My scary story

I went snowboarding on the second weekend of January.

I really enjoyed with my family and friend. 

After snowboarding,We went to a hot spring near the snow park.

We enjoyed hot spring, However something scary happened when I was soaking in the hot spring. I looked at the window and saw a woman who had long hair. 

I thought the woman was reflected in the glass. And I looked back.

But there was nobody there. 

Then I was sure that the woman was outside.

My friend noticed the existence too. And we talked about her.

Because her atmosphere suggested a ghost. It was very weird !

She put a hand on her cheek  and glared at us. And someone embraced her waist. 

Me and friend watched exactly the same thing.

There was a hot spring outside. 

We decided go outside and make sure what she is. 

Outside was very cold with snow and we were very cold with her existence.

We looked at her as soon as we went outside. We should have seen the woman there, but we saw just stone covered with snow. 

Me and my friend looked at each other for a while.... We couldn't believe the result. Because we saw woman realistically and clearly. 

Just stone !?    What a wonder !!

But other people around us must have wondered why were we scared of "just stone".

A volcanic experience in Japan

After reading "Rainbow Girl", Hiroshi writes:

When I was a university student, I had ever climbed Mt. Shirane, the volcano in Nagano prefecture. This mountain is located in the north-east of Nagano and crosses Gunma prefecture

Actually, I just drove my car rather than climbed. However, the road around the top of the mountain is filled with many crater and hot spring of the volcano. Those always emit the white smoke.
So the mountain looks like erupting right away. I was so scared while driving the road on the top of the mountain. But suddenly, the road started having fog like magic on the way. And I could not see any scene around me. So I was more and more scared. Driving slowly and carefully, I could see the road a little. But what I saw there was more surprised. A man was running on the road alone. He was training for trail running race. That scene was amazing.

Photo credit: Jim George

Thinking what happened on Mt. Ontake, I cannot say but it was so unlucky. Mt Shirane looks like erupting even now, but it has not done yet. Mt. Ontake must have not looked like so these days. It is so difficult to foresee the eruption. I think men cannot control all of the nature. I only pray their souls may rest in peace.

Posted for Hiroshi

The most idyllic place I have ever visited is....

The most idyllic place I have ever visited is Ohshika-mura in Nagano Prefecture.

I lived in Nagano Prefecture for a long time, but I didn't know Ohshika-mura until one of my friend worked for elementary school there. I visited her together with my friends. It is located in the southern part of Nagano.

We drove to south by express highway and exit from Matsukawa IC. It was a long winding road to the village. It took over 30 minutes into deep valley to east. There were neither houses nor shops along road. Sometimes deer and/or monkeys jumped out from valley.

After coming out of a tunnel, there is a small village. There are dotted with houses. There is only one grocery store, but no convenience store. I love the hot spring spa there. It was located in the middle of mountain. It is a small facility and has only open-air spa. In the spring, I could enjoy the beautiful green landscape down to the village.

 Ohshika-mura is famous for Kabuki which is the traditional Japanese performance art. The people living in Ohshika-mura play some famous story every spring and fall.

Well, I love to visit there but I don't want to live there. I am living within walking distance from the convenience store as well as bus stop. Also our parents live near to our house. It is very convenient environment for me.

Posted for Tomoko, after reading "Double Trouble"

Urban safari - in search of springs

We live in an area rich in onsen (natural hot springs), but less people know about all the natural fresh water springs dotted around the city centre. Another beautiful day here in the central Alps, and the school still cluttered with boxes and stuff...bus trip!

Post office

Today we jumped off our bus before the station - we'd had fun waiting for the bus playing with the ice off the bus stop bench, and watching it melt quickly as our fingers got colder! We tried to walk on the sunny side of the street, as it was chilly in the shade. We inspected the post office and watched people put their letters in the post box.

We soon found a spring on Nakamachi street, with an old hand pump on top. We were careful not to wet our shoes. Across the road was another one, with bamboo pipes - and just up the street from there we found a man cleaning freshly cut poles of bamboo, which must have been 4 metres long. I never knew we had a bamboo business in the city!

We met a lot of older people at our next spring, and they talked to us as they filled their plastic bottles. It seems that a lot of people rely on the springs for their water supply. It was very fresh, and Sota said it was 'sweet'; it was also at a comfortable temperature - they never freeze over even in the middle of winter.

Bus stop gang!

On Frog Street we posed for a picture; what do you think? Clowns or really kool kids?! Snack time in the sunshine, gave us the energy to chase the pigeons around at the shrine, before we ran out of steam walking back to the bus stop...Sota and Hina were both ZZZzzzing in no time at all, and were transported magically back to a comfortable kip at Luna.

A delightful little excursion, lots of fresh air (and water!). Think we'll all sleep well tonight!