Crocs

We found a little Croc person! Oh, Japan.

Gelato

We found a gelato stand on our outing, and they had flavors we had never seen before! They had sweet potato, corn, mint, spinach, and a few others. We tried the corn flavor and it was really good! It had corn shredded up very fine in it, and there was just a faint taste of corn. It tasted mostly like vanilla, actually. Yum!

Mt. Fuji

We got to meet the king of Japan over the weekend. Mt. Fuji is astounding! I've had dozens of chances to get a look at it from several different areas of Japan, but every single time it was too cloudy and hazy to see. It eluded me for 3 months. We stayed in a cabin by a lake at the base of the mountain, and arrived at night, so we still couldn't see it when we got to the cabin. I was determined to view it in the colors of the morning, and since this is the land of the rising sun, I headed out at 4am with my camera to meet the king. I was not disappointed! There it was, fully exposed in all its glory, and the top half was glowing pink from the sunrise. The snow near the summit popped with color. I was stunned and could not get enough pictures. The lake we stayed at has swans all over the place, and being up close with these huge white birds with the pink mountain in the background was one of the best experiences ever, and was definitely one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen in my life. It was magical.

We walked along the lake, having fun with the swans, and ran into a momma duck with her tiny babies! Those ducklings were lightning fast and were zipping all over the shallow waters, poking at the mud. That was a delight!

Waiting so long to see Fuji was so worth it! The mountain and the area around it is so far my favorite place in Japan!

The cabin we stayed in.

Remember to Floss!

This little deer is on the front of a dentist office near our house. I loved that it had toothpicks for antlers!

More Island Adventures

I suppose all of our adventures are island adventures.... this one was on a small one though! We visited Enoshima, which is a little piece of heaven. Although there is a walkway built to get to the island nowadays, throughout history when the tide was out, the water would be so low that a natural land bridge would link Enoshima to the mainland. They have ancient Japanese artwork depicting the land bridge displayed. There is a shrine on the island as well as hiking trails, a botanical garden, lots of dragon statues, and a few shops and restaurants. We got there in the late afternoon and went up in the Sea Candle, which is an observation tower with excellent views of the bay and mountains, including Fuji. You can also explore sea caves by candle light!

We ate dinner on the island at a wonderful place hanging on the cliffs. We ate on the deck, out over the water, as the sun went down and a cruise ship lazily drifted by. We will definitely be going back!

The Sea Candle

A water faucet in a bathroom!

Little Birds

We found these adorable little bird statues that were wearing crocheted shawls and hats! I loved them and wanted to bring them home! Japan is full of cute stuff like this tucked into secret corners that take you by surprise.

Camel Ridin'

While at the zoo, we got to ride camels! I actually got to ride a camel when I was 7, but I did it again! It was a first for Jonathan! He loved it. We both got to kiss the camel too!