Hawaiian Sister-Trip

Back in December, my sister and I met up for a week in Hawaii, and it was the best thing ever. I pretty much haven't been able to stop talking about it since. The scenery, the weather, the food, the time with my sister, I couldn't have hoped for more.

Ten years ago I had a summer job in Hawaii, which was an incredible experience. I've been dreaming about going back ever since, but this was my first real opportunity. I was a little nervous, thinking that maybe my memories had grown more rosy as the time passed. What if it wasn't as wonderful as I remembered? But that turned out to be a needless fear.

We spent our first four nights on the north shore and the last three in Waikiki. If you have the chance to go to Hawaii, and you'll be on Oahu, I can't recommend the north shore enough. It requires renting a car, but it's so worth it! And driving around the island is part of the fun. Julie and I were always gaping out the windows at how beautiful everything was, and pulled over more than once just to see a beautiful vista or explore a beach by the side of the road. It's so much calmer than Honolulu - the perfect place to relax and unwind.

I had read that food in Hawaii is kind of overpriced, and not very good. But either we got lucky, or we're not very picky, because almost everything we ate was great. Being on vacation we embraced the spam musubis and turkey sandwiches (a novelty for me coming from Japan) from the convenience stores just as much as we did the fresh fruit and seafood.

After coming back Raku asked me what makes everyone talk about Hawaii like it's the best vacation spot ever, even better than other tropical locations. And I stumbled trying to put an answer into words (it just is, ok?!?) But I think it's a mixture of the intense beauty, the perfect climate, how friendly everyone is, how small and accessible the island is (I assume this is true of the others besides Oahu) and perhaps some special Hawaiian magic. 

So, if you ever have the chance, go! And in the meantime, try not to be annoyed at all the pictures I'm about to post.

First Night on the North Shore: Mokuleia Beach Park

Julie was obsessed with all the chickens

In winter the waves are giant on the north shore

More giant waves

This actually looked a lot better than it tasted 

The water was so rough that the Pipeline Master's surf competition was on hold for days

The Best Sister

It's even pretty when it's stormy

The view from Kualoa Regional Park 

Underwater Coral

Kayaking in Kaneohe Bay

 

Hanauma Bay

Passion Fruit Acai Bowl

Waikiki at Night

Macadamia nut pavlova with lemon curd and tropical fruit

The pool at the Surfjack Hotel

In my memories the light is always this golden

Sister Visit

I'm terribly late writing about this, but a couple months ago my sister came out to visit (for the fourth time!) for her spring break. It was her shortest trip by far, but still lots of fun.

We discovered that the Yokohama Ramen museum now has two shops that offer gluten free ramen, so we made a point of going out there to binge on ramen. (She enjoyed both, but says that Muku Zweite is better than Komurasaki if you have to choose one or the other.)

In other food adventures we went to Enoshima, an island a little over an hour from Tokyo, and during a picnic a hawk stole her entire lunch! Luckily we were able to find more gluten free food (and ice cream) relatively quickly.

The cherry blossoms were supposed to be opening during her visit, but they were very slow this year. We got a few sightings in, but nothing nearing peak blooms. In spite of that we still did lots of other fun things like seeing a Yayoi Kusama show, finding a baby mango (the size of an egg) at a gift fruit store, and just generally enjoying each other's company.

Gluten Free Ramen

The Shin-Yokohama Ramen Museum - so much more crowded than a few years ago!

Mini Mango!

The Yayoi Kusama Show

She's so werid, but I LOVE her

Sister Love

Travel themed chu-hais

Father's Day Visit

John's dad has been out here visiting for the past week, conveniently falling over Father's Day. I can't believe how quickly his visit has come and gone (I think I say this every time) but it really was wonderful.

We've visited lots of temples and shrines where we were even able to see two weddings, and about a million blooming iris and hydrangeas. We also went to an afternoon baseball game, had dinner with Shiori, their exchange student from years past, got in some World War II history, and ate tons of delicious Japanese food.

In less than three weeks we'll have more visitors, and my sister just bought a ticket to come out too, so the fun is just going to continue all summer.

I love the red and white bowls at this ramen shop

The Imperial Palace is full of iris in June

The perfect Father's Day

Every time they get a run, the Yakult Swallows fans do a dance with umbrellas

Golden Week and a Visitor

It's hard to believe that we're already a week into May. Golden week has come an gone, and so has John's mother's visit.

We had such a great time with her. It's always fun to show off our favorite places and introduce people to Japanese food and culture. One of the highlights of her trip was meeting up with an exchange student she hosted six years ago. Shiori was only 13 when she came to the US, and now she is a beautiful self-assured college student! We went to her hometown and had a beautiful lunch at the restaurant where she has a part time job.

When we mentioned that we were going to Kamakura, one of the ancient capitals of Japan about an hour from Tokyo, Shiori recommended a temple that I'd never heard of - Hokoku-ji, which might just be my new favorite. It's a beautiful zen temple with a bamboo grove, a little tea house, and caves carved into a mountain - totally deserving of it's own blog post. I really think it rivals the beauty of Kyoto.

