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Farewell Fujisan

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 Back in December of 2020 we went on a trip with MWR where we hiked Mt. Kasturagi. It was a hard hike for several reasons - it was long, it was steep, and it was raining. When we finally got to the top, we were disappointed because the fabulous view of Mt Fuji we were hoping to see was covered in clouds. I always vowed I would go back someday to see that view. We finally made it on our second to last weekend in Japan.  We looked at the weather forecast ahead of time and thought it would be a good day to go, but when we arrive in Numazu the clouds had rolled in and Fuji was no where to be seen. Hoping for better luck later in the day, we stopped to see a unique feat of engineering, the Numazu Port Water Gate. It was built in the early 2000s to help prevent flooding from tsunamis and typhoons. The gate can be dropped and, in conjunction with a seawall, it will stop the water from flowing inland to flood the low lying areas.  Both sides of the gate are open for people to go ...
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Fun day in Tokyo

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 We are starting to realize our opportunities to see things in Japan are almost over. One thing we really wanted to try was to go to one of the Disaster Prevention Centers. (There are at least 3 that I have heard of in the Greater Tokyo area) These centers are free to the public and are offered as a way to help residents of the area be aware of and prepare for a number of disasters that could strike at any time. The language barrier makes it a bit tough for me to understand everything, but I believe the centers are sponsored by the Tokyo Fire Department. The first part of the experience is a movie all about the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 which not only destroyed many buildings but caused a "Fire Tornado". After the movie, the group is divided into 4 smaller groups to visit 4 experience corners - Earthquake, Fire, Flood, Cyclone. No photography is allowed during the program, but I lucked out and found a video online that shows a group doing the experience just like we did....
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Thanksgiving trip to Beppu and Oita

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  We celebrated Thanksgiving this year in a very memorable and blended fashion! We planned a trip with our good friends, Chad and Sloan Guisinger that combined a traditional Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday with a quintessential Japanese get away to Oita and Beppu from Friday to Sunday. We started off our adventures by going to the Tokyo Temple (since Thanksgiving is not a Japanese holiday it was operating on its regular schedule!). This visit will likely be our last time in the Tokyo Temple. It was so lovely and peaceful and the perfect start to a day of Thanksgiving.(we actually took this picture AFTER we came out of the temple and changed our clothes - Kimball did not wear jeans to the temple) Every year the New Sanno Hotel hosts a Thanksgiving buffet. We have heard such good things about it that we just had to try it for our final Thanksgiving in Japan. But we had some time before our reservation so we  took the train to Otemachi to visit the Japan's first Giving Machine....
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