I got up at 4:00 am to be in Chiba City by 8:20am. It was extremely cold out and I was anxious to get on the warm bust to Kimitsu. It was my first time to Kimitsu and honestly, I'd never heard of it before.
Our first stoop was tamago (egg) paradise. We went to a small stand that sells TKG burgers or Tamago Kake Gohan burgers. The buns are made of rice and egg, bacon, mayo and green onions made up the burger. It was delicious... a perfect breakfast sandwich.
Yummy TKG burger.
And here's the sound track we listened to while waiting for our burgers...
Next, we took a short and very cold walk around a local park next to Lake Kameyama. The scenery was beautiful. The leaves were yellow, red, orange and green. There were also several people braving the cold out on their boats fishing.
Walking over the bridge.
We were grateful to get back on the bus and head to our next stop -- a boat! Luckily, to our surprise, the boat came equipped with kotatsu (tables with heaters underneath). The boat ride on was relaxing and we floated along Lake Kameyama at a leisurely pace. Much of the surroundings reminded me of Matsushima.
The wonderful kotatsu and some of the ambassadors enjoying their TKG burgers.
Showcasing beautiful lake Kameyama.
Torii gate on the lake.
After the boat ride, we ate lunch. We ate at a wonderful restaurant/hot spring. We chose between nabe, tofu and fish. I ate the tofu which was delicious and came with its own soy and yuzu sauce. Of course, the only practical thing to do after lunch is to jump in the hot spring. It was my first time at a Japanese onset and I loved it! I will definitely do it again soon.
Our lunch spot.
Our view.
My tofu lunch set.
After our relaxing lunch we set off for a walking tour of Quruli. Quruli is a quaint town in Kimitsu known for its natural well water sourced from hundreds of meters underground. People come to Quruli to fill up their water bottles for drinking and cooking. We walked around the town and visited the different wells.
Natural well water.
Walking through the town.
Before we left Quruli, we stopped at a local sake distillery. The distillery uses the natural water to make its sake, so of course I had to buy some :)
Inside the sake distillery.
Our last stop of the day was Tokyo German Village. Tokyo German Village is a huge area of land with several attractions including a mini golf course, ferris wheel, doggie park and cute German style shops. However, we were there to see the annual winter illumination. Every year, Tokyo German Village showcases thousands of lights in a wonderful winter wonderland illumination. They even have a light show that is coordinated with music. This is the perfect place to bring the family and there were certainly lots of people there. My favorite part (besides the lights) is that you can buy German products, like foods and beers.
The ferris wheel at Tokyo German Village.
German goods shop.
Light and sound show.
Awesome bubble machine. This was a favorite among the kids.
Cool illuminated circus tent.
There was so much to see in Kimitsu and I definitely want to go back. Seeing the Tokyo German Village illumination was a great way to end an exciting day.
Yesterday, Gordon and I made a trip to Chiba city. We wanted to spend a relaxing day at Starbucks, reading and studying (Chiba has about 4 Starbucks within a mile radius). After the sun went down, we got a spectacular view of all the Christmas lights and decorations around the city. I wish the pictures did them justice.
Christmas trees and lights outside the SOGO department store.
Merry Christmas!
Small Christmas trees on the walk up to SOGO.
Beautiful white, silver, gold and blue decorations.
I love the snowflake ornaments!
Trees strung with lights near the Mitsukoshi department store.
The lights by the Mitsukoshi department store can be seen from above if you ride the Chiba Urban Monorail. If you have time I recommend stopping by Chiba Port Tower to see the impressive Christmas tree illumination. How often do you get to see a 100 meter tall Christmas tree? Here are the details:
Each year from late November to late December, a giant Christmas tree appears on the outside of Chiba Port Tower. Approximately 3,500 lights decorate the tower’s surface to create a 100 meter high, 30 meter wide Christmas tree about as tall as a normal 30 floor building. Lights will “snow” down on this tree, making for a festive mood.
