Kochi

Here, at last, is the final catch up on of some of the traveling we did when my in-laws were out.

The first weekend in April, we packed our bags yet again and made our way to Shimanto City in Kochi Prefecture. Seeing as Kochi is the birthplace of Anpanman, what better way to get there (and make our children's day) than taking the Anpanman train! William, who is especially obsessed with all things Anpanman at the moment, was thrilled beyond words.

It takes about 4 hours by train from Fukuyama to Shimanto and so the kids were somewhat bribed into good behaviour with the purchase of these Anpanman themed bento.

Theo modeling his bento lid

We only remembered to take a shot of William's bento after he had taken a couple of chomps
out of Anpanman's head

We wanted to have a chance for Obaasan and Ojiisan to get to know Dustin's parents a bit better, so we invited them along with us for the weekend. We were able to book this fabulous house in the middle of nowhere for the time we were out. It is a model eco home built almost entirely, inside and out, with local cypress and smelled absolutely amazing! 

Front of the house

and the back

Grandma and the boys peeking down from the second story balcony

Waiting to eat some yummy nabe

Theo and I hunted down this 5 cm monster for our more squeamish
housemates and deposited him outside

The gorgeous all cypress bathroom

Even more amazing than the house itself were the views of the mountains and the Shimanto River. Directly across from the house was this large display of koinobori strung over the river for Children's Day. 

 Enjoying a walk in the sunshine with Grandma

Trying, and failing, to find fossils in the rocks

We went on a tour of the river on this traditional boat. What you can't see from the photo is that the whole interior of the cabin has tatami flooring, so everyone's shoes were left outside on the deck.

Theo soon made a new best friend when the boatman let him control the motor. Theo sat with one  hand firmly planted on the man's thigh and the other on the tiller, and giving us all a choppy, bumpy ride for most of the trip. I think he was a little surprised (and probably annoyed after a while) to find out that Theo could speak Japanese. There was an endless stream of prattle and questions from Theo about everything and anything he saw.

BFF

The day ended with a barbecue in which Theo forsook all of his previous claims that he was an herbivore. 

And here are some final random pictures of our adventures:

Theo checking out a rock slide that was blocking part of the road. There were also mountain monkeys on the road which we weren't quick enough to get pictures  of.

Dustin, the hunter-gatherer, finding the biggest bamboo shoots the forest had to offer

 And some beautiful flowers that were blooming earlier in Kochi than in Hiroshima

Azalea

Wisteria

Visits Around Hiroshima

On the way back from our trip to Oita, we spent three days in Hiroshima City . By the time we arrived, the sakura were in full bloom and that meant tons of tourists, especially in Miyajima, which we visited on one of these days.

Our first supper once we arrived was of course a meal of okonomiyaki, Hiroshima style. Yum!

On our second day, we took the ferry over to Miyajima. The only other time that Dustin and I have been here was in the fall and everything certainly looked different clothed in blossoms. We spent the day at the aquarium, walking around town, and enjoying the views of the Seto Inland Sea from the top of Mount Misen. It was beautiful, but packed with people.

The next day was spent wandering around Hiroshima City. Like Miyajima, it was also pretty packed with tourists and blossom viewers and made me realize how tired I get being in large crowds of people. I am pretty glad that we live in our little city of Fukuyama and not the capital. I like the fact that it is almost shocking to see a tourist or backpacker and that crowds are only found on a few days a year when there is some festival or event. 

We all had a nice time, but I was pretty glad when we got back to Fukuyama and I was able to relax a bit. No one can accuse me of not getting enough fresh air and exercise this pregnancy! 

Adventures in Oita Part II

This post will be primarily photos since our trip to Oita was less about packing in activities, but more about relaxing, catching up with family, exploring the countryside, visiting friends, and eating delicious food. Not too many things to write in detail about, but lots to see.

William and I exploring

Beautiful countryside

tasty shiitake!

Theo, Dustin, and his father went on a hike of the nearby mountain trail

and saw a bit of wildlife in the form of this colourful millipede

and evidence of boars from the traps

We also strolled around Usa Shrine for a bit

We left the day before Easter, so we decided to have a little egg hunt before heading off

It took William a little while to realize that there was candy and chocolate hiding in the bushes for him, but when it comes to food, especially treats, he is a pretty fast learner.

Just having discovered his chocolate bunny

At the train station, heading back to Hiroshima

Goodbye Oita, we hope to see you again!