My parents took us to Fukui prefecture, northwest of Osaka located on the side of Sea of Japan. It's a windy and cold area in the winter and I could see how lonely and beautiful the countryside can be with snow. Naturally, the crabs and shellfish are the best around there and Aly and I really enjoyed them. Saya isn't much of a fan yet. I know she will be in the future.
The drive was long, about 3 hours, but the girls slept some and played well during the trip. The first destination was an amusement park with great swimming pools. The girls were so happy, they could not wait to get out of the car. The weather was not ideal with few sprinkles and cooler than normal temperature, I think it was better than the usual heat in Japan. Saya, Jiji and Aly rode a swing boat ride and the girls were so proud to be brave. Saya's face though was frozen with fear when it reached the highest point. She tells us though she was not scared at all. Sure, Saya!
After playing for a while, we went to the pool. The pool was huge with at least 10 pools with various amenities such as waves and slides. There was an indoor area, too, jungle themed pools There weren't many customers there since it was a cool day. So, it almost felt like we had the whole place to ourselves. I was cold in the water, but the girls thought it was fine. My parents just watched. I remembered when my Dad used to take me to the pools when I was a little girl. He and I played chase, he would just throw me in the pool which I didn't like so much, but we always had a good time. He had this classic 70's style swim pants with wide tri-colored vertical stripes (with draw string waist of course). Those were the days when my parents looked big to me and I was a very skinny girl. Now they look small to me and it is bitter sweet.
The hotel was an old traditional hotel with tatami floor and very hot bathhouse with onsen, natural hot springs. I thought when I am an adult, I can bare the hotness of the bath in onsen like a wise old monkey, but I am such a wimp that I can only last about 10 minutes! I feel like I am being tortured and although I try my best to act chill, my face and skin tell otherwise. I turned red all over! The girls were being cute with little naked bottoms moving about in the bath house trying out different baths. They've decided that it is very hot though and didn't last that long, either. We were sweating river from all the nicely opened up pores despite all the washing we did, but were content in our little Japanese robe. The girls looked particularly cute in them. They served the famous shell fish dish for dinner and breakfast which were beautifully presented. Aly enjoyed the traditional Japanese style meals but Saya not so much. We liked the large grilled abalone in particular!
On the second day, we visited a landmark called Tojinbo, a jagged rocky cliff looking over the Sea of Japan. It's a well known tourist spot but the much of the touristy main strip and buildings seemed ran down and have seen the better days. The unusual cliff formations are beautiful and matches very well with the rough waves of the ocean. We took a boat to see the cliff from the ocean and discovered that Tojinbo was named after a corrupt monk who was pushed off the cliff by his colleagues and murdered. I am not sure if the story is true, but the dark history makes the whole place look dark. The salty ocean wind felt sticky but it was soothing to feel it on my face. Aly and Saya were very excited to be on the boat and look at the unusual scenery. The tour guide on the boat did an excellent job and entertained us while educating us with its history.
We heard that there is an aquarium nearby therefore, we went to check it out. It looked pretty small and dinky from outside, but we were impressed by the cute animals living there. We could see penguins up close when they went for a "walk" and the dolphins did great on their show. Unlike the mega aquarium at Osaka, the small size and less visitors gave more intimate feel and the girls loved talking and looking at the animals as long as they wanted to without feeling rushed. By now, they were very good at making Jiji buy them stuffed animals and swiftly worked to charm him at the gift shop. As a Mom, I want them to have good manners and I don't certainly want my parents to think they are spoiled little brats who feel entitled to everything. My Mom understands they are in a special mind frame when they are in Japan and pick up a notch on begging activity, but my Dad must have thought the girls are helplessly spoiled.
My favorite part of the trip was the visit to the dinosaur museum. Fukui prefecture is famous for dino bone excavation. The facility was amazing with futuristic architecture style and great lighting. The girls were half scared and half curious. In particular, Saya was very interested in dinosaurs, volcanoes, rocks, and history of earth. She asked me to read the plaques and signs and took her time learning about them. Aly was hopping around exhibits and I don't think she spent much time learning about them. Saya decided that her favorite dinosaur is brachiosaur. It was the biggest one in he exhibit and she liked that it was a plant eater. I need to get a dinosaur pictorial dictionary for her. I used to have one and enjoyed learning about dinosaurs. It will be a good subject to talk about to tie in with the changes in earth environment. Their schools in Washington teach children to be environmentally responsible and the kids are very curious about the subject. The girls each got a dinosaur stuffed toys and picked one for Sean and Noah, too. Jiji must be glad we only come once a year. He will go broke hanging out with the girls.
The girls were pretty tired and Saya fell asleep on the ride home. We did a lot in two days thanks to my parents who are excellent travel planners and tour guides. We made some memories together and those for us to keep forever. Thanks Mom and Dad for taking us to Fukui!
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