White Fujisan, Purple Onsen
01 Apr 2011 Leave a Comment
So much has happened since my last blog! (As always, right?) Last I left off, I was going to bed on Thursday night, March 31… But I didn’t go straight to bed. I messaged Yuko-chan and Josh and asked if I could go visit them again, this time in Kawaguchiko. Besides a personal training session and an English lesson, they said they were free. Also, I was hoping to visit my host family in Kofu on Saturday, and Kawaguchiko is only about 1 hour away. Therefore, early Friday morning I found myself once again navigating the Japanese train system. I would need to take 4 trains: Hamamatsu -> Shin Yokohama -> Hachiouji -> Ootsuki -> Kawaguchiko…
And can you believe, I managed to navigate the first three trains perfectly, no problem, reading my book all the while. But, In Ootsuki, I discovered the last train is not owned by the Japan Rail company, and therefore my JR Pass would not be accepted… and I had no cash. Well, I had the equivalent of $11. And the ticket cost about $14… So, slightly embarrassed, I went in search of an ATM which would accept my foreign credit card. And for some reason, still unknown to me, I asked where the nearest ginko (bank) was located, forgetting that banks in Japan are really quite useless, and what I needed was a yuubinkyoku (post office). Yes, post offices in Japan have foreigner-friendly ATM machines in them. Back to my story, I went to the bank. And while the clerk was really sweet, and even tried to get my card to work (as if his putting it in the machine would magically work even after my attempt had failed) they could not help me. So I was directed to the post office, which happened to the on the complete other side of town, go figure. So on my way I went, walking past the same construction crew I had passed earlier, toting along all of my luggage. I withdrew $100 (the maximum), and walked back to the station, passing the construction crew for the third time. I wonder what they thought about my wandering all around town like the lost gaijin I was.
Taking trains on a whim is kind of strange. I like to know which train, and what time I should arrive so I can relax most of the trip. But without knowing the arrival time, I have to stay alert and listen and watch for the name of every town the train stops at, so that I can get off in the correct place. The train from Ootsuki to Kawaguchiko was really small, and mostly filled with students, going who-knows-where around noon on Friday. Maybe Fridays are a half day? At one stop, I don’t recall the name, the train pulled in, people got off and other boarded, and then it started going back the way it came from! I had instant flashbacks to my experience in Fuji, the last time I tried to visit Yuko. You may recall, I ended up being and hour and a half late… So, I jump up, about ready to throw myself off the train (thinking to myself, it’s not going very fast yet, I could make it!), when I notice it is going up a different track. I breathe a sigh of relief, and find myself in Kawaguchiko a couple of stops later.
First things first, Yuko, Josh and I go for delicious chicken kara age! Actually, I ordered beef, but I had some of Yuko’s kara age, and it was sooooo good! Hmmm, I feel like I’m always talking about what I eat everyday… Anyway, the exact order of events are a little fuzzy now, but at one point we went went to Don Kihoute (they are trying to sound out Don Quixote), which is a huge shop with just about everything, but quite cheap! Here’s some ドンキホーテ purikura 
We also stopped by Yuko’s parents house and said “Hi”, since Yuko and I would be staying the night there. Then we went to the park next to Lake Kawaguchiko, where Josh was training Yuko’s cousin, along with a gaggle of kids he brought along! They were really cute. Two took the exercises very seriously, and were quite good, and others were tired, and kept cheating, but it’s kind of cute when little kids cheat to try and get out of exercise. Yuko and I went for a walk along the lake, and thought it was really cold, with incredibly strong wind, the view of Mount Fuji was unbeatable.
It think it was afterwards that we went for ice cream and grocery shopping, and Yuko and Josh gave an English lesson while I walked around the mall and read my book. That night, Yuko made houtou, a popular dish in Yamanashi Prefecture. It is made with flat noodles and veggies in miso. She told me that a long time ago, the men would eat houtou before a battle. The view of Fujisan from Yuko and Josh’s balcony is stunning.
That night Yuko and I went to onsen (hot springs). Anyone who knows me has probably heard me rave about onsen! The hot natural spring water is so nice! When you go to onsen, they will have little washing stations with a stool, and shower head, and shampoo and body wash. If it is a nice onsen, like the one Yuko and I went to, they will have conditioner (which the Japanese call “rinse”), face wash, disposable tooth brushes, and disposable body scrubbing towels. So, you sit at a little station, and get all clean before going into the onsen, which are large communal tiled tubes full of spring water. There may be several kinds of onsen. For example, on tub will have herb-filled bags floating in it, while another claims to have silk in the water, and another will have “micro bubbles”. I prefer the outside onsen, because that way I don’t get too overheated, especially if I will be spending any significant amount of time at the place. The outside onsen at Sakuraan Treatment & Spa had purple water! I’m don’t know why the water was purple, but it was! After hours of soaking in the onsens, Yuko and I headed back inside where there are stations equipped with hair dryers, brushes, toner, face lotion, body lotion, cotton buds… oh, the luxury!
That night, Yuko and I stayed at her parents house, in her brothers old bedroom. Her brother now lives in Tokyo (and from what I hear likes fashion and pretty girls), and his room is cleared out to where it doesn’t even look like a boy used to live in it. There were two twin sized beds, and Yuko and I both read books for a while before turning out the lights. In the morning Josh stopped by to pick us up, and we had the quickest (and delicious) breakfast ever.
Since I am writing this post weeks later, I have a hard time recalling exactly what happened. I know at some point Yuko and I rode bicycles into town, and I bought k-palatte eyeliner (the best ever!), and I went to the mall with Yuko and Josh and read my book while they gave an English lesson. I also bought a pair of cute white capris pants at Uniqlo… Gosh, everything is so fuzzy now! Also, Yuko and Josh have a kotatsu, which is a table covered with a heavy blanket and has a heater underneath… I need one of these! It was my first time ever experiencing one, and all I can say is once your under it, you never want to leave! Well, somepoint in the afternoon of Saturday, I had to take the train back to Shizuoka. I made it without and any hiccups, and even managed to successfully switch trains at some random station, and also transfer at Hachiouji, both of which were announced in Japanese last minute like.
It was dark, but eerily warm in Shizuoka, and I decided to go for what turned out to be my one and only run on this trip, despite the relatively late hour. I ran for about 30 minutes, returned to Mai’s grandparents place famished, put on a sweater, and went to the konbini for some instant ramen. Pathetic, I know. But I also got ice cream…
