Karuizawa October 2015

The first weekend of October we ventured to Karuizawa for the weekend with some friends from church. I wish we had gotten a group picture but we had so many people we never did find the organization to take a group picture. We had nine families join us with 15 kids and 2 on the way. It was very relaxing and very fun! We stayed in these cabins at a retreat center and basically let the kids play outside all day! On Saturday morning our kids heard their friends calling them at 8AM. I do not think the K Man came inside except for bathroom and food breaks, until 10 PM. There was an old play ground the kids could enjoy along with roller blades, scooters, and other riding toys they could play with on the tennis courts. We took a walk to get some ice cream and some folks enjoyed a beautiful hike. We had music time at night with the musicians in the group leading us in songs and the kids dancing. It was such a nice retreat...without a plan...and a great weekend of fellowship. Our kids LOVED it!

Boso no Mura Open Air Museum

During Silver Week, in late September, we went to Boso No Mura Open Air Museum in Narita. It took about 90 minutes by car to get there from central Tokyo. We ate lunch at a family style Italian restaurant before heading to the museum. It reminded us of The Olive Garden. There was a festival going on at the museum. The museum is supposed to take you back in time to what life was like during the Edo period. Children could dress up in kimonos or ninja outfits while roaming the grounds. Our kids opted not to do that, but they still had a lot of fun. They saw a scare crow in the fields, their first time seeing one. They made their own chopsticks out of wood, sanding them and everything. They made cotton candy and Miss M also made a bracelet. It was a beautiful area - lots of trees and greenery. The weather was perfect. It made for a fabulous field trip to escape the city lights and sounds and enjoy trees and birds chirping.