Karuizawa






















These are pictures taken from the bus window on the way to Karuizawa, our first real glimpse at the more rural Japan. This trip provided a nice breather from Tokyo, but was truly a beautiful area in it's own right. We were able to see a small waterfall, walk around a volcanic park, and visit an On-sen spa.

Our bus left at around 1, and it was to be a roughly 3 1/2 hour bus ride from dorm to dorm, and we were to stay from Saturday afternoon until Monday afternoon. We were treated to a varied meal in the dorm building (which is owned by the school) with the Japanese students who accompanied us, and then we were free to end the night however we desired. After a group trip to the 7-11 for snacks and drinks, a night of card/party games ensued. The next morning we were off to a small waterfall, with a nearby trail area as well.























below are pictures of the trail's "stairs of death", which were a bit challenging for our groggy bunch











Lunch was "master-crafted" soba noodles, which were apparently very good if you liked them at all. Sadly, many of us did not care for them in the slightest, myself included. They were cold, and the sauce smelled of preserved animal organs, ripe for student dissection. On to more pleasant things.

After lunch we went to Mt. Asama's volcanic park, which was spectacular, though we were given far too much free time for how hot it was there. In addition to the natural features, there were several Buddhist and Shinto shrines in the area to look at.






















After this trip we went to the On-Sen, that is the public hot spring bath. Yes, that kind. It was incredibly relaxing, and welcome after a couple of days of busing around and sleeping on beds even less comfortable than the ones at our main dorm. We left the spring weighing significantly less than when we got there (sauna was involved) and headed back to the dorm for a similar night to the first. The next day was essentially a strip-mall day, with some ridiculous clothing shops (The Bathing Ape Pirate Store, with a sign featuring, well, a pirate ape), and more importantly a bowling alley, where we spent most of our 3 hours. Then, sadly, it was time to head back.

The school week didn't provide anything particularly noteworthy, though we seem to be on our way to befriending this store owner how lives a couple of blocks away. One of the most "Japanese" moments so far was the purchase of a coffee cup which came with a Batmobile toy... that was a windup... and magnetic:

On a related note, Alrae has some of the best sayings, as evidenced by the end of the video.
Yesterday (Saturday), we went to the Tokyo Game Show, which was an enormous video-game convention. It took an hour and a half to get to it by subway, but it was well worth it. 3 huge halls filled with people and kiosks, with cosplayers left and right. It was a blast. I'll let the pictures talk for themselves.






















































I have to go now to get food before helping to carry a portable shrine for today's festival, I'll try to get some pictures of that as well. Later.