I realized that if I didn't get started blogging about my cousin's visit soon, my sister would arrive, and then I'd be so behind I'd never catch up, so my strategy is to use the e-mails that my cousin wrote as part of my blog to get started, and then add my comments and pix. SO . . . if you're in the "family loop" and have already read her e-mails, much of this will be rehash to you. I'm not going to try to make this chronological, but will at least hit the highlights. I'll put Paula's writing in blue, and leave mine in black. On with the blog:
First quote from my cousin, Paula:
The girls and I are visiting my cousin Rob who is teaching English at a private church school here in Utsunomiya, about 100 km north of Tokyo. About a 2 1/2 hour ride by car, or 50 minutes on the shinkansen, or bullet train. We've been here a week & go home next Wed. Aug. 8. The first few days we explored the area around his apartment on foot & by bus. Really enjoyed the narrow streets that pass for roads here that would barely be alleys back home, all the bicyclists everywhere & the tiny funny cars. They have tons of auto makes that we've never heard of, mostly Honda, Toyota & Nissan of course. Things like the Mazda Bongo, the Toyota Spado, & many more. Lanes are ridiculously narrow & the first day my cousin rented a tiny car, he was rather nervous navigating the wrong side of the road in the tiny car with drivers who think missing you by 3 inches is perfectly acceptable. But before long he was driving faster so he must've been more comfortable. The car was expensive so we only used it for a day & a half, driving to a local area with the oldest wall carvings in Japan... they found pottery & even a skeleton that date to the very earliest human settlements in Japan. The next day we drove to Nikko, a town with the most beautiful & lavish temple in Japan. One gorgeous building after another, I'll try to remember to send pics. We also drove up to Chuzenji-ko (Lake Chuzenji), gorgeous mountain lake with another charming little town. The "coffee shop" had small table low to the ground with low chairs.
Yeah, all of the above was great. It was pretty strange driving the rental car at first-Paula's daughters, Laura & Caitlin, were sitting in the back and right before we left the parking lot I said that I needed maximum concentration, so no fighting, shouting, or other distracting behavior was allowed. They did great, and we had a smooth driving experience. I asked Paula to be the navigator, using a combination of the road signs, local English language map, and in-car navigation system (which was, of course, in Japanese, but still useful for the graphics). We mostly did okay, but did get lost in town while looking for a park I wanted to show them, which just ended up being a scenic tour of the suburbs of Utsunomiya . . . Nikko is an amazing, beautiful place. We walked along the river above some famous waterfalls for a short hike, and took loads of pictures. While we were there, a traditional Japanese celebration was occurring, and costumed dancers and musicians were traveling around the area in a special truck. I'll stop here, upload some pictures, and continue next time.
