Back to Tokyo

Before we took a flight back to Tokyo yesterday, Daniel climbed up to the peak again craving for deep powder snow while Ayumi took it easy on lower hills after the peak trip on the previous day.

We had no plan today except for doing a laundry to prepare for our Thailand trip that starts tomorrow, but we spontaneously decided to go to Ghibli Museum as the weather was nice.


We enjoyed a short film "Chuu-zumou (mice sumo?)", learned about the production process and filled our stomach at Cafe Straw Hat. Viva Ghibli!

We are snowboarding in Niseko

We apoligize for not updating promptly. After 5 days of train ride, we are having a great time snowboarding from 0830 to 2000 in Niseko now.

It has been windy and not all the lifts are operating, but the slopes we've been so far are diverse and we've been training some ground tricks. Daniel made 180 and Ayumi almost made 90. Good progress so far.

We bought lots of food at a supermarket this afternoon. The rest of our stay should be cheap, we hope. Oh yeah, Swedish ski (and snowboard) fanatics have already reached here. Daniel is not the only Swedish in this village now.

Pictures are coming up soon!

Sushi and preparation for the new year.

Not the sushi that we are used to in Sweden but I would like to suggest that anybody who visits Japan try this one out. It is called chirashi-sushi. We ate this at Hibiki in Kagurazaka.

This one was also a very nice experience!

When the new year is approaching and everybody gets a couple of days of vacation, it is time to prepare for the festivities. Me and Ayumi and over 300 000 others pass this street today to look for some necessary food for the new years day.

Monkies

Monkeys working along the road for dam construction

Warning monkey

Intruder monkey & wrong English

Greedy monkey

Onsen:)

Yes, it is true that it gets cold in Japan at this time of the year, even colder than one of ordinary days in Lund. The big difference is that there is hot springs (onsen) here.

Daniel enjoying roten buro (outdoor bath)

We bathed three times during an overnight trip.

Not only the bath but the food is great at "Taira no Takafusa" located at Oku-Yunishi hot springs.

at our dinner table

charcoal-grilled Iwana (Char in English)

Daniel pouring ice-cold bamboo sake, for me of course:)

Breakfast next morning

In front of Taira no Takafusa

-A

Must-see near Tokyo

This is an underground temple outside Tokyo, which I thought all the Japanese people know but it turned out to be quite unknown.

The official name for this place is "Metropolitan Area Outer Underground Discharge Channel."
http://www.ktr.mlit.go.jp/edogawa/project/g-cans/frame_index.html

I highly recommend it.
-A

We made it!

Finally we landed in Japan. It's very nice to be able to stretch your legs after many hours of not so comfortable airplane. The first thing that welcomed us before we could jump onto a train which would take us to Ayumi's parents place was the posters above.
They may not look like what they are, but the colorful posters above are actually wanted posters. I can now say that we are not wanted in japan and can proceed to Tokyo.


Kai-chan, a member of the official Japanese welcome committee! Daniel is tested thoroughly by him.


Plenty of jet lag and plenty of people to meet. The time is now around 19 (11 in Sweden) and we are going to an Okinawa restaurant. One of the specialties in okinawa is the ugly cucumber the green stuff above. It initally tastes good but have an bitter aftertaste. Such as so many things in life.

Time to do some sleeping, This is our first real sleep since we left Sweden.

Oyasumi.
-D