The Williams Family Adventure

Mt. Fuji

2008-08-15T02:32:00.000-07:00

We began our ascent on Mt. Fuji on August 9th at 7:00 p.m. We started climbing Yoshidaguchi Trail, one of the many routes at the base of the tallest mountain in Japan. Climbing Mt. Fuji, a 12338 foot dormant volcano, at night is the traditional way to climb. I had read that it would be crowded, but nothing prepared us for the amount of people on the mountain that night. Earlier in the day, the weather had been very rough. Mt. Fuji had experienced strong thunder storms and even hail. An elderly man had been struck by lightening earlier and killed. But as we began our climb, the clouds parted, the stars twinkled and the thin air cooled as we climbed and began what would become a twelve hour hike to the summit.

This picture begins to capture the crowds of hikers ascending the mountain. At times, we perched on lava stones only to hold the position for a minute before being able to push up and gain sure footing. It went on like this for many hours. I wasn't prepared for some of the steep climbs and rough terrain. As we neared the huts that lined the trails, the rocks were cut into steps and the climb, although difficult was less treacherous.

Here a man burns a symbol into our hiking sticks. At each hut you could pay 200 Yen for a burn. The burns climbed up the stick as we continued to reach new heights. We didn't pass up a single burn! At the end of our hike we had good looking sticks! The important burn, of course, being the summit mark! Monks at the top stamped our stick, too. Because we hiked at night, we were able to get a special Sunrise stamp as well! Our stamps were coveted possessions!

3100 meters is approximately 10,170 feet. We were worried about the altitude. Luckily for us, it didn't bother us. We brought oxygen just in case, but didn't need it. We saw many people unfortunately, along the way, using oxygen and feeling the affects of altitude sickness.

No kidding, this is what the side of the mountain looked like. Many times along the trail, we had to climb similar paths. Don't try to adjust your picture, that is a vertical shot!

The crowds at the huts made it difficult to rest. At one point, Steve and I found a spot along one of the hut's benches, only to be told to get up and move as it was saved for another group!

This is Bob, our sponsor here. We had made it finally, to the 8th station. We were greeted by a large red Tori.

Play for a hysterical account of our feelings 3/4th of the way up!

As sunrise approached a hurried and determined emotion fell over all of us hiking. We knew the sun was coming, and we still had a bit to go to the summit. The crowds made it impossible to hike at our own pace making it very frustrating to stand stagnate on the trail as the sun inched its way to the horizon.

As the sun approached, everyone on the path, perched themselves precariously on a lava rock and readied their cameras.

The sun rising in the Land of the Rising Sun. A breathtaking and beautiful sight.

It was all worth it!

After the sun rose, we still had an hour hike to the summit. If we could have gone at our own pace, it probably would've take 20 minutes. The crowds were unbelievable. We were one happy couple to have made it at last!

Perched on top of the clouds! Amazing views!

The crater was unbelievable. It still had snow! It was cold!

A path led around the entire crater. We opted NOT to walk it. Maybe next time!

Bob says it all without saying anything at all! We were tired. At this point we had been up all night with no sleep. It had taken about 12 hours to hike to the summit. It took us another 3 hours to make the steep and excruciating descent! We went about 33 hours with no sleep! We were a bit dazed and giddy!

We made it! All in all, it was just a surreal experience. It was amazing to see young and old, men and women making the trek up Japan's famous peak. I can see why Mt. Fuji is such a revered and sacred Mountain. The views from the top were amazing and the experience of watching the sun rise from that elevation is just unrivaled! Steve and I had a great time. (Well, now that the pain in my thighs is gone, I can say that!)

Izu Peninsula

2008-07-23T02:49:00.001-07:00

We visited the Izu Peninsula. It was a beautiful beach trip. We had a wonderful time relaxing and enjoying the sights of the coast of Japan. The trip lasted two days! The first day we arrived at a beautiful white sand beach. It was an overcast day and we had the beach practically all to ourselves. The water was a little cold, but after we got in, it was quite refreshing.

