Mt. Fuji

So...picking up where we left off, talking about crazy adventures we had in Japan, allow me to regale you with the tale of our night hike up Mt. Fuji.

Mt. Fuji looks like this most of the year.

(obviously, not a picture we took, just one I found on the web)

But when it looks like this,

(as in, not snowy)...

Everyone decides to hike it. Okay, not everyone. Just a whole bunch of Japanese folks, and a bunch more tourists!

There's a saying in Japan, something like, "You're a fool if you don't climb Fuji-san once, but only a fool would climb it more than once." And that kind of logic was basically why I found myself agreeing to hike the volcano. It's a once in a lifetime thing. Worth doing to say I'd done it. Almost as soon as we knew our trip to Japan would coincide with the few weeks of the year that Mt. Fuji is hike-able, plans were made for us to fit a night hike into our trip. Jonathan and I and the girls, that is, not Eddie nor his grandparents who've been-there-done-that a few times and were more than willing to babysit instead. Since they'd done it before, they suggested we do the traditional nighttime hike to see the sun rise over the Land of the Setting Sun from it's iconic mountain. Sounds good and all. But times have changed a little. Before, one was allowed to drive oneself halfway up to the starting point, so hikers could start their hike anytime they wanted. We discovered that was no longer allowed, and we would have to take a bus to the Station 5 trail head. No problem. The trek up would take about 6-7 hours. We planned to take the last bus and begin our hike around 10 pm.

Did I mention the night that would work for our Fuji adventure was the night that came after our first day in Japan? We figured, we'll be jet-lagged, we'll have no problem hiking all night, it'll feel like day to our bodies! 

We left Shioda church where we were staying at 5 pm. FIVE IN THE AFTERNOON! We had about an hour car ride to the bus station where we met our "guides", two other Americans (one who lives in Japan and had hiked Mt. Fuji before, another who was spending the summer there, a first-timer like us). We all hopped on the last bus up to Station 5, which took another hour. We were on the trail at 8 pm, a full two hours ahead of schedule. Calculate about 6-7 hours from 8 pm. This was my fear when agreeing to this adventure: that we'd reach the summit several hours before sunrise, exhausted and sleepy, only to have a long wait ahead of us. None of us had any clue just what miseries the night ahead would hold!

It was dark when we reached Station 5, a tourist trap of buildings with provisions and sounevirs for sale--even use of the bathroom was for sale. We caved and bought 2 hiking sticks knowing that along the way, at each of the stations we could get a stamp burned into our stick to chronicle our hike. Kind of a cool souvenir, and since we're only doing this once, might as well have proof for future generations. 

It was a warm, humid evening, typical of Japan in summer, but we each had rain gear and sweatshirts knowing that higher up the weather could be different. 

We left Station 5. We took rest breaks here and there, especially as we grew more weary and out-of-breath thanks to the altitude and exertion. The lights of cities and towns spread out below were quite beautiful. 

We stopped at stations along the way, resting, eating our PB and J, rice balls, and clif bars, and forking over the yen for our sticks' stamps. Somewhere along the way, it started to rain. It was cold, but we pulled on our rain gear and realized we were somewhat warm while hiking, it was only frigid when we stopped moving.

Station 10 was the summit. Simple math told us we'd reach 4 stations between the trail head and the summit. Nope. Just to mess with our tired legs, heaving lungs, and our wet, cold bodies, there were several extra cabin-like buildings along the way. We left Station 8, for example, plodding along the upward climb, our steps growing shorter, our breaths louder, and just when we were at the point of despair, above us on the trail we'd see the lights of a station which would lighten our step and instill a glimmer of hope as we'd tell ourselves, "Just a little more and we'll be at Station 9, then only 1 more!" Only to push our weary legs up the steep incline and realize it wasn't Station 9, it was "Old Station 8" and then "Station 8.5" followed by "Station 8 Hotel". Somehow we'd have to muster the gumption to press on, holding out hope that Station 9 would eventually appear. Unfortunately, it did. Only it wasn't lit up. It was a ruin. Barely able to block the icy wind, we huddled a bit for a rest, then told ourselves we couldn't stay there. At the top, at Station 10 there would be buildings, warmth, maybe even a place like the hotel we'd passed along the way. At this point, we were willing to pay anything to have a warm place to lie down! The hike between the abandoned Station 9 and the summit was the worst. It was bitterly cold in the exposed wind, even the exertion wasn't enough to keep us warm anymore. We all realized we were sorely under-dressed! We all gasped at the thin air that just wasn't providing us enough oxygen! I know I was thinking, maybe we should've stayed back there at that hotel and finished the hike in the morning just before sunrise. But no! We're so close! We'll get there and then rest!

