Hello Fall…
Happy Fall. It’s been a while since I last wrote in my blog. The school year started, the election passed, and we are now in the lovely fall season. I hope you all are doing well back in the US, with everything going on with COVID. Please stay safe and healthy.
Cases in Tokyo and across Japan have been slowly increasing and the government is looking to raise the alert level this week. People wear masks, social distancing, sanitizing and temperature checks almost everywhere. We continue to take precautions. Without tourist entering Japan, it makes it nice to do some outdoor exploring without crowds. We are coming up on our Thanksgiving break and finally Alex is able to head to Shanghai. It’s been a hectic fall and I cannot believe we are approaching the end of 2020. What a year!
Here are some recent highlights over the past few months. Fall and spring are gorgeous in Japan.
Koishikawa Korakuen Gardens in Tokyo. Designated as a special historic site and special place of scenic beauty. It sure was tranquil and beautiful.
ASIJ has started several clubs for parents to connect since parents are not allowed at school. Right now the Elementary school is back to full time on campus, with the Middle and High school still on hybrid- 2 days on campus, followed by 2 days online. It is working quite well for the MS and HS students.
I love being a part of the ASIJ Brisk Walking Club. About twice a month we meet up and brisk walk to explore the city and new places, meeting new folks and chatting. Here are some pics from some recent adventures.
Rikugien Gardens in Tokyo, it was beautiful. Two days visiting gardens with near 70 degree weather in November.
A friend of mine coordinated a Tokyo Toilet Tour for a few of us. All the toilets were located in public parks; top architects and designers put their creative ideas to transform the toilets into works of art. It was fun to walk and visit the public restrooms and admire the innovative, modern, clean and unique toilets of Tokyo. Two of them are the infamous glass toilets. You can see through them and when you lock the door, the glass becomes opaque. I had to use it and it sure makes you uneasy, but so cool.
One of the glass Tokyo Toilet Tour bathrooms. It was fun to try it out. Turns opaque when you lock it.
During our short fall break we went to Shimoda, on the Izu Peninsula. It is a little beach town. It reminds me of surfing in Hawaii. We drove to Shimoda during a Typhoon, which made for a very rough drive, however the next day it was beautiful. The next day was perfect for some surfing. We were able to meet up with a couple of friends (Andrew’s friends) and enjoyed a relaxing beachy weekend.
Gorgeous Shimoda, the day after the Typhoon.
With Blake into cycling, I decided to try cycling in Japan. I got a road bike and had my first cycling ride. I have to say it was really fun. I heard Japan is great for cycling around the country and even when we go back to Portland, Portland is bike town USA. My first long cycling ride was this past weekend. We met with Blake’s colleagues and we rode from Yokohama to Enoshima Island, in total 31 KM (roughly 20 miles). It was really fun. I am looking forward to exploring Japan on bikes. I need to get used to the saddle, my butt was hurting the next day.
At the start of our bike ride. Enoshima island is gorgeous and easy to walk to across a bridge. Lovely sushi/ seafood at the coast.
I hope you have an enjoyable fall and looking forward to a different Holiday season. Take care, drop a note and I hope to see you soon.