Date: Friday, November 23 – Tuesday, December 25 Weekdays 17:00-20:00, weekends/holidays 17:00-22:00 ※Dec. 22-25 17:00-24:00
Place: Chiba Port Tower (1 Chiba-minato, Chuo-ku Chiba City)
Admission: 410 yen for adults, 200 yen for elementary and junior high school students, free for kindergarteners and younger
Access: 12 minutes by foot from Chiba Minato Station (Chiba Urban Monorail or JR Keiyo Line)
Nothing will bring out the kid in you faster than seeing Cinderella's castle, Mickey Mouse and smelling curry and soy sauce flavored popcorn.
Gordon and I planned a last minute trip (in under one week) to go to Tokyo Disneyland. Even though its called "Tokyo" Disneyland, its actually in Chiba prefecture, not far from Gordon and I. It has been on my Japan list of to-dos and we finally decided to bite the bullet and go. Fortunately we went during the regular season and not the peak season (can you say 3 hour line?) We also visited during Disney's Halloween time!
At the entrance to Tokyo Disneyland. Unfortunately, it rained all day, BUT the lines were a lot shorter :)
Brass band greeting us near the entrance in front of Cinderella's castle.
The light parade at night. I finally got to see Mickey and Minnie!
The rainy weather really worked to our benefit and drove away the large crowds. On average we waited in line for about 30 minutes. The longest wait was at Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters (our favorite ride). We waited about 50 minutes. It was worth it!
The next day we went to Tokyo Disneysea. This is considered the more "adult" park and has more roller coasters and attractions geared toward an older crowd. The weather was absolutely beautiful. We were grateful for no more rain! However, with the beautiful weather came the crowds.
Disneysea's entrance is set-up like an Italian villa. It has beautiful buildings and the only hotel, the Mira Costa, where you stay IN the park. Yes, you can watch the parade and fireworks from the comfort of your room!
Gordon and I at the Roosevelt Lounge.
Waiting in line at the Tower of Tower. Not so scary when your wearing Minnie ears.
One of the biggest attractions right now at Disneysea is Toy Story Mania... and that's just what it is... MANIA. Gordon and I would check on the line for the ride every once in a while and there was a consistent 3 hour wait for the ride. No thank you. Luckily, Gordon and I were wise and knew if we waited until the park was about to close, we'd have a shorter wait.
9:30 rolled around (the park closes at 10pm) and we decided to jump in line. At this point the wait was only 1 hour and 30 minutes. In typical Disney fashion, everyone who wanted to ride the attraction could even though we were going way past closing time.
To say that Gordon and I loved Toy Story Mania would be an understatement. This attraction has Disney magic on steroids and we were juiced! The ride is a basic point and shoot ride with a twist. You wear 3D glasses and shoot 3D objects. Your total is tallied on a scoreboard in front of you and you get to compete against your partner next to you. Not to mention the ride is longer than most of the rides at Disney, so the wait seems worth it. Let the record show that I totally swamped Gordon.
Toy Story Mania. When you walk into the attraction you feel like you've shrunk to the size of a toy. Don't you love the employees' outfits?
Tinker Toys... and a long line.
After we got off the ride. The park was slowly clearing out. No more lines!
Gordon and I really enjoyed our Disney adventure. Its certainly not for the faint of heart though. Be prepared to wait and wait some more. But you'll find the some attractions are well worth the wait!
Mt. Tsukuba is a famous mountain located north of us in Ibaraki Prefecture. Gordon and I have been wanting to climb it for the longest time. Its been taunting us on clear days in Tonosho when we can see its distinct double peaks. Well, on Sunday, we finally made it up to Mt. Tsukuba.
Mt. Tsukuba is 30 minutes outside of Tsukuba City, a city known for its science museums and space center JAXA (the Japanese version of NASA). It took us about 2 hours to drive to Mt. Tsukuba.