This is the veiw from our hotel room. At night we stayed at the Hanamisaki Hotel. A fish market was located right outside the hotel. We had some delicious and very fresh sushi!
The girls showered and dressed in the hotel's yukata, the summer kimono. They also enjoyed trying all the snacks left for us in our room. Our room was a traditional Japanese style room. It consisted of one room with four futons on a tatami mat. It was fun, but a little hot. Steve enjoyed watching Sumo wrestling sitting directly in front of the air conditioner!

On the second day, we visited a beach at Tsumekizaki which is famous for its beautiful landscape of beaches amongst a rocky coast and a lighthouse situated on the tip of the cape. Here the beach was a little rockier than the first day, but the girls enjoyed critter catching. They filled their buckets with hermit crabs and small fish. Gracie and I even caught a star fish! We went snorkling and rock climbing. Located right next to a beach was a seaweed farm. It was interesting to see the women coming in from the ocean with big straw baskets on their backs filled with seaweed. After they collected the seaweed, they spread it like mulch on the hot rocks. A farmer next to the beach was cultivating his land and there were rows of Aloe plants growing. Our guide picked one, and we all enjoyed spreading its healing pulp on our sunburned skins.

We all experienced for the first time, public baths! Luckily for us, no one else from the public was there when we went! Thank goodness. The water in the bath was so hot! One thing about Japan, lots of hot springs! It was a little smelly (sulfuric), but it was a nice chance to get cleaned up from the beach. Steve was not so lucky, he acutally had to share his time with local Japanese men. We also had a public bath at the hotel, but opted for our private shower in our room! One public bathing experience is all we need! Hahahahaha!
Konichiwa!

Gracie loves digging in the sand.
Madeline and Gracie get used to the cool water! Jump in, Mad! This was Shimoda beach. It had a few lovely snack shacks right on the beach. Steve and I enjoyed their beverages! The girls enjoyed the shaved ice drinks!

This is the beach at Tsumekizaki. As you can see, we needed to wear our shoes to protect our feet from the rocks.
Snorkeling! Oh yeah!

I left the snorkelers for a small hike up a mountain to visit the lighthouse. I was rewarded by breathtaking veiws of the coast.

Beautiful coast.

We loved our trip to the beach so much that we've planned another trip for Labor Day! Something about the salty air and the waves crashing against the sand...no matter what coast, Atlantic or Pacific, it just melts away your cares and replenishes the peace! Sayonara for now!

We made our own sushi!

2008-07-06T03:58:00.000-07:00

We're very proud of our new found ability to make delicious sushi! We call this Tammy Tuna Tataki! I made a spicy tuna mixture. Steve made delicious sushi rice and perfected the rolling of the sushi and we all perfected the eating! It was great! Soya move over!

Star Festival in Hiratsuka

2008-07-06T03:24:00.000-07:00

They sold gold fish by the spoon full! Wow! We let the girls get some at another stand...they were gold fish of a plastic kind! My kind of low maintenance pet!
Kimonos mixed in with modern...
Lots of people!

Streamers galore! The streets were decorated with hundreds of streamers!

Fish on a stick!

This man is making eel on a stick. Steve got some and it was wrapped up beautifully! It tasted okay. Steve really liked it!

We joined an estimated 300,000 people to celebrate the Star Festival. Romantic folklore says that once there were two lovers who only paid attention to one another and ignored their work. As punishment, the Emperor of the galaxy separated them and placed them on opposite sides of the Milky Way. The Star Festival celebrates the only day of the year that the "love stars" come together. We arrived at the festival midday to see streets lined with food stores galore. There was meat on a stick, potato on a stick, cucumber...on a stick, hot dogs on a stick....you name it...it came on a stick! We tried as much as we could! We finally, ended up in a lovely cafe (as much to get out of the heat and crowd as anything) and had a delicious sampling of fruit tarts and pie! Yum! It is a good thing we did a lot of walking!

Disney Sea

2008-07-06T02:50:00.000-07:00

We had a great trip to Disney Sea! It reminded us a lot of Busch Gardens because of its Old World themes. There were many great rides and except for the Tower of Terror, we all went on them all! We enjoyed journeying to the center of the earth, helping Indiana Jones out on his wild adventure and even seeing Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid's Blue lagoon!

