our glorious morning began at 415 today with both kids up and raring to go. because there ain’t shit to do at 4am, it was family bath time. thing-one was none too pleased that his little bro and daddy were crashing our bath. he told me, “mader (derek) not dirty;” he knows nothing.
we ditched the buffet this morning and went to the highly recommended sawamura bakery. we were really excited for their outdoor seating so the kids could run around and we could drink hot drinks unpreterbed. but when we got there all the outdoor seating was reserved. i get that. other people are smarter than i. we can deal with two squirrely kids inside!
we could not. doc/mcqueen was flipping his wig because, well who the fuck knows. so i sat outside with him while we watched exactly zero people come to use the outdoor seating. but they were great about adjusting the set menu to accommodate the vegetarians and the food kicked ass. mashed potatoes, eggs, caprese salad, toast, salad, ratatouille, and yogurt. mouse really digged the ratatouille and the bulldozer ate two bites and demanded berries. he’s really singing the song of his people on this trip.
i stocked up with bread, croissants, and honey in preparation for the ryokan (japanese all-inclusive inn) we’ll be staying at for the next two nights. it’s in the mountains, pretty isolated, and won’t accommodate my picky ass for anything other than breakfast.
we were a bit late to meet our guide for our trip because thing-one was throwing my favorite tantrum of the day: “make it dark outside, mama!” explaining day/night to a two year old left me kinda pissed i didn’t have more control over it too.
eventually, we hopped in the van and were off to matsumoto. both kids feel asleep for the two hour journey and it was blissful. we arrived at the castle/badass fortress and thing-one immediately flocked to the carp in the moat surrounding this impressive structure. the castle totally thrilled him. if mouse wasn’t losing it we could’ve stayed half the day with bug going up and down and finding nooks and crannies of all kinds.
after a quick tour we found lunch at another italian restaurant. (we could alternately call this trip, “eating italian in japan. *sigh*) and had our first grocery store experience. i could’ve spent two hours there, easy. thing-one was enamored with the car/ambulance? cart. in fact he demanded we call him a dirty ambulance the rest of the day. sure.
i was really grateful for our guide, especially since she was able to explain proper etiquette for the ryokan. like, the shoes thing. i know you take off shoes, but had no idea there was a small ritual, a very precise way of doing it. she was also able to translate for our host and us. she may have prevented an international incident. we’ll see when we try the communal baths.
i managed to bow the appropriate amount and we collected our yukatas and were off to our room. tatami mats, three futons on the floor, no chairs…we just shook the west off. we’ll see how this goes.
but first, derek and i are going to soak in the outdoor onsen while the kids are snoozing away. g’night!
Travels with Larson and Co 