Oh how wrong I was!

After what seemed like the longest 200 meters of my life, we made it to Station 10 at the top of Mt. Fuji! Hurrah! The trail leveled off. But it was so dark, no lit up, welcoming cabin. We soon realized the Station had closed for the night. It was 1 am. Sunrise was 3 and a half hours away, but there was no where to go! All the hikers who'd made it up the day and evening before were tucked away out of the wind sleeping (or trying to) on futons crammed side by side in the cabin. Doesn't sound ideal, does it. But try being the ones outside exposed to the icy cold wind and increasingly damp fog without a warm coat or mittens or a hat! We were shocked and frustrated! Would they really not let us in? We were poor foolish hikers and downright miserable! We would pay any sum, but there was no one to pay! 

Then--no joke, kid you not--we found a little shelter that was still open. A bathroom. Basically a port-a-potty, but made of wood and housing 2 stalls with a little entryway between them. Two hikers had already discovered it and were seated on a small bench inside between the two toilets. We crammed in, standing around inside the door, at least protected from the wind if not the cold. We huddled together inside the stinky bathroom standing, rather than sitting because of the questionable muck coating the floor. When one of our number got sick and ran outside to throw up the hot chocolate she'd gotten from the vending machine, we considered giving up on the sunrise to end our misery and head down the mountain. But by then a thick fog had settled in. It would be dangerous to hike down not knowing the steep trail well. We were stuck.

Soon, a few of us were desperate enough to pull the garbage cans out of the stalls and sit rather precariously on the lids. We tried to doze off, but the cold and the accommodations made that almost impossible. We tried to tell each other we'd laugh about this some day. We told stories and made conversation to pass the time. 

Jonathan managed to think of snapping a picture to record the fiasco.
That's our friend Javon in the blue, I'm in the yellow poncho leaning against the door to one of the bathroom stalls, and Hannah is sitting on Rachel's lap.

Time seemed to pass slower than usual. We held out hope that the Station buildings might open up as it got closer to sunrise. Mercifully, around 3 am the futons were rolled up and the doors opened. We found our way into one of the sleeping cabins which was transformed into a restaurant. The hot ramen soup we ordered was one of the most delicious meals I've ever tasted! The combined relative warmth of the fire-heated cabin, a place to sit comfortably, and the hot broth, worked wonders! 

After eating, we wandered outside, braving the wind again to explore the summit in the growing light. It was still shrouded in fog, so we couldn't see the crater of the volcano or the view from the mountaintop. Cold drove us back to the cabin where we found a spot among the growing number of hikers arriving at the summit. On the wooden benches, around a small fire, we pressed in to feel the warmth and wait for sunrise. We were joined by a few Scottish folk, friends on a vacation to Japan, who were absolutely so fun to listen to! Not only their accents, but their great stories of adventuring around Japan together. They were the kind of people you wished would get stuck in a bathroom with you. 

The mountaintop was getting increasingly more crowded as people who'd spent the night in lower Station hotels trekked the last bit to the top in time for sunrise. There was literally a mob of people swarming all over the place. The time for sunrise came and went and the fog didn't budge. Nothing to see. What a letdown. 

Here's our obligatory group photo overlooking the volcano crater.

Yeah, I didn't see it either, and I was up there for several hours.

Like my fashionable yellow poncho? Hey, at least it trapped some body heat in.