Steve and our friend Terry wanted to wet their whistle! What's new?! hahahahaha. Madeline and Gracie enjoyed posing for the camera.

Love those Minnie Mouse ears!

This volcano really erupted! Cool!

Inside the Little Mermaid's Lagoon.

We rode a cool subway with Micky Mouse shaped handles! It was a great day! We really enjoyed it! We even think we like it better than Disney Tokyo!

Shinjuku

2008-04-06T03:50:00.001-07:00

The park was a melting pot for all kinds of performers. We enjoyed many of the small bands that played anything from reggae, jazz, Japanese Pop, to 50's swing!
Gracie and Madeline pose for the camera.

See what we mean by "wicked style?"

This guy really enjoyed the hugs!

Elvis rockers? We're not sure, but they use A LOT of hair spray!

Sometimes we just have to take pictures of the signs. Lost in translation...

Can you spot the Americans?

Way up high!

Gwen Stefani really meant what she said when she sang about the Harajuku Girls on her last album. They do have some "wicked style" to say the least. We went to the Shinjuku Shopping District today and walked the famous Harajuku street. We visited Yoyogi Park much like New York City's Central Park. Needless to say...it was quite an experience as the pictures will show. Tokyo is a densely populated city. At times, I shuffled my feet an inch at a time because that was all the room I had to move in the sea of people. The park was an awesome blend of cultures, smells, sights, and sounds. We went into one of the buildings, Tokyo Metropolitan Government building, and from the 45th floor we had a view of the city and park from above. What an awesome sight. Madeline was a little put off by the height. You just can't believe how many buildings, streets, and houses there are. The park is like an oasis of green against all the steel and concrete. We found many photo opportunities! What an experience.

Cherry Blossom Festival

2008-04-06T02:59:00.000-07:00

One of the most beautiful sites on Zama are the hundreds of cherry trees that blossom pink and white clouds of spring every April. It is absolutely breathtaking. On one of the hills there are at least fifty trees. When the wind blows, it appears to be snowing, as little white petals sprinkle down from the trees and fall in drifts on the grass. The festival brought Americans and Japanese out on a windy but sunny day. We enjoyed listening to the drummers in the outdoor auditorium. We munched on naan (Indian bread) and curry, yakisoba (Japanese fried noodles) and some kind of curry potato vegetable pocket! Yum! It was a great day!

Zama Tsunamis First Swim Meet!

2008-02-23T19:01:00.000-08:00

Madeline and Gracie both swam in a relay! It was Gracie's first relay! She was the first in the pool with her speedy backstroke. Madeline swam the 100 meter Freestyle. She did a great job! It was her first 100! I think if she builds her endurance up, she'll be a force to be reckoned with!

We had our first swim meet this week at Atsugi Navy Base. There were four teams that competed! The two Navy teams were huge compared to our little team of 12! But, our team had a ball and I was hoarse after a day filled with screaming and cheering! The girls did a great job and we had a lot of fun. Next month, we'll compete against an international team! Hopefully, our suits will come in! We did have fun wearing our swim caps and jackets! Steve drew tsunamis on all the girls' backs!

I can't wait to see their times! I think they have improved a lot from this past summer. Madeline was competing against 12 and 13 year olds and holding her own! They both look so good in the water!

Tokyo Disney!

2008-02-22T02:13:00.000-08:00

I thought the sign was pretty funny! It is a small world after all!

Over the three day weekend, we decided to take a trip to Tokyo Disney. This was the girl's first experience at a Disney theme park. I haven't been since I was Madeline's age and Steve says he remembers going with his grandparents many many years ago. There were many of the same sights, sounds, foods and rides that Disney goers know and love. We had a great time. It was a little cold and crowded, but the girls were thrilled! We went with our friends: Terry, Anna, and Layla. Layla is in my class. She loved hanging out with the girls.

