Onsen and a giant plastic swan (huh?), but not together. . .

During Obon holiday, Lee and I went to Chuzenjiko, the mountaintop lake about 1.5 hours from my home (see previous posts. . .). We planned to camp, but as I’m currently without a tent, that proved a bit difficult, so we spoiled ourselves and stayed at a small onsen hotel instead. The Yumoto Hot Springs area has excellent onsen, very hot sulphur water, which stinks (literally) until you begin to associate the stink with the smooth, soft skin it promotes! Since there were no other people there and we had the onsen to ourselves, Lee and I took the opportunity to get some photos so that you (poor deprived foreigners) see what you’re missing. I go to one of the local onsens nearly every day. The onsen I frequent has 5 indoor baths (a cold bath, a mineral bath, a massage bath, an electric-shock deep-muscle therapy bath, and a black-silica bath) and an outdoor bath, also a regular sauna and a salt-sauna (which I love, it’s like a regular sauna but you scrub yourself all over with salt and your skin feels GREAT afterward!) Most onsens have indoor baths and outdoor baths. First you sit on one of the stools and shower, shampoo, brush teeth, etc., and then you soak in the baths for as long as you want (for me, usually 1-2 hours), usually moving from bath to bath and (in a very hot onsen like this one) occasionally dipping in the cold bath or taking a cold shower. Of course you`re usually with many other people (yes, it IS separated between men and women. . . unless you go to the most remote areas, which I haven`t had the opportunity to experience yet ;) The onsen hotels usually have great food, and this one was no exception—owned and run by a small family, we were served full Japanese dinner and breakfast by a cute little grandmother and grandfather! The rooms have tatami flooring (heavy woven-straw panels) and we sleep on futons (thin matresses on the tatami). This is the fourth onsen hotel I’ve stayed at, and it’s definitely my favorite! The other photos show yet another venture into the realms of absurdity (which happens quite often living in Japan. . .) we took a giant swan-shaped paddle-boat onto the lake—which explains why we’re laughing so hard. It’s impossible to keep a straight face when you’re paddling around the top of a mountain in a giant plastic swan.

My Tochigi-ken. . .

Here are a few photos of the natural beauty of Tochigi-ken, the prefecture I live in. The mountains surround me, and I live within five minutes of Shindin Koen, a forest park with TONS of trails (of course, we can’t ride horses there! Blast!)

At Home with Horses

The riding club has truly been a home for me here in Japan. As one of my friends pointed out, riding has probably helped to ease some of my culture shock, simply because in dressage, the same principles/goals are true all over the world, so riding becomes a universal language. When I can train a horse or teach riding at the riding club, I feel at least half-way competent in something (and feeling competent is difficult sometimes in a foreign country! I often feel like an infant when I can't even read my bills. . .) Here are a few photos from our last home competition (in January). Daniela, Lee, Kanachan and myself. . .

Life in Japan

Here are a few random photos for your enjoyment. You can see the view I see everyday while driving to the riding club-- beautiful snowy mountains obscured by the power lines and buildings in town! The 30-minute drive to the riding club is like an escape to the mountains-- I leave the power lines behind and end up deep in the hills with mountains as my backdrop. That morning, Goto-san (riding club member and lovely woman, calls herself my "Japanese Mama" and looks after me!) looked so beautiful in the sunlight-- her hair matched Tepei's coat perfectly! Me with my trusty toaster oven, embarking on the dubious adventure of BAKING Christmas cookies in Japan, as regular ovens are very rare here. The cookies turned out great, although in such small batches it took me about 3 hours to finish baking!!!! And just a taste of "Japanglish" for your amusement-- Lee and I discovered this jacket at a horse competition. You wouldn't believe how hilarious much of the English advertising is here!!!!! Japanglish usually starts out as a really great thought in Japanese, but is somehow lost in translation and ends up as rather puzzling English. But at least it keeps me and Lee and Daniela amused-- we're always on the lookout for new Japanglish. A grocery store near my apartment uses the slogan "We Are the Supermarket Of the Area Of #1" Hmmmmm. . .

Christmas Party!

Our Christmas party was great fun-- we had dressage demonstrations during the day and a karaoke party at night. In the photos you'll see our dear old "Midori Mansion" (green house at the riding club) and next-door, the new "White House", a double-width karaoke box that Fujita-san bought for the club. We had great food-- at the end of the table, you can see a painting that Rachel (friend from England, great jumping rider!) presented to the club. She painted specific horses from the club! Kanachan and Hanachan (young riders) pose charmingly at the fire, and Daniela, Rachel, Alice (Rachel's baby) and Otsuka-san enjoy the party.