We fit so much into just a week, I think we're all still recovering from it. But I'm so glad we had the opportunity!

Gorgeous Japanese Lunch

Hokoku-ji in Kamakura

Afternoon Tea at The Mandarin Oriental

Our favorite yakitori place

Nighttime in Shinkjuku

Almost Sakura

It's almost sakura season. The very first cherry blossoms are just opening up, and by this weekend they'll be in full force. But even now there are flowers blooming everywhere and warmer days have been sneaking in here and there.

I suppose this is how it always goes, but winter seems like it has lasted forever even though time also seems to be flying. In just a month John's mom is coming out to visit us and we are so excited to show her all the things we love about Japan! And I am so looking forward to warmer sunny days and more time spent outside.

These are best smelling flowers in the world! (If only I knew their name)

I think I associate Camellias with Japan as much as I do Cherry Blossoms

Utsukushi no Yu Onsen in Takaido

While Ellie was visiting back in June we went to an onsen I'd never visited before. We chose Utsukushi no Yu because Ellie wanted to be sure to go to one that had outdoor baths.

Utsukushi no Yu is a little bit of a trek from central Tokyo, but the facilities and proximity to the station are great. Admission is 900 yen for adults and 700 yen for children on weekdays. On weekends the price is 300 yen higher but you also get access to their swimming pool. There is an additional charge for towel rentals.

On the women's side there are three indoor baths, one with water jet massage stations, and three outdoor baths as well. From the outside baths you can also access the sauna. I obviously couldn't take pictures inside the onsen, but you can see pictures on their website. We went on a rainy day and I was worried that might mean the outdoor baths were closed, but that wasn't the case. It was actually really pretty to be outside in a rocky pool of hot water with a gentle rain falling.

If you visit Utsukushi no Yu it's about a three minute walk from the station. (Conveniently with a Mr. Donut in-between. Ellie and I definitely stopped for donuts on our way home.) There's no English signage for the onsen, but there is a sign for NAF Wellness Club. Turn into the entrance, ignore the lockers that are immediately visible and walk up the stairs, at the top you'll see the doors to Utsukushi no Yu. Once inside you'll need to leave your shoes in a shoe locker immediately to the right. Lockers cost a 100 yen refundable deposit.

Once you've dropped off your shoes you buy admission and towel rental tickets from a vending machine, which you then take to the counter. The vending machine is only in Japanese, but even if you can't read Japanese you can figure it out. (I've labeled a picture below) The orange buttons in the upper left are for admission. This is where knowing the admission price comes in handy - you can just match the price to the ticket you should buy. The purple buttons are for towel rentals - 110 yen for a bath towel (レンタルバスタオル）and 60 yen for a face towel（レンタルフェイスタオル.) I recommend both towels, the bath towel for drying off afterwards, and the face towel for modesty while walking around.

After you've purchased your tickets, take them to the front desk. They'll take the key to your shoe locker and give you a key for a locker in the locker room as well as issuing your towels. Then it's time to get naked! Remember it's important to scrub down thoroughly before getting in the water, and that while you can carry your modesty towel around with you it needs to stay on your head or at the side of the pools while you're in the water, it's not supposed to be submerged. If you're looking for a full guide on how to use an onsen I highly recommend this video - I made sure Ellie watched it in preparation. 

I thought Ellie was so brave to try an onsen! I wasn't nearly that brave when I was 17. I'm not sure if I've said this before, but as incredibly self-conscious as I can be about my body there is something really wonderful and healing about hanging out with a bunch of other naked people. Even as a curvy foreigner, by the end of the experience I always feel like bodies are just these great tools that let us live our lives instead of objects (often of disappointment) by which we should judge our self worth. So, if you're even considering going to an onsen - do it! It's an amazing experience.

The front of Utsukushi no Yu

The entrance to the onsen is up these stairs

Drop your shoes off here

Buy your admission tickets here. Enjoy!

Utsukushi no Yu Onsen

Hours: 9:30 am - Midnight

Phone: 03-3334-0008

Location: 2-3-45 Takaido-nishi, Suginami-ku, Tokyo

Map

Looking for Other Onsen?

Spa EAS in Yokohama

Sister Time Is The Best Time

This is my first trip back to the US where I've gotten to act like a tourist instead of just visiting my family. Tomorrow I'm flying up to Chicago to visit a friend and then we'll be heading to Boston together for another friend's wedding. By this time next week I'll be on a plane back to Tokyo. It's hard to believe my trip is coming to an end since there is still so much planned, but I will be glad to be back.

As much as I've missed John, and our apartment, and Tokyo I've been having such a great time with my sister. We've eaten way too much delicious food, gone on picnics, boat rides, and spent time at the beach. There's also been plenty of time just sitting around laughing and playing card games and hanging around the house.

We stopped at a roadside farm stand

And tried pumpkin spice lattes for the first time 

Beaufort is adorable

And boating is the best

Seriously, the best

The beach is pretty great too