We ate dinner at the Blue Bayou. It was located inside the Pirates of the Caribbean Ride. It was pretty cool. The ride we all loved the best was Space Mountain. We waited 90 minutes to take the 3 minute roller coaster ride. But it was worth it to hear the girls screaming with fright and glee the entire ride! I took a picture of some of the people in line. The one thing I noticed was that everyone had on headbands, funny Micky hats or other silly souvenirs. The girls had to get some warm hats to keep them nice and toasty in the brisk air. Gracie enjoyed being silly in her hat all day long!

Happy Birthday Gracie!

2008-02-16T00:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to Gracie! I can't believe she's 8!

Gracie's 8th Birthday!

2008-02-15T23:33:00.000-08:00

Gracie turns 8! Wow! To celebrate we had a rock star party...perfect for our littlest Diva! They had fun decorating

guitars. Check out Gracie's name in Katikana (sp?)...a form of Japanese writing used to write the sounds in Gracie's name! Her friend, Sera wrote it for her! They played Dance Dance Revolution, had a Diva Dance Walk (similar to music chairs) and topped it all off with yummy cake and lots of sodas! Even Clara and Clancy got in the fun. They had to sport back stage passes to be a part of the fun. Clancy, the ol' man that he is, got a little tuckered out! Too much rockin' for him! :)

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

2008-02-02T17:05:00.001-08:00

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Our first big snowfall came this morning! Gracie did the snow dance a few days ago...it must have been a delayed reaction! The kids had a ball! Above: Emily, Madeline, Natalie, Gracie, and Katie. "The girls" had a great time building a snowman! Complete with golfball eyeballs, pepper mouth and chili pepper nose! Clara was a little spooked by it all, but enjoyed running circle after circle and barking at the newest member of the girl group! Clancy took it like an old man! He enjoyed making yellow snow! hahahaha !

China Town

2008-01-05T04:15:00.000-08:00

We decided to go to China Town today! WHAT an experience. In the pictures above, we had an interesting time looking at the million restaurants. I love the way they show their menus! We tried many things at the street corner shops. I've never had so many dumplings in all my life, but boy were they good. We even stopped to have our hands massaged! Me too! The lady said I had a tense back (maybe it was just my stress of having my hand pressed on....hahahaha). The ladies told us about all the pressure points in our hands. Too interesting! There were tons of people and many temples. We visited one, but couldn't learn too much about it...all the writing was in Japanese or Chinese...unfortunately we were not able to tell. There was a lot going on for the New Year's celebration. We were hoping to see a parade, but we might have missed it! We decided to buy a steamer and some Chinese bread dumplings! Dad, I KNOW you would like these! All in all it was a fun day! We'll have to go back...if anything for those yummy dumplings!

Madeline's 10th Birthday party!

2007-12-28T19:51:00.001-08:00

We all had fun at Madeline's Gingerbread Party! All except the little man! hahahaha! The kids decorated gingerbread houses and made gingerbread ornaments! Madeline had a lot of fun and really enjoyed being with friends! I can't believe she's 10!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-28T19:29:00.001-08:00

Here's a little video from the girls and me. Don't look too closely, we did not take our showers yet! Hahahaha!

Christmas Day in Japan! Santa Found us!

2007-12-28T19:17:00.000-08:00

Santa found us all the way on the other side of the earth! It was fun watching Santa Tracker this year! He came to us first! Madeline and Gracie had fun opening their many presents! They even got presents from Rudolph, Mrs. Claus, and the Bumble! Clara and Clancy got tennis balls from Donner and Blitzen! What nice reindeer! We had a great day. We missed all our friends and family back home, but it felt good to celebrate as a united family this year!

Halloween Night! What a fright!

2007-11-03T00:38:00.000-07:00

Oh yeah! I'm a cheerleader! Oh Yeah!
No, I'm a soldier!

No, I'm a cheerleader! I'm mysterious!
ooooooooooooh! Midnight fairy and cheerleading chick! What a team!
Precious!
Scary!
Happy Halloween!

Ueno Park

2007-11-03T00:22:00.001-07:00

The girls on the train to Ueno Park.
Overlooking the beautiful "pond." It was filled with lillies. We'll go back when they are in bloom. It is supposed to be spectacular.
The city in the distance.