カラオケ

The costumes made an appearance again during karaoke (probably to the dismay of those of you who've been checking my site for the last 2 months in search of new photos ;) Our humble karaoke box's debut at the riding club was a great hit-- even wandering reindeer joined in the performances (Yamazawa-san loves that costume. . .) Earlier that day, Riechan and I had performed a Pas des Deux dressage demonstration, synchronized pairs riding-- during karaoke we performed Pas des Deux dancing!!! Daniela got serious about opera, and even Oji-chan joined in the dancing.

Dear Friends

Kaminokawa Competition

At the end of November, we attended a competition in Kaminokawa. Here are photos of members and staff at the competition: Me and Kanachan (an extremely gifted young rider), me and Kaochan (beautiful girl, weekend staff, great fun and the same age as I am!) Daniela and other members, all very pleased with the results of the event. Hmmmm, Daniela often appears on my site wearing ribbons ;) Isn't she cute! She's a dear friend and a great asset to the club as well, since many foreigners find the FHRC through her site. Daniela's site is responsible for my involvement with the club-- thanks girl!

着物が好きだよ

I wore a kimono in December for my friend Yoshiko's wedding (during which Saori and I performed a duet of the Japanese song, aptly named "Love Love Love" ;) Goto-san, one of our riding club members, provided me with a GORGEOUS sakura kimono and arranged for the fitting/hair arrangement/photography at a posh salon in Utsunomiya. Here are additional photos of Lee (my friend from England, another riding club member) on January 9th, the Japanese "Coming of Age" day for those 20 years old. Daniela did the honors of photographer (josu des!) and Lee's kimono was provided by the excellent owners of our favorite Sushi shop (last photo). P.S. For those of you who care about horsey details, Lee is pictured with Kotarou, a TB who is related to my horse Kit!

Thanksgiving. . . Miso?

Recovering from my first Japanese flu, I haven't been thinking much about food. . . but tonight it occurred to me that tomorrow is Thanksgiving! Being the good ex-patriot that I am, I decided to cook something special for tomorrow. Turkey? Hah. Stuffing? Nah. Pumpkin Pie? Hmmmm, without an oven????!!! So with the sad lack of an oven, I resorted to. . . miso soup. This soup is usual Japanese fare (often breakfast) made from kelp, vegetables, tofu and miso paste (a flavored bean paste), all boiled together with a bit of fish flavoring. Or at least that's the recipe one of my students recited to me. Hmmm, I think I used too many vegetables, my miso is a bit more like a chowder than a soup. Well, just in case you're bored by these unglamorous photos, I've included one from last Sunday's Nissan party at the Utsunomiya Grand Hotel. I teach at the GKN Driveline company 4 times per week, so I attended their 5-year anniversary party and actually had the chance to speak to my students in Japanese! (In class it's only English, of course:( I'm pictured with Shuhei, one of my Tuesday night students. Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and I wish all of you could join me for some miso soup and rice tomorrow morning!!! (evil grin)

Sara

In organizing my computer, I was arrested again by this photo. Any of you connected with the Gaskills or Double D Arabians will recognize Sara (and Uncle Den, of course ;) Sara died during my first week in Japan, so this photo is precious to me. She had a long life, and was my companion during many summers-- my partner in so many adventures! For many years, this little mare epitomized my vision of the ideal horse-- she had enough energy to be challenging, but also enough sensitivity to read her rider. She didn't like the arena much, but there's no horse I'd rather be riding on a tough trail! Or barrel-racing; she definately had a competitive spirit! There were days without number that I would slip a bridle on Sara in the back field and take her for a bareback canter in the woods. Of course, those of you that knew Sara also know that a "canter" on her could quickly turn into a gallop-- she was a little horse with a big engine! Yet she also seemed able to read my emotions, and she would adjust her pace if I was sad or tired. I've never met another horse like her-- even on three continents!-- and I probably never will. She was the best little mare I've ever known, and I still miss her, though I'm on the other side of the world.

Better Late Than. . .

Rather ridiculous, but these photos are pre-Japan era. In organizing my computer, I rediscovered a few photos and thought they might be nice for a few people to see: those of you in Michigan that remember Kit as an unschooled ex-racehorse with a few crazy habits. Of course, she's still an ex-racehorse with a few crazy habits, but at least now she's had some schooling :) I just wish I could ride her again and try some of the things I'm learning at Fuji Horse Riding Club! These photos were taken just before I left. Tatia, the photo of Ole is especially for you. And for the rest of you: yes, my brother Levi really is that tall :)