The leaves they are a changin'

It’s been a long time since I wrote last and, again, lots of stuff has happened.  Time to update!

           

I went to Oyama to see the leaves change colour in the fall. It was beautiful and I met some new people again.  We went at dusk and saw the sunset and the moon come out. We walked around the small area and I rang the giant bell! It took more strength than I had to make that huge gong sound but I did my part :) We got a free hot lemon drink that tasted like neocitron but worked well to warm us up.  It was bloody cold up there! Then the lights came on along these stone steps in front of a shrine.  It was beautiful and golden and very warm looking.  There were stone statues along the stairs and gorgeous views from the top of the stairs.  But the stairs! Very steep and broken and I thought I was gonna break my face – or worse – my camera! 

After the stairs we took the trolley up to the top for more views and a promised tofu soup.  The soup was delicious.  We ate outside in front of a huge bon fire.  The soup had lots of root veggies, tofu, and pork in it.  We weren’t sure if it was so good because we were hungry and freezing or because the cooks were awesome.  Either way we were very satisfied.  2 bowls each satisfied!

We decided to walk down the hill because the wait for the trolley looked to be over an hour.  I had been warned before that the walk down was a tad dangerous.  Poor lighting, broken steps, etc.  I didn’t think it would be that bad.  I. Was. Wrong.  I was scooting on my butt down most of the stairs and fearing for my life the rest of it.  The stairs were broken, uneven, and steep.  The lighting was really bad and some people had a couple tiny flashlights that did little to help.  It took a while and we passed an old man that had fallen and had a gash on his head.  Poor man.  We passed the rescue workers on our way down who were running up on their way to take the man down on a stretcher.  Very scary.  We hiked for what seemed like hours and kept thinking the halfway point was coming up and we could take the trolley down.  It took forever but finally most people agreed we would catch the trolley asap.  Good decision because I was ready to quit. 

After the trolley we had to go down hundreds more steps to the bus.  We had to walk up them before but there were lots of shops open and things to see.  By this time, the shops were closed and our legs felt like jelly b/c of the hike down.  But we did get this freshly made hot pastry in the shape of a fish with red bean in it.  So worth it!

Anyway, the trolley was great and we went to a seafood izakaya and I ate crab guts! Not too bad.  The next day, however, I got ridiculously sick b/c of the cold weather and sweating during the hike.  It was fantastic – lost my voice for  a few days, was too weak to teach but had to anyway, and ate a whole bag of Halls.  I blame it on all the fucking stairs.  They are the bane of my existence!  They defeated me at Mt. Takao and at Oyama.  If they’re at Mt. Fuji – I’m done!  On the plus side, the view was beautiful :)