Our own little monkey!

It took us about an hour and a half to get to Ueno Park by train. When we got there it was an amazing oasis of trees and people in Tokyo. We saw some pretty interesting characters performing in the park. They liked choosing Americans as their subjects, so we didn't stay too long! :) We saw a blimp flying high in the Tokyo sky. The girls found a shady park to play at. It was a great day!

Our trip to Ueno Zoo in Tokyo!

2007-11-02T23:57:00.000-07:00

Queens of the Jungle!
Gracie? Madeline? Quit monkeying around!
I had to take this picture! This is a class of Japanese Kindergarteners. They were at the zoo on a field trip. The walked in precious pairs, holding hands and very well behaved! Wow!
Photo op #9,788!
Cool Gorillas. The Japanese have a T.V. show highlighting the fashion tastes of one of the Ueno Zoo Gorillas. We saw one that had a blanket. He wrapped it around his waist. Apparently, he liked to change his clothes for the newest fashion.

The girls loved all of the photo opportunities! And there were plenty...just keep scrolling down! hahahahaha!
An elephant! Our favorite!
The animals were very close at this zoo. It was amazing! This polar bear was a little too close!
More photo opportunities!
Again, more photo opportunities!

A last family photo op!

My kitchen in my classroom!

2007-08-15T03:05:00.000-07:00

Off of my classroom is my very own kitchen! Well, actually, I share it with the other Kindergarten teacher! We have a dishwasher, a stove, a sink, a full microwave, a full size refrigerator and tons of cabinets!
Wow! Look at the storage for files! I'm in heaven!
How am I going to fill up those cabinets?
Another view!
My desk! Looking out into my classroom!

More of my new classroom...

2007-08-15T03:00:00.000-07:00

Here are the sinks in my classroom! Wow! 3!

Here is the bathroom IN my classroom! Two sinks and two toilets! Wow!
The computers...

My new classroom!

2007-08-15T02:28:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of my new classroom. It is fabulous. There is storage everywhere! I've started decorating...but still have some way to go. I wish I had all my stuff. Now I'll just have to make or get (amazon.com) more! HAHAHAHAH! I must say, this classroom has more furniture than I know what to do with!

Driving in Japan

2007-08-14T04:14:00.000-07:00

These are some more pictures of outside the gate. The roads are very narrow. I still "white knuckle it" every time I drive. To the right is the gate I use when traveling to school. It is a straight shot, but there are some tight areas. I slow down and go about 5 miles per hour. I'm not sure the local Japanese drivers appreciate it but I really don't want to take out a bicyclist if I can help it! :) hahahaha

2007-08-14T04:09:00.000-07:00

The happy family! The girls are doing well. They are in day camp and it has given them a chance to meet some new friends, see their new school and go see the sights of Japan! They miss their friends back home though. Gracie talks about Madison and Madeline misses her friends, cousin Jessica and McKinzie.

2007-08-14T03:24:00.000-07:00

Here is the outside of our house. We are connected to three other units. But, we are on the end and have a very private patio that the former tenants must have installed. We also have a nice covered front patio with a storage closet and gate. The back yard, although shared by others, is giant. The dogs have really enjoyed frisbee catch back there. Off in the back a set of stairs takes you down to a lovely park complete with fish pond, children's playground, grill area and large field. We feel very fortunate to have been offered this house. Our neighbors are a mixture of army and civilians. In fact, the principal of the high school lives at the end of our unit. The golf course is right above us and occasionally, we have found a few balls in the yard. Steve is teaching the girls how to decipher good balls from bad! Hahahaha!

Our New Home!

2007-08-14T03:19:00.000-07:00

All in all the house it not too shabby. It isn't Williamsburg, but it's our home. The army has supplied us with furniture for now. Hopefully, we'll get our stuff in September. Gracie has a bunk bed and she is thrilled! Steve is missing his gas stove though but he's cooked some pretty good dishes!

Our New Home!

2007-08-14T03:17:00.000-07:00

Our New Kitchen! We acutally feel lucky because we do have some storage! I should have brought more stuff! hahahahaha!

