Stephanie- Lake Kawaguchi Trip

Lake Kawaguchi Trip

Last week to celebrate the end of Dr. Flynn's visit to Japan, the Hippo office arranged a thank you trip to Lake Kawaguchi, which is right at the base of Mt. Fuji. Several of the Hippo staff attended, as well as some Hippo members from other parts of Japan like Osaka, and I was invited along with some of the other interns. Everyone had a chance to talk together and share experiences and impressions throughout the weekend and the area we visited was really beautiful. We stayed in a hotel with a great view of Mt. Fuji across the lake. We were lucky to arrive on a clear day so we could see the mountain, and trees were just starting to change colors for the fall. It was a really nice trip and it was nice to see a little bit of Japan outside the city-ness of Tokyo.

View of Mt. Fuji and Lake Kawaguchi from the hotel

The small tourist town that surrounds the lake

At the hotel, I had the opportunity to experience a very Japanese tradition - the onsen, or public bath. The hotel had an onsen on the top floor that was fed by the water from natural hot springs and had an amazing view of the lake and mountain. One Hippo member told me that two of Japanese people's favorite things are the onsen and Mt. Fuji so it was really special to be able to experience them both together! People also told me that they were impressed that I was open also to the experience of the onsen, as many foreign people don't try it because they don't feel comfortable with the idea of being in the nude around strangers (even though, of course men and women's baths are separate). This actually didn't bother me at all and I would encourage everyone to experience it if they are in Japan. It's really nice! I went three times in our 24 hour stay at the hotel. We even got up early in the morning to be able to see the sunrise over the mountain from the onsen. Unfortunately when we got up all we could see was white because it was foggy, but it was still worth getting up for.

Japanese onsen looking over the lake and mountain

Comments

Maddie- The First of Many New Experiences

The First of Many New Experiences So, what have my first weeks been like in Japan? ABSOLUTELY BUSY! But, also...AMAZING! Truly, it has been a busy couple of weeks here, but not overwhelmingly so. Furthermore, I`d prefer to be kept busy! Too much free time = too much thinking = homesickness. By keeping a full, fun schedule, with some relaxing and downtime, I can keep engaged with my surroundings, make new friends, and stay sane. To prevent a wall of text, let me break down for you some of my recent activities. So far, I have: Presented about my life in Wisconsin to classes of middle school and elementary school students. Eaten kaiten-zushi, or conveyor belt sushi. Been interviewed about my biggest surprise when I came to Japan (it`s bluntness in regards to appearance, people won`t hesitate to call someone fat, or tell you that you`ve gotten skinny since they last saw you. As I`ve seen it, it`s never been malicious, just matter-of-fact). Post filming. To my ...

Daniel- Okutama

Okutama　(Daniel) This past week, my eyes were opened to the fact that Japan is much more than a concrete jungle of lights and high-rise buildings. For the first time, I was able to head west to Okutama, a mountainous region on the west side of Tokyo Prefecture. Unlike the city, Okutma is covered with forest and greenery. The abundance of nature makes it a beautiful place to visit in the fall. Not too far from Okutama is Heirinji Zen Temple in Saitama, where I was blown away by the beauty of autumn in Japan. The purpose for my being in that area was to visit a kindergarten and to give a HIPPO presentation along with other HIPPO members. Among them was a younger gentleman nicknamed Tango, whom I hadn't met before. Tango and I got along very well, and he invited me on a hike, along with his friend, the next day. Tango's family owns a very quaint Soba restaurant in Okutama. The surrounding mountains and nature really give it a traditional Japanese feel. The three of u...

Daniel- I have Guests!

I Have Guests! [訪れていた] (Daniel) After a trip to the Middle East, my sister and her husband decided to return to the US flying over Asia instead of Europe, so that they could stop by in Japan and say "Hi". Y-A-A-A-A-Y. It felt really good to see some family after seven months away. Unfortunately, the two of them could only stay for 3 days, so we were quite busy during that time. The three of us visited obvious famous places like Shinjuku, Harajuku, Shibuya, Asakusa, and Akihabara. But I personally enjoyed going to a park where we did the tea ceremony in a tea house on the park's pond. The two of them found it strange that there were no chairs and the process to drink some tea was so formal. I guess I didn't really think about it, I have become so used to traditional tea ceremonies that they don't seem strange to me anymore. I guess I'm becoming a local I also really enjoyed introducing my sister and brother-in-law to my co-work...

Search This Blog