Today was wet. No not wet, absolutely soaking, stair-rods. Liz suggested we drive south to the borders of Akita prefecture to see the Fuji of the North, Mount Chokai. The map we were using for navigation was the Akita Prefecture Tourist Map which showed the places of interest but lacked the road information to get to them. But this did not daunt us. We set forth west along route for what seemed an eternity and then turning south on the 108. For such a high profile place of interest we found few signs telling us how to get there. We also passed through areas where the use of English place names were omitted. This made navigation more interesting and more difficult. The rain was still falling.
We finally discovered a roadside map of the Chokai Plateau which showed us where the mountain was to be found. We drove around for quite a while following the signs but saw no sign of our destination. At one point we had to turn back because the road ahead was closed due to snow. The mist was rising from the streams and trees and was meeting the clouds as they descended. Our renal meant we had to return the car before 6pm so after an hour we gave up and concluded the mounting had been taken away for refurbishment. The countryside around the mountain was quite spectacular and I could have taken dozens of photographs if it had not been raining so hard. A bit of driving around and guesswork saw us on route 13 and on our way back to Yokote. We stopped off at a sushi restaurant for a snack. It was one of those places with the various choices going round on a track. You just plucked the item you wanted as it passed by. The colour of the plates showed how much the item would cost. At the end of the meal the plates were checked and the bill calculated.
We found our way back to the car rental place without too much difficulty, thanks to very good street signs. We were so pleased to have made it back we had forgotten to replace the used petrol and had to pop out again and fill up.
In the evening we went out to a Thai restaurant, the Pokara, and met up with a number of the other JET ALTs, Sarah, Aaron, Holly, Sarah Lee, Nick, Libby, Libby's sister Alison, who was visiting from Sidney, Liz, Rita and Me. The restaurant was welcoming, the food good and the company even better. It was like sitting at home in a warm kitchen with some good friends. A good memory.

 
After a quick review we decided to visit Akita and then go on the Oga, spit of land on the east coast sticking out into the Japan Sea. Liz decided she had had enough of us and would stay at home. When we got to Akita it was sunny so we agreed to forgo Akita and go straight to Oga. This required us to catch a local train on the Oga Line. The 11 stops took us about one hour. We hadn't really planned what to do when we got there but some helpful people in the information bureau gave us an area guide, in Japanese, and pointed the coastal bus stop.
There are two main types of us in Japan. The one we boarded has a door at the front where you exit and a door in the middle where you get on. As you get on you take a numbered ticket which indicates the stop you boarded at. As the bus progresses a board at the front of the bus is updated to show how much the fare will be from your stop number. When you get off you put the correct amount and ticket into a collection box. There is even a machine that will give you change.
We disembarked at Monzen, a small, quite fishing village. We were one of to couples who travelled that far. In the car park is a 15 foot statue of a very aggressive demon which commemorates the annual Namahage festival on New Years Eve, where men dressed in horned demon masks and bulky straw coats go from house to house scaring children into being good. From what I can make out it is a weird combination of Christmas and Halloween. We walked up the hillside to a secluded temple, which turned out to have a youth hostel attached. When we looked at the next stage which would take us to more shrines we decided it was too hot for such a steep climb, especially as the sign indicated there was 700 metres to go. So we walked back down and onto the beach where were ceremonially dipped our hands in the Sea of Japan. Not long after the bus arrived and just the two of us made the return journey to Oga. It was as we arrived at the bus terminus I realised I only had a ¥10,000 note on me. The driver couldn't change it so I had to rush into the shop in the station and buy a couple of onigiri, I will tell you about them later, and then rush back to pay the fare.
Everything was fine on the return leg until we got to Omagari where we discovered the net train to Yokote was not for over an hour. By a stroke of chance, Rita going to the loo, I discovered a sign which said RentaCar. We had been intending to rent a car at sometime but up until that moment we could not find where we could rent one. We had great fun completing the transaction. The two chaps in the office (it also acted as the car park payment booth) had a small amount of English and I had my small amount of Japanese. The biggest problem was getting the correct piece of information into the computer form. The form was very particular about what data it would accept. But after half an hour we were shown to our car, a white 1500cc Honda Civic. The one thing I had not considered and was therefore a little surprised was it was automatic. I had not driven an automatic car for over 30 years and this had been my Dad's Ford Zephyr. Once I had managed to tuck my left leg well away from the foot controls I was fine, although I kept wanting to manually change the gears. With all the other tings to get use to I was glad the Japanese drive on the correct side of the road. I find it interesting that it is on islands, such as Great Britain, Eire, Japan, New Zealand and Malta, that people drive on the left. With the car available Liz took us further out to a Chinese restaurant that she and her friends regularly visit. The food was very good. I had to be very good and totally abstain from alcohol as even the slightest amount is not a good idea when driving in Japan. Tomorrow we will have the freedom of the roads. Wish me luck.