Authentic Japanese Cuisine

2007-07-23T21:20:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed our first night out on the town. We went to a small restaurant. The tables were as big as your average coffee table but half the height. It was pretty funny seeing 6'3" Steve sitting crossed legged! hahahaha. The cushions on the floor helped a bit, but we were laughing when we had to stand again. We also had to leave our shoes at the door in small little cubbies. The dining area was upstairs and the kitchen was downstairs. We ordered a sesame chicken salad and some dumplings that I can't quite pronouce just yet! It was pretty good. I liked the dumplings the best. The girls really enjoyed it! They especially liked the small colas in glass bottles! The only hitch...if you stayed longer than an hour, you had to pay a table charge...200 YEN extra. No dawdling here. It's down to business, eat and move out! hahahaha

Interesting Menu

2007-07-23T21:18:00.000-07:00

This is how the Japanese show you their menu. They are tiny replicas of the dishes they have and it's all made out of plastic! It was too funny and a great visual. Luckily for us, the Japanese use a lot of picture representations to inform. That's great for us!

Some comforts of Home

2007-07-23T21:14:00.000-07:00

Some comforts of home. Even if I didn't eat from these places a whole lot in America, it's nice to know I can always get some good ol' American Comfort Junk Food! hahahah

2007-07-22T19:20:00.000-07:00

This is Dewey Park. The girls played and made new friends with two precious Japanese girls. The girls were a little shy about trying the language. We'll have to get them some lessons pronto. It was a beautiful park just a mile or so from our hotel room.

2007-07-22T19:16:00.000-07:00

The pups have to stay in a kennel until we get housing. They look forward to seeing us. They were no worse for the ware but glad to be out of the crate. They traveled in crates for over 24 hours. Clancy was a little mad at me at first, but he's getting over it. And we are happy to report that Clara has gotten over her stage fright of pottying on a leash! Whew! What a relief!

2007-07-22T19:12:00.000-07:00

From the top of the hill on Zama you can see distant mountain ranges. It is a little hazy now, due to the rainy season, but eventually we should be able to spot Mt. Fuji. We are going to go there next week with our sponsor to an amusement park. I've also learned that there is an outlet mall with over 200 stores (American known). I'll have to check into that. Shopping has always been a good cure for what ales me! hahahahaha!

Distant City

2007-07-22T19:09:00.000-07:00

This is the view from the top of the hill. In the forefront is the golf course. In the distance is the city of Sagimahara. It is densely populated. I'm itching to get out and explore. I think we are going on a train tonight. I will take more pictures...

Camp Zama Golf course

2007-07-22T19:04:00.000-07:00

A beautiful view of the golf course. The golf course takes up about half of Camp Zama. We helped a Japanese golfer retrieve his ball. He was very appreciative. I walk there with the dogs often. I'll have to learn how to say, "Your ball is over here!" in Japanese! hahahah. Dad, I hope you are not jealous. Steve and I are waiting to play. I wonder when our clubs will arrive?

2007-07-22T18:59:00.000-07:00

This is where we are staying. We are on the second floor. It is a little small, but hopefully we will be in our own house soon.

Even the Japanese need a little grubbage after hours! This was a funny sight to see! Denny's in Japan. Who knew?

2007-07-22T18:57:00.000-07:00

I had to take this picture. This is a traditional Japanese toilet. You squat over it! There was another toilet in a different stall. It looked like it was straight out of the Starship Enterprise. If you pressed one button, it made sounds of a running toilet. There were many buttons, but I was laughing too hard to try them!

Our First view of Japan.

2007-07-22T18:55:00.001-07:00

This was our first sight of Japan. It was so beautiful and green. It is the rainy season now and it rains mostly in the morning getting hot and humid in the afternoon.

The Adventure Begins!

2007-06-22T14:05:00.000-07:00

Well, we are getting ready to begin our new adventure to Japan. I found out about this blog from Patty H. and Natalie. I am going to try to update it regularly to let everyone know how we are doing as we embark upon our new adventure and begin a new chapter in our lives!