We gave up and headed down, after visiting the restroom. The one we'd huddled in had been locked and another one was open and charging a fee for entry. These toilets didn't even have seats, but were the squatty-potty types. One poor soul, suffering from altitude sickness, was frantically trying to find one available to vomit in but had to resort to puking in the corner since they were all in use. Made me realize things could be worse.

Soon we were sliding down the loose volcanic gravel on the downward hike, making bets about when the fog would clear and we'd be able to see the view. What was it, 25 minutes? and we looked back up to a perfectly clear summit and this spread out beneath us:

 It was a pretty spectacular view!

Jonathan bemoaned the fact that we hadn't waited at the top just a little bit longer, but none of us were game for hiking back up. 

Pretty amazing how sunrise can lift your spirits!

I look how I felt. 

Like I'd rather be in a warm bed fast asleep.

Finally we could see the landscape we'd been hiking through all night.

As we descended, with the sun's rising, we quickly warmed up, and by the time we reached Station 5 and the bus, it was hot! So strange considering how cold we were just a few hours earlier.

We made it back to the church around 10 am and crashed. Unfortunately, while we'd been feeling pretty good just 24 hours previous, like we were adjusting well and getting over jet lag, the night hike had taken it out of us and put us back at square one! Oh well, now we can say we did it. We survived. 

And we'd be fools to do it again.

(I won't mention any names, but a few of our group would actually be game for doing it again. I am not one of them.)

Good old Mt. Fuji.

I'll never think of it quite the same again.

Japan: Part 2

Let's talk crazy adventures. We had a few of those along the way!

Day 1: Longest Day Ever! It began early, like 5 am or something, as we loaded up and headed to the airport. After all the airport rigmarole, we were on our way to Hawaii. When we arrived, it felt like late afternoon, but it was only noon on the Islands. Seven hour layover? We're not Jonathan is not the type to spend a layover lounging around an airport when there are sights to be seen!

 So we visited Pearl Harbor!

 It was a beautiful monument! And came along with lots of great history!

(P.S. Please note, because of this adventure, lil' Eddie did not nap.)

And then! We're off! Boarding a jet plane!

Late evening we left Hawaii with one bonkers toddler--we're talking uber slap-happy! The goal was to keep him awake as long as possible because our arrival time in Japan, after an 8 hour flight, was only 11:00 pm, so the goal was to jump-start his acclimation to the time difference. We ate. We played. He had a major meltdown. He crashed. Not bad. Not bad at all, this kiddo wins the medal for traveling toddlers, hands down!

Whew! So we're off to an adventuresome start! Touch down at Haneda airport. Little mister was obviously awake for the airport and customs, he's too curious to sleep through that. A little wait for our hotel shuttle, during which I was desperately trying to force food into Eddie's stomach so he wouldn't wake up hungry once we all finally crashed at the hotel.

And what a hotel! I'm sure it's been said somewhere by someone before, but Japan wins the prize for beautiful, well-designed efficiency.

 Here's our room.

Photo taken just inside the doorway in the (very) narrow hallway.

Bathroom was to the left. Super small, but still had the shower and sink separate from the toilet, a must (and let me just insert, I THINK THAT'S BRILLIANT! Why would you want to brush your your teeth and wash yourself where you just flushed away all the yuck?). The picture may lead you to believe that way down at the end where the bed is, the room gets wider. Barely. Hardly at all. But they still managed to fit in a table back there (to eat your rice at, that counter midway on the left was the kichenette complete with rice cooker, of course). Wow! What a feat! For being so small, it was comfortable and had more amenities than we needed. But enough of the hotel review. The important thing was sleep. After such an incredibly long day chasing the sunset across the world, it felt so good to lay down in a bed! And Eddie did sleep several hours straight! Mission accomplished! We awoke rested!

Food was one adventure after another! To be expected, but what I didn't expect was how much I'd love the food. Me. The one who'd never even really had Japanese food, sushi included, until I was brought into the Sauder family! 

 I ate that.

That thing, the one staring back at the camera. It was actually delicious!

 And this. Yep. Even the flowers and greens. 

