This morning we discover, to our immense relief, there is an entire room dedicated to kids with toys/special bathroom/nursery – finally, the playroom we have been missing since we left!
Day trip with a driver (no functional English) for some exploration into Karuizawa. We already threw everything into chaos, since we are changing plans last minute.
After Tokyo, we decided to axe the Toy Kingdom in favor of rural natural sights. First up is Shirito Falls. We brought one stroller with us, not knowing it would be a short hike up a muddy path. Don’t do that. But the falls are absolutely serene.
Next is Onioshidashi Park. What an unimaginable, fantastical place. It took us a while to get inside, as we needed a pit stop to eat snacks and use the bathroom. Luckily there was a shop/general store with fresh fruit, and a vending machine (always a vending machine nearby hah). I bought what I thought would be a sparkling water with lemon flavor, instead I got a carbonated lemonade that was way too sweet for Kyle.
Thing One likes to use the butt-cleaner spray, except we didn’t have his portable kid-sized seat when we went to the bathroom so the water shot up his back – over his head – and onto us both. Wah wah. It freaked him out a bit, so we laughed it off and recalled how Pete the Cat “kept on walking, singing his song” even though he stepped in all kinds of stuff with his brand-new White Shoes. It helped, and we were off to explore the majesty of Onioshidashi.
Finally, we ended with an epic childrens’ playground called Yukawa Furusato Park. The littles had a blast – great way to end the day.
Afterward, we headed back so we could get ready for dinner. By “get ready” insert “eat green noodles and pizza at the same restaurant from last night before our reservation”.
With full bellies you can pretty much guess how dinner at the Japanese Soba restaurant went.
Kyle spent most of the time going inside-and-out with the kids, who were not having another sit down meal (let alone with tofu and soba). Meanwhile, I was left behind in the aftermath of a complete meltdown and a table full of uneaten food surrounded by people who didn’t speak English. There was a family sitting behind us with an infant and toddler, out with the grandparents, who were definitely laughing at us.
W/e I ate the shit out of my hot soba – and it was fucking oishii (delicious).
Travels with Larson and Co 