 
We spent the morning looking for hotels. We could not find a hotel in a place we wanted to do so we ended up deciding to return directly to Tokyo. Even then finding available rooms was a little difficult. There were plenty at ¥40,000 and upwards per night, from about £200. I finally found one in Ikebukuro for ¥9,000 and booked it over the Internet. That done we had lunch and then strolled down to the railway station to book the Shinkansen for Tokyo. I must admit the rail pass has certainly been a very good investment. It paid for itself with just the Tokyo to Kyoto and Utsunomiya to Omagari trips. The rest of our journeys have been totally free. The card allows us to use the Shinkasen and local railway system without further payment.
In the afternoon we visited the Akita Furusatomura, "Hometown Village", where according to their blurb an amusement park constructed for the handing down and preservation of the traditional culture in Akita Prefecture. As well as the usual shops there is a whole section where you can see the traditional craft being practiced and even have ago. We didn't.
Liz has her Japanese class tonight so we had to get back quite early.

 
Another glorious sunny day in Yokote. We left Liz "lolling" and took a leisurely stroll down to the JR rail station where we caught the local train to Oomagari where we changed to the Shinkansen line for Kakunodate. Kakunodate is famous for the Samurai houses that still exist. Many are open to the public. The town is also famous for the craft of kabazaiku, objects of polished cherry bark. There were certainly some beautiful, and rather expensive examples of the craft on sale. We finally decided on a modest but eye-catching tea caddy at around £26. We strolled along the river where they were busy putting up stalls in preparation for the forthcoming cherry blossom. We walked along the path hedged by cherry trees just starting to show the buds. The scene should be spectacular when the blossoms finally appear.
After lunch we caught the train to Tazowako, the next stop on the line. This is a holiday town, summer at the lake and winter skiing. Lake Tazawa is the deepest in Japan. The lake has a famous statue, we never did see it and it was too far round the lake to walk. It cost us quite a bit to get to the lake form the station and the lake was shut. The whole place was dead. We enjoyed the afternoon sun and just sat and read our books. A couple of cups of coffee, not even full cups, cost us £4. This is a place to avoid out of season. We finally found out where the buses stopped and luckily one was due quite soon. We escaped.
Liz teaches at her Eikaiwa, English conversation, class on Wednesdays so she would be out, so on the way home we stopped off and bought something to eat; tuna, noodles and vegetables. One of the things we brought over from England was a supply of chocolate - Cream Eggs, Flakes, Fruit and Nut bars, Toblerone and the like - for Elizabeth. While we were travelling we rationed it out but when we got to her flat we gave her what was left. She told us, when so got back from her Eikaiwa class, she had found the temptation too great and to avoid a chocolate binge she had posted the remaining chocolate to herself. Let's hope it doesn't get lost in the post.
The forecast shows tomorrow will be another hot day.

