Cora, Girl's Night, Tsukui Beach and Hakone

Let's start off with a bang...Cora using my iphone's front camera to take pictures of herself while she watches:

I love you can see George and I in this one.

There were only about a gazillion more, but I had to just choose my favorites.  Crazy Cora.  Last week I wanted to get out of the house but didn't want to go far, so I decided to go South on the train.  We are only about 6 stops from the end of the line where it stops near the end of the peninsula so we always go North to where it is more populated and things are.  There are a few stops near the ocean so I packed a few sand toys, as I wasn't sure if there would be a beach, and went to the stop closest to the ocean and just happened upon Tsukui Beach.  It was BEAUTIFUL!  And it was a gorgeous day, so sunny and warm, and the sand was black and soft, and it was a lot of fun. 

At the train station, since I spend most of my time there I thought I needed a picture to document it.

A FARM!  Just outside the train station in Tsukui.

Another old man adoring my kids.  This one just happened to have a sucker and a hippo lego-figurine.  Creepy?

Vending machine with alcohol...very trusting.

Sherilyn and Kiedrik Voss our adventurous friends.

The kids were delighted and were very hard to get focus on taking a picture.

Can I say how much I love this picture...nom, nom, nom.

There were probably 8 wind surfers and 2-3 surfing shops across the street.

I found this bakery and asked if I could use their restroom since Cora had to go and the nice lady led me back to a tiny back room, where there was a tiny bathroom and was very doting of me.  It was so nice and helpful and such a cute shop!  I bought some chocolate bread, delicious.

This store sold fish and just right next to it was where they dried their fish in this netted box.  Looks terrible.

Just another shrine next to the station and farm.

There were 6 moms with their babies and strollers and it was nice to see us American's aren't the only one struggling with traveling with the kiddos in tow.

This was a toothless old man that was playing with Cora. 

We were at the front of the train and usually their are no windows to see out of, but I love that you could and right before a tunnel.

So ALL the Japanese kids have these backpacks called Randoserus and they are the cutest things ever so I found one at a consignment store (they are real leather and normally 20,000 Yen) and I found one for 1,300 Yen ($13) and so I BOUGHT IT!

And this one even has Marie from Aristocats!

 For a girl's night we went to Yokosuka and I was there by myself for an hour or so before we all met up and I just loved checking out the stores, the sites, everything without dragging the kids along!!

The Thai restaurant we ate at that I ordered something mild and it was extremely spicy.

Downtown Yokosuka at night.

 Kevin decided to build a castle out of the foam squares I bought for the kids, but they kept tearing it down so he decided to make them the castle.

Then this weekend was CRAZY, CRRAZZZY!!  We were hoping to spend the day in Tokyo and get a room at the DOD hotel, but there weren't any openings so we decided to make the trip to Hakone.  I had originally planned on making it a two day trip, but with so many things I want to do and money wise I decided to cut a few spots from the itinerary and just push for one day.  The Voss' decided to come last minute and we were slow getting out the door and then we just hit all the trains wrong (it is a 20 minute bus ride, an hour train ride with 2 transfers to Odawara and then another hour train ride to Hakone).  SO we didn't get our tour pass (which gets you on all the local transportation for free but you pay $40 upfront) until 1:00 p.m. and it is good for two days, but most of the things closed at 4:00 p.m. It is called the Hakone Circut and it consists of trains, cablecars, ropeways, pirate ships, and it is touristy place and is known for all of the natural hotsprings.  So we thought if we didn't hit any extra sites and just do the loop than we could finish it by four.  Well, it didn't quite work out that way.  By 3:00 we were still only a quarter of the way through so I called a friend with internet to look up a hotel and book us one, which she did, but couldn't get directions in English to tell us how to get there so I had to ask around and finally found a train guy that gave the best directions (however complicated they were) to us so we made it without getting lost.  BUT then there were no feasible food choices at the hotel and we were out of money!!  So we found an Indian restaurant that wasn't super expensive and was the most delicious food I have ever eaten and tried several convenience stores for ATMs, but none took USA cards (sure miss Europe where I never had a problem).  So the next morning I spent a good hour looking up 7-11 locations (note you must search 7 ELEVEN), but google maps didn't have any listed so I just web searched it and found one semi-close so we got some money, were able to buy food for starving children, a couple gave my friends some of their own formula packets because they didn't sell them at the store, and we were able to finish the circut and have quite the adventure!  The pictures below are out of order because some were from my camera and some from my friends, but too tired to correct it!

