monkeys

We hiked into the hills to see the famous snow monkeys at Jigokudani in Nagano Prefecture. Wild (?) monkeys come down from the mountainside to bathe in the natural hot spring.  I've heard in winter, more monkeys are bathing and have snow on their hair.  The monkeys seemed calm and didn't mind lots of people standing around.  Ariel was intrigued.

Shiga Kogen

We took a little mountain drive around Shiga Kogen, where some 1998 Nagano Olympic skiing events took place.  We stopped at a lake to walk around.

Ariel enjoyed lots of car sleeping on this trip.

settling in at our ryokan

Matsuya Ryokan in Shibu Onsen (near the snow monkey area) is a traditional Japanese Inn.  We were happy to change into our yukata (robes) and head downstairs to the hot spring.  Our hosts spoke English and knew some of our friends from Yokota.

Ariel was a natural at the ryokan procedures.  But she does like her technology.  She figured out how to play a Dora video on our ipod touch.

meeting Kim

We had a playdate with our friend Kim in Nagano city.  Kim and I met through IspeakJapanese.net, but this was the first time we met in person.  She and her husband are missionaries and have lived in Japan several years.  It was great to finally meet her!

Matsumoto

We visited Matsumoto in Nagano Prefecture.  It has a famous castle.  Ariel & I like the Japanese business hotels.  They're small, comfy, and cheap, with all the amenities we need.  Ariel gets a good rest before sightseeing.

 Matsumoto Castle

Nobody lived there.  It was just for show and shooting (and stoning anyone who tried to climb up), as far as I could tell.

 Ariel had a peaceful time, though.  She liked seeing pigeons and fish.  We also met lots of other tourists, including some from China and Thailand.  We had a picnic lunch.

Our volunteer tour guide, Yuki, took this photo.  She took us on a short tour inside the castle.

A snippet from our Nagano road trip

more to follow!

Nene's movies

We have a couple Japanese DVDs about cats. As far as I can tell, they're called "Nyanko: The Classic" and "Nyanko: The Movie 2".  There's no plot, I think, just video footage of Japanese cats set to music.  Nene  likes the movies.  Maybe it reminds her of living with many cats in the shelter most of her life.

smoothie time

 I'm experimenting with "green smoothies" in our new Vitamix.  It blends fruits & veggies into a very smooth, drinkable texture in 30 seconds.  My neighbor, Elizabeth, told me about hers and sold me on the idea.  Plus, I read it's popular for vegan and raw eating.  I haven't yet used all its capabilities (making warm soups - the motor warms the blender contents in a few minutes, chopping veggies in a few seconds, etc.)  I have two books: Live Fresh Recipes (from Vitamix for vegan & raw ideas), and Green Smoothie Revolution.

 Smoothie with carrot, nashi (Japanese pear), mysterious farmer's market greens

Ariel enjoys a blueberry-banana-collard greens smoothie.  I'm learning tricks to control the foam (adding flax seeds or another fat source does the trick.)



messy dinner cleanup

 We usually clean up at the kitchen sink.  It's fun.  She had a good dinner, including spaghetti and tomato sauce.

Rowan turns 2

Rowan was in Kindermusik with us last year.  Her daddy was deployed then.  Parents Dan and Heather are supportive friends.  Rowan's birthday party was a Teddy Bear Brunch.  Happy birthday, Rowan!

more playground pics

Lots of kids take their shoes off at this playground.  Ariel found a girl's sparkly flip-flops and walked around in them.

at the new playground

We have a few rennovated playgrounds by our house. This one is the biggest and most fun.

more from Tama Hills

pony ride!

 We went to a family fun day at Tama Hills.  As we stood in line for the pony ride, Ariel almost fell asleep.  I wasn't sure how she'd do, but she loved it.

around the house with the children

 Computer time is short these days, so I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

Hi to all of you!

Tama Zoo

 We took advantage of the nice weather and went to a nearby zoo.

 It's a very hilly zoo, and Ariel was more interested in walking the hills and goofing around than studying animals.

 part of the Insectarium

 So much for that!

 She wears her Anpanman shorts from Yoko every chance she gets.  Sadly, Yoko moved away, but hopefully she still checks our blog!

 Goats.  Most animals had names, and all these goats had nametags in Japanese.  One was named "Hime", which means "princess."



Ralph & Nene's first catnip party