Mt. Tsukuba.
When we arrived at Mt. Tsukuba we were greeted by a giant, red torii gate and Tsukubasan Shrine.
The torii before the mountain.
Gordon at the entrance to the shrine.
Tsukubasan shrine.
Gordon and I decided to hike up the mountain (about a 1 1/2 to 2 hour climb) and ride the cable car down. The nice thing about Mt. Tsukuba is that it is very family friendly. If you want to hike it, you can or you can take the cable car or rope line. One complaint I've heard about Mt. Tsukuba is that its too commercialized and not as rugged and natural as other mountains, but I thought it was a great experience that people of any age can enjoy, not just the young, fit and healthy.
We started our hike on the Miyukigahara course around 10:15 am. We didn't know what to expect but we were assuming this hike wouldn't be as bad or as hard as climbing Mt. Fuji.
The Mikyukigahara Course. Let's go!
And so we began hiking. The course was very well laid out and was like climbing a series of rock and wooden steps. We kept a good pace and stopped every once in a while for water. Our only problem was the humidity and heat. Even though we had the shade of the trees, the humidity left us drenched in sweat 10 minutes into our hike. Gordon said "There's a smiley face on your back, Emily! Oh... that's the outline of your sport's bra". Yes. Thank you Gordon. That's the outline of MY SWEAT!
Beautiful tall trees surrounded us on our hike.
Gordon hiking along.
Rocks are no obstacle for me!
Climbing the convenient natural staircase.
Gordon washing off at a little mountain stream. The water was nice and cold.
1 and 1/2 hours later... we made it to the top!
We had no clue how much further we had until we reached the top because we couldn't read any of the signs on the trail, so we just kept hiking and following the people in front of us. Getting to the top was anticlimactic because we were unsure for the first minute or two whether or not we reached the top. Then we saw the view and knew we had made it!
Taking pictures of the view. I love the little boy at the binoculars :)
There were lots of restaurants and shops at the top.
The next thing on our to-do list was to hike to both peaks. We had made it to the middle of the top of the mountain but needed to conquer Nantaisan peak and Nyotaisan peak.
Shrine at the top of Nantaisan.
The view at the top of Nantaisan.
Shrine at the top of Nyotaisan.
Gordon looking at the view below.
Don't worry mom, we were careful not to fall!
Its a baybee Gordon and GIANT Emily. I had way too much fun.
We could see the ropeway from Nyotaisan.
Butterfly resting on a rock. There were so many bees and butterflies at the top of the mountain.
On the small bridge next to Nyotaisan shrine.
The view from Nyotaisan peak was definitely the best. Several people found a rock and just sat to admire the view for a while. There was a slight breeze and the sun felt great. Here's a video I took at the top of Nyotaisan:
After we visited both peaks, we went down to the center of the top and did some shopping and ate lunch. We chose a place that had a good crowd of people and attempted to read the menu outside. The man who sat us spoke a little English and recommended Tsukuba udon. A bowl of udon noodles with pork, chicken meatballs and vegetables in broth. We also ordered some beer to celebrate our ascent :)
Tsukuba udon. It was delicious!
The view from our restaurant. Not bad!
Reading up on Tsukuba.
The udon obviously didn't fill me up and I had to get some warm mochi that was cooking over some coals. YUMMY!
Mochi.
We decided to be lazy and take the cable car down the mountain. It was a fun, short 8 minute ride. We got to enjoy the mountain scenery from the comfort of a seat.
Here we go!
Getting off the cable car at the bottom of Mt. Tsukuba.
Gordon and I had so much fun at Mt. Tsukuba. Its definitely on our list of places to take friends/family if they visit. After our time on the mountain, we went to a nearby shopping mall, Iias. It is relatively new and had 3 floors of shopping and a movie theater. We shopped for a little while and then hung out at Starbucks. Whew! What a productive day!