Odawara Castle!!!  So beautiful!  And we got to dress up for 200 Yen/adult and 100 Yen/kid.  So pretty much for $6.  Aren't we the cutest??

At Azure Moon the Indian Restaurant.  I got the pumpkin (squash) curry and it was SO good!

We went to the Open Air Museum and they had a free foot bath from a natural hotspring.  They put oranges, grapefruits, and clementines in the water to add a scent and it was divine!  The whole gang!

SO!!  At our hotel was an Onsen (natural hot spring indoor/outdoor, segregated by gender, nude bath).  It was quite the cultural experience that I hear you have to do in Japan, so it was nice to do it after a crazy long day of traveling.  Sure felt like heaven.

After we found 7-11 and were ELATED!!  Oh thank heaven, for 7 Eleven!  I promise I will buy a slurpee in honor as soon as I get home!

Eating our treasures from 7-11 as we wait for the train.

This was at Gora Park which had some botanical gardens and the water fountain in the background, it was nice, but maybe not worth it if you have to cut something out.

So this was the ropeway, reminds me of Snowbird's sky car. 

Excited!

After the ropeway segment they had a few picture sites set up that we took full advantage of!  Love the hats!

The pirate boat, that is really just a ferry that transports you to the other side of Lake Ashi to complete the circuit.  It was hilarious though to see such a fancy ship whose whole purpose is a ferry.  I think Seattle needs to invest in one.

The whole gang

Arrrr.

This was the boat we actually went on.

Here is the Hakone Shrine.  It was beautiful with huge trees that were all mossy.  So pretty and reminded me of Washington.  I might just be missing that place.

Us at Odawara Castle again.

Isn't is spectacular?

This was on the train that went to Gora where we took the cable car.  This train seriously didn't have one long track it went up it was a switch back up the mountain.  Impressive.

Hello Cap-i-tan.

Open Air Museum.  Cora wanted her picture with EVERYTHING.  But this was one of the best.  I love her hair and that crow on the bison...it talked to us.

Kevin's doing, and it is pretty cute.

I actually recognized a few sculptures and so I think a bunch of them are reproductions.

That bronze globe in the middle is the Sphere Within Sphere sculpture that I had seen before in Rome with BRITTNEY ERICKSON as we sat in front of it for a picnic in 2005.  Brought back great memories and I loved it then.

Beautiful, it was probably 9 stories tall.

I liked the owl.

Foot bath

They had a whole Picasso exhibit that was remarkable.

The screenshot I took of the 7-11's in Hakone as I tried to map out the closest one on paper!

Open air museum.

This is the train guy that gave us such good directions the night before to our hotel, we saw him again and I was so grateful and asked for a picture!

Beautiful Orchids and mommy with a funny face.

This kanji sign is obviously carved into the mountain.  I googled it and it means large or big.  Not sure why.

Looking down the cablecar track.

So with all the natural hotsprings there are lots of sulfurous gas coming out of the mountain and I they boil eggs near these sites and it causes the eggs to be black.  Supposedly if you eat one egg it adds 7 years to your life.

We tried one, but it was SOFT boiled, not HARD boiled (never even heard of soft boiled) so we just ate one bite each...yuck.

Our souvenirs!  Hello Kitty glasses, a pack of figurines of the types of transportation used in the circuit (cablecar, ropeway, boat), and a smashed penny!

Looking back down the valley.

Sulfur

Hello!

Did I mention that we are famous in Japan?  Everyone stops us to get pictures of my kids, or I catch them taking a quick picture, or they surround them and rub their heads.  Seriously each of these girls wanted pictures separately with the kids!  Once we stopped for a group shot and I heard about 5 cameras go off.  Who knew.

How could you not love these cute kids?

Anyway we made it home safe and sound at around 8 pm Sunday night.  It is a whole different experience touring Japan with no money, food, or shelter!  I don't suggest trying it, but we were always fine because we had our transportation passes and could have just taken trains home.  And it was nice cramming 4 adults and 3 kids into two twin beds and one crib. I must say that the kids threw a few fits, but for the most part were really good travelers and I am so grateful for that!  And we really never got lost and were able to find everything quite easily.  I will forever love Azure Moon, 7-11, Palace Hotel and the guy that gave us directions.  I don't know how we are going to beat that next weekend!  xoxox