traveling-north

[traveling-north]

March 1-3 : Yokosuka Japan

We spent our Leap Day in the air, landing in Tokyo on the afternoon of March 1.

Nathan's sister Crystal and her husband Dmitry have been living in Yokosuka for several years, and they were our expert tour guides for 2 perfect days in the area. We took the train straight down from the airport to meet them for a dinner.

As a Navy town, Yokosuka has a lot of English being spoken and a high proportion of people recognize Dmitry, including staff at the establishments where we tried delicious grilled meat & veggie skewers followed by chuhais - all I could handle before I was falling asleep on my feet. 

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The next morning we met up for a true breakfast of champions - Japanese strawberries, in the peak of their season and fresh off the vine! You pay a set price to pick all you can eat for half an hour, and you better believe I got full value out of that. 

We took the train to Komatsugaike Park, a popular Sakura (cherry blossom viewing) spot. In the first week of March, these trees were past their peak bloom but still very beautiful, and fun to be a part of this local seasonal event. There were food vendors where we got some small bites to balance out all that fruit. 

I had seen a glimpse of the beach from the train, and noticed the sea was full with windsurfers. I wanted to get a look at that, so we walked down to the Miura beach. It was way to frigid to consider touching that water even in a drysuit, but a good wind for the sport, just like home! 

After that we were pretty well frozen and ready for a nice hot lunch - ramen of course! 

We got back on a train out to Kotoku-in, where we got to see (and go inside) the giant Buddha. 

We walked from there to an incredible hillside temple complex, Hase-dera. It had some very different styles of Buddhas, a zen garden, a cave shrine, some incredible views, some distinctive koi and better example of peak cherry blossom beauty. This place is definitely worth the trip down from Tokyo to see! 

It was a pretty touristy area too, so as the temples closed down, so did every restaurant and shop. We walked through the pedestrian street to one more temple, where we happened upon a very traditional wedding.

This was a nice full day topped off with another good dinner and a bit better night’s sleep. Nothing beats jet lag like forcing yourself out into the sunlight from dawn til dark! Feeling very fortunate to have these couple days of weekend for a mini vacation before trying to start a work week. 

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The next morning C&D picked us up in their car for a trip out into more natural beauty - Jogashima Island. Turned out we couldn’t drive all the way as a marathon had closed down the streets, so we just parked on the mainland and walked over the bridge.

We explored beaches and tide pools, watched the giant seahawks swoop and saw another, less traditional, wedding couple’s photoshoot. it was a beautiful and relatively warm day - Mount Fuji even made a rare appearance from the beach!

This island seems to be all about tuna, and we got to try 5 or 6 different cuts and preparations at a seafood restaurant, as well as back at the large fish market where we parked and even alongside craft beers at a new brewery. 

Next stop, Kurihama Flower Park. In the right seasons it would feature colorful fields but even after dark, you can enjoy this highlight: Godzilla!

 

A second full day of walking and we had worked up an appetite for hibachi, lots more delicious grilled meats and veggies! Served by a robot, of course.

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Today is March 4, and it was back to work, with breaks for a pastry and coffee breakfast, and to get up to Tokyo to catch the bullet train. Per tradition, we had bento boxes for the trip. Next stop, Hiroshima! 

I promise I won’t take a picture of EVERY meal. It has been amazing spending these first couple of days in vacation mode but I’m looking forward to getting on schedule and cooking our own meals again. We will start that at our first ever Home Exchange in Hiroshima! 

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