Camping trip to Oboke Koboke

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Some friends approached me in Grasshopper’s one night and asked me if I wanted to go camping the next weekend. I was really excited about it because I wanted to go to Oboke Koboke, but the only way to get there is by car. They picked me up outside my apartment Sunday afternoon and we began the two hour drive to the camp site with the radio playing 80s tunes and all four windows down. We drove up and down the winding mountain road in the heat talking, laughing and enjoying the sites around us. At one point one of the boys broke out the smallest cans of beer known to man for us to drink. We arrived at the camp site just before dusk and unloaded our gear and set to work setting the tents up. By the time we finished up it was starting to get cool in the mountains, but we decided to go swimming in the chilly river water despite the temperature. The river valley we stayed at was scenic and about as isolated as you can be in Japan. After night fall we had a BBQ and I snuck away had starred at the stars for awhile. Some people started a campfire and I helped to keep it going and we drank tequila and enjoyed the crisp mountain air until I figured it was time to sleep and I crawled into a tent. I awoke early the next day after a peaceful nights sleep. I took out my camera in the morning and decided to take pictures next to the river. While I was shooting some pictures I stepped on some mossy stones next to the river and fell right on my behind. I had a bruise there for about a week after. Luckily I saved my camera from hitting the ground with me. The owner of the grounds made us take our tents down before 9 am and after we swam again even though it was overcast, breezy and too chilly to be in the river. Matt and I left the site and walked to the Oboke Bridge. It is famous for being a vine bridge, but I could see the steel cables the vines were wrapped around and stopped being impressed. Unfortunately I broke a sandal on the hike and had to borrow flip flops from a girl with tiny feet for the duration of the trip. Back at the site we started packing up when out of the blue wild monkeys ran out of the forest and across the river. It was a bit of a shock and a reminder that this wasn’t the Rocky Mountains, but Asia. Tyler in his enthusiasm scrambled like an ape down the side of the river to try and see them, but they were already gone. On that note we loaded the vehicles and headed home. On the way we stopped at a soba restaurant and enjoyed some really fabulous noodles. When I got back to Marugame I was ready for sleep after all the sun and fun.

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Photos

Look a monkey!
It even has a banana!

Soba!
Probably my favorite Japanese noodles. No offense to the Udon lovers everywhere.