs). Mount Azuma is actually a volcanoe, it isn't listed as active, but the gases flowing rom the mounatins around it would suggest otherwise. The summit of Azuma was quite stunning. None of the drops around it are so steep that if you fell you would die, but rather the drops going inward would be your undoing. From the southwstern part of the ountain you cna actually go down into the volcanoe. Trying from any other side might make you a paraplegic or render you not living, whichever. As we neared the top the wind picked up and it got pretty cold, but then again we were above someclouds so that was expected. Got some awesome pictures where we were posing as power rangers.
The next trip to the mountains was just this past Monday. I went with my friends Sophie Delisle (spelling?!), Jessia Rosa, Satoe Kon and Yuuta (last name is a mystery). The hike up was about an hour and a half, but the thing is is that it was mostly steps. We ate lunch at the summit and could see another beautiful mountain in the distance which was in the prefecture to the west. After lunch we took the opposite trail down the mountain. This Trail in fact really isn't a trail so much as a small path made from the thousands of footsteps from people long ago, thus making it much more rugged and messy. We crossed a river three times on the way down and got nice and muddy. I really should've worn better shoes. I need to get me some hikin boots badly. I plan on doing this many more times while I am here. On the way back home we stopped at ice cream village and I got salt and coookies and cream ice cream. I would gladly let myself get fat on that ice cream, it really is amazing. Next time I'm getting goma flavor.
Halloween is coming up and with that Tome city is also getting a new ALT. I was told today that they would be arriving by the second week of November, maybe a little sooner. I wonder what adventures await us when we go out and show them the city. I just feel bad since they are arriving in winter and it is going to be a little rougher to get used to life here. In any event, gonna have to plan a welcome party or something. Want to make them feel as welcome as possible. WELCOME TO TOME!
That's about it for this entry. It was a bit boring and less opinionated than my other entries, but I'm sure I'll have plenty to complain about once it starts getting colder. Hell, it's already getting dark at 4:30. Time to bunker down become a hibernating hermit.
PS- I will be buying another car in April or May. If anyone knows a good mechanic or dealer, let me know.
Since the fall is so refreshing here I've been making it a point lately to go out and experience the raw beauty of Japan. There is a huge difference between Michigan and here that I just can't ignore, and that is Mountains. Sure the US has plenty of mountains, but Michigan is flatter than (insert innapropriate analogy here) and quite boring, but as I am indeed indeed surrounded with volcanoes and mountains and the like, I figured ascending them would be awesome. So last month and this month I made two separate trips to two mountains. The first was Mount Azuma in Fukushima prefecture. On this trip I was accompnaied by my wee feather, miss Suzi Rhea from Kurihara, and mi Rosa, miss Jessica Rosa from Tome. The trip up to the parking space was fun on it's own as google maps had us going every which way while being completely overwhelemed by the smell of sulfur from the surrounding Onsens (hot springs). Mount Azuma is actually a volcanoe, it isn't listed as active, but the gases flowing rom the mounatins around it would suggest otherwise. The summit of Azuma was quite stunning. None of the drops around it are so steep that if you fell you would die, but rather the drops going inward would be your undoing. From the southwstern part of the ountain you cna actually go down into the volcanoe. Trying from any other side might make you a paraplegic or render you not living, whichever. As we neared the top the wind picked up and it got pretty cold, but then again we were above someclouds so that was expected. Got some awesome pictures where we were posing as power rangers.
The next trip to the mountains was just this past Monday. I went with my friends Sophie Delisle (spelling?!), Jessia Rosa, Satoe Kon and Yuuta (last name is a mystery). The hike up was about an hour and a half, but the thing is is that it was mostly steps. We ate lunch at the summit and could see another beautiful mountain in the distance which was in the prefecture to the west. After lunch we took the opposite trail down the mountain. This Trail in fact really isn't a trail so much as a small path made from the thousands of footsteps from people long ago, thus making it much more rugged and messy. We crossed a river three times on the way down and got nice and muddy. I really should've worn better shoes. I need to get me some hikin boots badly. I plan on doing this many more times while I am here. On the way back home we stopped at ice cream village and I got salt and coookies and cream ice cream. I would gladly let myself get fat on that ice cream, it really is amazing. Next time I'm getting goma flavor.
Halloween is coming up and with that Tome city is also getting a new ALT. I was told today that they would be arriving by the second week of November, maybe a little sooner. I wonder what adventures await us when we go out and show them the city. I just feel bad since they are arriving in winter and it is going to be a little rougher to get used to life here. In any event, gonna have to plan a welcome party or something. Want to make them feel as welcome as possible. WELCOME TO TOME!
That's about it for this entry. It was a bit boring and less opinionated than my other entries, but I'm sure I'll have plenty to complain about once it starts getting colder. Hell, it's already getting dark at 4:30. Time to bunker down become a hibernating hermit.
PS- I will be buying another car in April or May. If anyone knows a good mechanic or dealer, let me know.