(As you can see, presentation is half the battle. 

If it looks that pretty, anything is worth at least trying.)

The one thing I didn't love.

Mochi. Just saying it makes me gag. It's just that I don't do super chewy.

And this is super-duper-duper-lump-in-my-mouth-why-can't-get-this-swallowed chewy.

Did I mention the above pictures were all part of one meal? An eight course meal. It lasted 2 and half hours. Two and half hours of very quiet, very formal dining consisting of foods Eddie could not/would not eat. How did he do? FANTASTIC! He sat at the table the whole time, ate the few snacks I had packed in his diaper bag, and played with one small bag of toys the whole time. Miracle child. Or just plain miracle, one could say.

This next food experience was wonderfully memorable as well! 

 The restaurant, consisting of numerous small traditional huts, private rooms,

was surrounded by gorgeous gardens--put the Huntington to shame!

 First we just walked around oohing and ahhing!

Fish!

 This is the view looking from the gardens into our dining hut.

 Tatami floor, of course, but we didn't have to dine sitting our our knees with our legs falling asleep, they had "western-style" chairs for us to sit in. 

The main course was brought out as raw chicken and vegetables on skewers

to be cooked over the coals placed in the center of the table.

It was an epic evening! So beautiful, so delicious, and wonderful company too!

Other eating adventures...

 Crazy crepes!

Never ingested so much whipped cream in one setting in my life.

Haha! And this one! Good story!

Shortly after we arrived and were settled into our accommodations at Shioda church, we were struggling with some jet lag, feeling hungry at odd times, and I was feeling a bit queasy from the lack of sleep and long drive from the city out into the country. So when someone stopped by bearing Pizza Hut, we were thrilled! It sounded delicious! Hit-the-spot material! Even Eddie was chanting "pizz, pizz!" Until we opened it. One was topped with seaweed. No joke. The other sported mayonnaise for the sauce, and corn and potatoes for topping. Umm. No thanks! Some brave souls tried it, even enjoyed it. I was not one of them!

 Let's see. Other adventures...

Meiji Shrine

We took off one afternoon, just us 4 to do some exploring of Tokyo.

(Jonathan did a stellar job navigating Tokyo's intense train system, 

hence why it went smoothly and we didn't get lost!)

 Jonathan spent one day meeting up with some work connections and ended up sampling this guy's sushi which he heard about through an NPR feature. He's a true chef, wants you to get the best tasting sushi, which means it can't sit at all, even for a few seconds. He told Jonathan to use his fingers if he wasn't adept enough at chopsticks--anything to get the sushi into his mouth while it was still fresh!

Not pictured, for obvious reasons as you'll soon understand, was our delightful evening at the onsen. It's a public bath. Uh huh. As in, you go in, men go one way, women go the other, you undress, down to your birthday suit (appropriately, we went on Mom Sauder's birthday), and bathe with a bunch of other people. Sounds weird. It's cultural, folks. When in Rome... It was a little strange, but that sort of faded as you felt the glorious hot spring mineral water! For all the weird, we wished we didn't have to leave and talked often throughout the trip of how much we wished for another free day to spend at an onsen.

 Dipped our toes in the other side of the Pacific!

(The beach was black sand, hard to tell from photo.)

What do you think? Christmas card worthy?

 These crazies went to the zoo. Ask 'em about it!

 Hottest, most humid, sticky, sweltering day, I've ever experienced.

(And I lived in Mexico in the summertime in rainy season without air conditioning.)

Seriously. Never been so hot in my life.

Usually, you can't get Eddie out of the stroller, he loves it. Not this day, it was too hot. He was a sweaty, miserable little boy!

Adventures by train:

Adventures by car:

 These narrow ally ways are meant for 2-way traffic!

Yikes! Way to go, Dad Sauder, our faithful chauffeur!

 Visiting the tallest tower in the world!

This guy. That double chin.

(Oh, and the glass floor that one is supposed to be scared to walk on? He laid down on it. Just laid down. Didn't want to get up.)

 Senso-ji Temple

 We are very sweaty here.

 Odawara Castle.

