Christmas time in Okutsu

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December 26th 2006

Published: January 18th 2007

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td impulse

Okutsu Hike

Great hiking weather!

And then there was snow!!!!

So, we went west convoy style for the holiday, and after renting a car and perpetually chanting - Left side of the road, left side of the road, we made our way to Okutsu, a tiny onsen (natural hot spring) village in the mountains.

What can I say, the cabin was spectacular, it was the biggest accommodation I have seen (save a hotel, maybe) since I have been here, and had a wood burning fireplace and all. It was all wooden and made using the crevices notched in the wood rather than nails, which gave it an authentic, old-life charm (well, aside form the stink bugs that live in those crevices - and love that fireplace too!)

So from the start Marie-Eve and I set out to do some hiking. We were not so impressed with the local trails (far too groomed and bland) so we headed up the ridges of the small local mountains and found some crazy spiky shrubs mixed in with plenty of vines and camo style trees, that I've never actually seen in real life - now the army attire makes much more sense!

Spikes

Indeed - on another ridge hike I manged to find these cosy fellas left, right, and centre!

So we did some decent exploring, and even managed to make it through a white out (that was about the time the roads home closed down) but we were blissfully ignorant, so we just kept trundling along, admiring the fresh snow on the trees and bushes. We did have to sit out one minor "snow-dropping" - yeah there is no other way to describe it - we had actually paused to enjoy the view and were in awe at the gusting winds in the distance and the way the white blanket hung over the trees is such a majestical manner - that was until we heard it coming, and there was nothing to do but look down, curl in a ball and cover our heads. There were a few chucks that landed far too close for comfort, so we snapped back into action and headed down.

Arriving at the cabin, we were in limbo, waiting to bolt if the roads were open (the town can be buried for days and days if there is a bad fall) but learning they were already closed, we bunkered in and enjoyed the snow. From cycling (yes, cycling!) and makeshift snow gear

SNOW

This is about when the roads must have closed! Actually - it may hav ebeen closer to the white out - didn't capture that on film...

for Alysha, to snowmen and snowball fights, it was all fun and games - well, all but making snow angels - one must learn that sometimes snow is simply too deep!!!

But - speaking of snow angels and fun - we did manage to throw on the chains and go out for dinner and a bath house - yes, the lovely bath house experience, where we strip down, fully scrub in little stalls (no co-ed here) and then wander from pool to pool to soak and enjoy. (Somehow, North American hot tubs are now a bit disturbing... especially ones located at a gym...) There are different pools, different depths, different temperatures, different jets, etc. It truly is a wonderful experience.

But, the best ever was the outdoor pools after the snow. We were soaking in the pools looking out at the dark Japanese garden covered in snow - and yes, snow angels somehow popped into our heads - so, we jumped out and left a mark... not the most pleasant feeling, but definitely fun!

Trish xxx

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