General Pictures and Camping at Nasu

We went camping last weekend. I had Monday off for what I thought was a holiday, but it turned out to be for Honda people only. Honda sponsored an endurance motorcycle race that Honda has off for. I didn't make it to the race, but I'll take a day off.

There are not so many one or two day vacations here (Good Friday, Memorial day, Labor day, Thanksgiving, etc), but we have three, one-week shutdowns. We have one coming up the week after next. We are going to try the beach again. We have a hotel for two nights. There is also an aquarium in the area. If you remember the Hitachi Seaside Park blog entry, that is basically where we are going.

Below are some general pictures from the last two weeks. They kind of jump around in terms of timeline, so bear with me.

These are Savannah's morning glories that she grew at school. This picture was taken in the early morning. The color was more of a blue color.





These are the same pictures of the same flowers later in the day. Their color changed to a purple later in the day. Most of the flowers have died off but there are a ton of buds popping up.




We went to the park the other day. I see these trees often and think they are cool. I like the way it wraps around the pole.






In this picture, I am standing on the giant dirt mound at the park. And Denny... well he is just being Denny. Sometimes it is hard to get a serious picture of him.







Denny in his soccer outfit. He is still playing which is unbelievable since the humidity is so high. I ride my bicycle to work in the morning and have to change when I get there. It is not so hot, but you sweat ALL THE TIME! There are times when I am sitting in our air conditioned office and I still sweat. I can't wait for Fall. I am told it is much more comfortable.








Elin and her friend Takako Mitani san went to Penny Lane Bakery which obviously is a Beatles themed bakery. The connection between the Beatles and Bread? .... I have no idea. Denny is standing next to Takako's children Lisa and Emma. They spent a lot of time in the US - maybe 6+ years if I remember right. They also have a son named Yuki. They took us camping as you will see below. Their English is unbelievable. It is nice to speak English, but it is a crutch at the same time.




This is a picture from inside the bakery. If you look close, there is bread shaped like a peace sign... and Takako, of course.










This is Elin trying look like she is walking along with the Beatles in the Abbey Road Cover. It might of worked if they were about 1.5 feet taller.








Elin and Kate Hughes at the 'Wive's Night Out'. Every month, the spouses get together. Unfortunately, it was on the same night as a work drinking party, but Elin committed first. It was a Wednesday so usually drinking parties on Wednesday are not that good of an idea anyway.





We have a Kirin Beer factory in Takanezawa. They are closing soon but we are not sure why. Elin thinks it is due to the economy. They needed a dolly to haul all that beer back home.

The other children in the picture are Liam and Colleen Hughes. They go to the same school as Savannah. Liam is in the 5th grade which is amazing. Colleen is in the third grade which is about how far savannah will make it.


Elin had to go to her driving practice this Thursday so I had a half day off. I also had Friday off for her actual test as a free-bee, no vacation needed. Anyway, we went to our favorite ramen shop - She She ramen (shay shay ramen). It is a little mom and pop shop. They always gush over us when we go there.

Before our food came, they brought out two stag beetles. They asked if I could go to the dollar store and buy a container so they could give me one. I said I would. By the end of the meal, we walked out of the shop with both beetles and the container to boot... everyone is so incredibly nice to us. They eat vegetable and these funny things that they sell at the store that look like jello shots. They sell a similar product for kids... mental note, must not mix. I have to admit, they creep me out. I had to clean their box so I had to pick them up. They have little grippers on their legs that grab on to you and they won't let go. When you get them off of your hands, they grab onto the box so you can't get them in. It took me 10 minutes to get them back in the box.



Camping in Nasu. :



We took this picture as we were driving through a small town on the way to the campground. We thought the lights hanging over the street looked like UFO's. Yeah, we're weird.







This was the campsite. There were a lot of trees, but we had a sunny spot... temporarily. The tent on the left is the one we borrowed. The gigantic tent belongs to the Mitani's. About 6;30, it started to rain and the zipper on our door broke. there was a lot of water in the tent even though we tried to use towels to divert it. All 9 of us ended up sleeping in the big tent. We were thankful that they had such high level equipment.

We bought snack packs for all the kids. Denny's had what looked to be onion rings so of course, he made rings of them.

One of the activities at the campground was Superball fishing. They dumped about 5000 (no joke) superballs into the pool. The kids had to fish them out with a net. We think there were three heart shaped balls. If you got one, you got a prize.

Elin and Takako san used 'strategery' and set up on the bridge.






On the way back to the campsite, I tried on Savannah's goggles... and that was only after 2 beers. Needless to say, there were more back at the campsite.




This is what started to roll in behind us about 6:00 or so. It didn't look too bad, but it got worse.





I took our grill so we could make yakiniku (grilled meat). I think we had beef, chicken, pork, shrimp and hot dogs. Other than deer, it covered the based for the meat group. We also made yakisoba (noodles, vegetables and pork). Yakisoba is popular at cook-outs.



The Mitani's and the Parker's with BEvERages.






And yes.... THEY HAVE BINGO HERE!!! They played 4 games. Between us, we had 9 cards for each game and didn't win a thing. We were told that Coleman actually sponsors this campground so all the prizes were Coleman related - 2 Coleman camp chairs, a Coleman camp table, Coleman bicycle, etc. I don't know what it is about bingo, but I always want to win. Savannah has the same affliction. No skill involved, but I want to win.

In Japanese style, this was the box that you reached in and grabbed a specific color for the corresponding prize. We just happened to be standing right next to it. The first time they opened it, all I could think of was Pulp Fiction. All Pulp Fiction fans must enter a comment.


Once again... Denny being Denny. Mitani san made curry for breakfast and Denny proceeded to dab his spoon all over his face. Maybe he thought he was still playing bingo. He is lucky he didn't hit himself in the eye.



This is a picture of the common area tent that they had. When the rain came, that is where we spent our time in the evening. During a potty break, I took a video clip at night from inside the dining tent. We sat with our backs to the mesh so we were only wet on one side.

Overall, it was one of the best times I have had here so far. By the way, for those that camp, the sight was 7200 yen ($72) for one night. Honestly, it was worth every yen.

Reiko Sensei tried to take a photo of the family at the beer factory (I DIDN'T GET TO GO!!!). Unfortunately, it was on video. I thought it was cute so I downloaded it. I can't tell you how many times this has happened to me. Usually, I delete the files in frustration.

Denny riding his bike on our street.

And yes, Savannah's body finally decided it was time to learn balance. We practiced for a while before rainy season, but stopped. Last week, she wanted to try her bike. She got on and pedaled away. Elin said she was stunned. We now ride to the store and other places together.



Denny on the monkey bars at the park by our house.



Savannah doing her famous flips



Campsite at night that I mentioned earlier.



Superball fishing.