Two whole glorious months of Spring Break were kicked off with my family visiting from the UK. After five months of being apart, it was comforting to belong to a family unit again. The freedom of solo travel can sometimes be burdened with the hefty responsibility of complete independence. Having your Mum around to remind you to bring a jumper, or saddling your younger brother with luggage, is helpful. My family traversed the classic Honshu route that the Japan Rail Pass advertises, from Tokyo down to Kobe, with some worthwhile stops along the way. I was excited to play tour guide in the areas I had visited before and compared to a few months ago, my Japanese had improved sufficiently to grant us access to some local bars and eateries. Although my newfound linguistic confidence was soon dashed when the word for ‘cow’ evaded me and I indecorously moo’ed at a waitress to indicate that my Dad would like the beef, please…
We were reunited at the mountain resort of Hakone, home to a brilliantly stocked open-air museum, sulphurous mountainsides and picturesque lakes. February being the off-season, it was a struggle to find restaurants open after 6pm. In a near-desperate search for food, we faithfully followed google maps to a place it promised was open. The route provided almost killed us. Near vertical hills that appeared conquerable only with ropes and harnesses proved a challenge, but we hungrily pressed on with the determination of only the ravenous. Eventually, we arrived sweating to the alpine haven, complete with log fire and antique furniture. A well-deserved meal was scoffed!
Next stop: Kyoto. We stayed in a beautiful Airbnb, sampled Takoyaki (octopus dumplings) at Nishiki market and summited Mt.Inari.
After, we swung past Nara and Osaka on our way to Kobe.
Perhaps my favourite destination was Kobe, a city that actively enjoys its natural space! (Few and far between in Japan). Wide tree-lined boulevards, parks and flower beds lessen the concrete monotony. Interesting totems and inverted ship structures also liven up the port. Not to mention the mountains, which are connected to the city via cable car. Although be sure to read the map upon visiting. We planned on some standard sightseeing of waterfalls but found ourselves climbing a mountain miles away without even a bottle of water. Our mistake was simply turning right instead of left at the very beginning…nevertheless we appreciated the invigorating hike and the risk of being eaten by wild boars.
The Carnivorous Woman 