 
First day in Yokote. The kanji mean sideways hand; I can only suppose it has something to do with harvesting the rice which the area is well known for. We took a walk around the town and visited the Municipal Hall. One of the major festivals that take place in the area is Kamakura, the Snow Festival. Snow houses at least feet high and six or more feet in diameter are built and the insides are hollowed out. People sit inside them and eat and drink and generally enjoy themselves. Inside the Municipal Hall is one of these building preserved in a temperature controlled room which you enter via a pair of air (or should that be temperature) locks. We had lunch at the Italian Tomato.
Later in the afternoon we visited a Hyakuenya. This place is stocked out with items all costing one hundred yen, around 50p. Some of the stuff was pretty good and included everything you would need to stock a kitchen, plenty of electronic items, small cameras and music CDs. I managed to pick up a Hanko, the name stamps the Japanese use instead of a signature, which had the kanji for Turtle and Origin on it.
We finally ended up eating at a Korean restaurant where you cook your own food in a grill set into the middle of the table.
Tomorrow we start our tourist bit again with a trip to Kakunodate.

 
A quick look out of the window shows it is overcast. After paying bill we ordered a taxi to take us to the station. Rita and Liz were dropped off at the only bank in Nikko that could exchange Sterling Travellers Cheques. One bit of advice if you are coming to Japan then don't bother with Sterling Travellers Cheques there are not too many places that can accept them. Either take Yen or US Dollar or Yen Travellers Cheques. At Utsunomiya we had a bit of trouble getting our tickets. It took four clerks to sort it out. The short trip to Sendai was with unreserved seats. Our tickets showed the reserved part and the time the train would leave Sendai. Our concern was whether we would arrive at Sendai to catch the connection. We could only relay on the efficiency of the Japanese. We arrived with 15 minutes to spare which allowed us to buy bentoo boxes. Being quite late our choice was limit and the one I selected wasn't available but after checking one was available at a kiosk on another platform so the junior was despatched to get it. A few minutes later she returned, slightly out of breath having had to run up and down the subway steps, with the box. As the journey progressed the mountains became closer and we saw and more standing snow. In some places it was still quite thick. At Omagari we made the final change from the Sinkansen line to the local line for the final part of the trip to our destination of Yokote.
We are now sitting in my daughter's flat having sorted out what needs washing. The flat is very nice with three main rooms, kitchen, living room and bedroom. The living room is divided from the bedroom by a set of sliding doors. The bedroom has plenty of cupboard space. There is also two smaller rooms off the kitchen, the toilet and the bath/utility room. The toilet has the smallest bath I have seen, not more than a deep shower tray! The toilet seat is heated which essential in the Akita winter. Another nice feature is the heather fixed under the low dining table so you can sit and keep your feet warm.
The next couple of days will be recuperation.
I have managed to connect my laptop to Liz's broadband so I update my log far easier. We have nearly got through our reserves of cash and travellers cheques, and my daughter has not been able to connect her computer to her broadband service, a problem with the LAN card, so we have come to an agreement. Liz will buy the laptop and give us cash. I will burn a CD before I leave with all the pictures I have taken and rely on my two 256MB and IBM 1GB cards for the remainder of the holiday.

 
Sunday morning at 5am and the weather look promising. Some cloud but with blue bits.
The Western breakfast was unusual, a bowl of fruit, toast and a hard boiled egg. The fruit was very good. Since arriving in Japan we had had very little fruit, we didn't see any on sale in Tokyo and Kyoto. Our first destination was the Rinnoji Temple and Tosyogu Shrine. The whole complex covered a large area. By the time we had finished we were shirined out. One of the imporatant sights in Nikko is the Shinkyo Bridge that spans the Daiya River. Trouble was we couldn't find it, until we saw a sign saying that due to wear and tear the bridge was being reconstructed and hidden from view. After a meal in Gustos, a Western style fast food chain, we returned to the ryokan. Liz decided she would like some time to herself so we left her and caught the bus to Chuzenji Spa. It was quite a journey costing nearly 1,000 yen each. Part of the trip was up a series of hairpin bends getting higher all the time. The lake is obviously a tourist attraction during the summer but in April it is cold, there was still piles of snow everywhere. We visited the Kegon Falls nearby, but decided the temple was a bit too much. The journey home was a little like the ending of The Italian Job as the coach wove its way down another series of hairpin bends. The day was finished off with a spell in the hot tub.
Tomorrow we move on to Yokote.