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The world is my school today my classroom was on 3 trains, a gondola and in a hot spring. Tokyo and Hakone, Japan.
Today we got an early start and head right off, Sayonara Mandarin Oriental and Moshimoshi futons and Mt. Fuji. The first train was super big but was only a 30-minute ride. The next one was a little longer and looked more like an underground/subway. Finally the last train looked like another underground/subway and was a little longer than the other one. When we arrived at our destination there was a 'cable car' at the station ready for us to get on. It wasn't really a 'cable car' it was more like a tram. When we got to the top of the tram there was a real Gondola/cable car. These Gondola/cable cars were huge, and because we were lugging our suitcases around everywhere we were able to dedicate one half of the Gondola/cable car to the suitcases and the other half was for us. We were all practicing our Japanese and then right in the middle of everything Dad screamed out "FUJI, FUJI! LOOK EVERYONE THERE IS MT. FUJI! IT'S WIDE AND CLEAR TAKE PICTURES WHILE YOU CAN!" It scared us all and we had a great big laugh. We took a bundle of pictures then sat back down for the rest off the ride, which was over in 5 minutes. Once we got off we started looking out for a boat. We didn't ever find our boat but we found the line. We didn't have to wait so long until the line started moving and we were on the boat. This boat was designed like a pirate ship. It looked awesome. The boat had two stops, the main one near town, and the other one was much closer to the place we are staying at. When we got off we had a 5-minute walk through town then arrived at our Ryoken.
A Ryoken is a guest house in Japan that still does things the traditional way. Your room has totami mats made of bamboo and you live on the floor instead of on couches and chairs. Your table is low to the floor the top is at the middle of my shin and it gets changed out for futons, which are cushions on the floor that you sleep on. It is so cool. When we arrived in our room we immediately sat down and had a little break with a bean paste snack and put on our relaxing clothes that everyone wears which are Yukata's. A Yukata is the relaxing Japanese traditional clothing. A Kimono is the formal Japanese clothing. The lady that gave us the Yukata's saw us putting them on with no underwear and we didn't know how to wear our Yukata's so we were given a piece of paper that spelled this out for us. We made a joke out of it and called it 'The Yukata Pledge'!
I wear a Yukata with putting on underwear
Please spend a hotel with a Yukata
The meal is all right as a Yukata too.
Yukata's are the comfiest things I've have ever worn. I wish I could wear them all the time. Next up was dinner, which was in a separate room again sitting on cushions with this time our own little tables with many small dishes and a mini hotpot. I said "I think this is the best dinner I've ever had in my entire life!" That's how good it is. We started heading back to the room soon and when we arrived we saw our beds made up and then we heard that we missed dessert. We didn't want to go all the way back to the separate room so we stayed where we were and ate our dessert there. It was pineapple and strawberry on top of a pudding. It was so good and the perfect size. Once we finished we headed straight for the hot springs. You have to go in naked and stay in the one for women, which means we couldn't be together as a family. Daddy had to go by himself while we all went in the Women's. They are very strict with taking a bath. Here are the rules:
1. First dash hot water all over your body before getting into the hot spring.
2. Soak in the hot water as long as you like.
3. Scrub the body with soap outside the bath. Then rinse off suds before entering the hot spring.
4. Enjoy another soak in the hot water.
5. After bathing dry yourself.
The hot springs were so nice but then it was bed time so we got a shower in the onsen by sitting on a stool naked and facing a mirror with our own little sprayer and washing ourself. It was weird but cool. This is how most people including the Romans used to get clean in the old days.
Oh, and one last thing, you HAVE to try a Japanese toilet, not the squat toilet but the western Japanese toilets are amazing. Every one has a heated seat and you can listen to music while your going, and my favorite part is you never need to wipe. You don't because there is a little tube that sticks out once you press a button and this squirts water on your butt and other parts and totally cleans them off!
<3 World Rings Bell
- comments
Gran Gautney Hi Bell, You are reminding Gran of the days when I had a beday (i.e. an oriental toilet) in my house. It had the water squirt too and definitely saved on toilet paper. I found the different clothing for different activities very interesting. I also was inter-ested in the various food dishes that you described. Why do the Japanese try to keep activities close to the floor? Sounds like you are having a wonderful family time!! Love, Gran
Paige Annabella, this is my favorite blog I have read. I really enjoyed reading it. Thanks for making me laugh. Miss you!