 Couldn't go inside as it's being refurbished, or whatever they do to thousand year old castles.

But the greatest adventure of them all...da da da daaaaaa! 

Oh, but surely you're all tired of reading this extremely long post. I'll have to save that one for another day...

Japan Part 1 of ?

I'd love to recap our trip-of-a-lifetime to Japan for you all! Lots of you have asked about our trip, and it's so hard to capture all our adventures in just a short conversation!

First of all, I say "trip-of-a-lifetime" because it was such a unique trip, unrepeatable in many ways! We definitely hope we get a chance to go back, but a future trip would be so different than the ten days we spent there this time--mainly because we got to experience Japan for the first time along with Jonathan's two sisters (also experiencing it for the first time) and his parents, who's experience living in Japan years ago is the reason we went. Much of the time was spent meeting people who meant so much to them, seeing the places that made up their life there back when Jonathan was just a baby, then a toddler, then a little boy. It was sentimental, sweet, and extremely special to see, especially with our baby-turned-toddler. I feel such a strong connection to that stage of my in-laws' life, maybe because Jonathan and I are in the same stage of life they were when they called Japan home. It was palpable enough to bring tears to my eyes on several occasions.

So, to begin this chronicle of our Japan trip, I'll show you a few of those sentimental moments and special people.

 We visited one of the parks Jonathan remembers playing at as a kid.

Eddie loved it. Of course, it was an incredible park! Not only did we wade in this giant pool (which felt so refreshing--it was SO hot!) we walked up those pyramids in the background to the fountains on top.

 The "roll-ey" slide!

It's been redone since Jonathan was little, and Eddie wasn't too sure anyway. Unfortunately, Gramps took Eddie down the slide first and had a little crash at the bottom (let me tell you, it builds up some speed!). I actually caught it on video, accidentally, and while we all felt terrible for Gramps' rear which caused him quite a bit of grief the rest of the trip, it's pretty hysterical to watch!

The girls and Jonathan and I climbed this play structure 

which was another highlight of Jonathan's childhood!

 It was pretty high for me, so I can't imagine watching my little guy climb to the top! 

The park had a river of shallow water to wade in

(and rocks to build dams if you're an engineer).

These two (and all of us!) wished we could stay and play all day!

We saw the university where Dad Sauder taught,

the pool where Jonathan had swimming lessons,
(we didn't actually make a special trip just to stand outside the pool Jonathan swam in, but we peeked in since we were hitting up McDonald's next door for some much needed iced coffee!)

the apartment where Mom Sauder lived when she first moved to Japan,

the door to the apartment Jonathan grew up in,

the view of rice fields and Mt. Fuji from their apartment building,

the little street where Jonathan took his first steps.

We met these dear people, 

who are especially dear to Dad and Mom Sauder.

Eddie clicked with Toru right away, once he took Eddie to see his fish. And the lovely Junko made us delicious tea from herbs grown in her garden.

We met this wonderful woman with a contagious smile.

She welcomed us into her home and fed us the most delicious watermelon I've ever tasted while her husband showed us his handmade home-fired clay instruments, played them for us, and let us try.

This sweet lady generously took us girls shopping at a fancy department store.

Saleswomen swarmed us as we picked out these beautiful traditional yucatas and learned how to put them on and tie the sashes. It was one of the most unique experiences I'd ever had, and also unforgettably humorous. We drew a crowd as the salespeople snapped photos for us, and stood back pronouncing, "kawaii" or "cuuuute". 

 Mostly it was just special to see our special people,

with some of their special people!

Isn't it true that relationships and experiences play such a dramatic role in shaping who we are? In that way, it was an incredible gift to see, or at least glimpse, what played a big part in shaping the Sauder family as a whole, and particularly Dad and Mom and Jonathan. There's no telling who they'd be today if not for the years spent in Japan with those people, living that life. I know because I was forever marked by the culture I spent just a few years living in and the people that influenced me during those few short years. It was dramatic and moving to get to peek into such a major part of the Sauder family story. An experience I treasure along with the many special memories made!