A Perfect Day

On Saturday we went "up north" to see the cherry blossoms. Many of you are probably familiar with the cherry blossoms that bloom in Washington, DC in April. I think DC is one of the most picturesque cities in the world, especially in the spring when the cherry blossoms line the national mall and create a beautiful, natural background for the Capital building and the monuments along the national mall. Of course, if you think back to high school or middle school American history you'll remember the cherry blossom trees in DC were presented as a gift to the US from Japan. I've also loved the view of cherry blossoms and was especially excited to see them here in Japan.

On Saturday morning we piled in the car with a couple of friends, a few good CDs, and two packs of bubblegum and drove to the Motobu peninsula to Mount Yaedaka. The drive itself was beautiful, making the journey itself enjoyable. The destination, however, was absolutely gorgeous. At first we were stuck in a long line of cars trying to get up this hill and get a good view of the cherry blossoms. At the time we arrived we were one of the only cars of Americans. After sitting in the car for 1.5 hours we were all ready to get out and walk, so at first sight of a "parking lot" we encouraged Kyle to pull in and ditch vehicle. We load up the camera and water bottles and started walking. The weather was probably in the mid-70s and the sun was shining. We hiked quite a ways up the Sakura tree lined mountain, but we didn't make it to the summit. None of us had dressed appropriately or worn shoes for a long hike. We stopped walking at a nice vista where a Japanese man looked at us and pointed toward the summit. He said it was just 1,000 meters (1 km) and we all thought, "oh! We can do that no problem!" But, it was one of those summits where you have to walk down before you ascend the summit. Annoying. We walked down and saw the road ahead. Perhaps it was actually a 1,000 meters "as the crow flies." On foot in cute flats that matched my purple shirt, it was certainly farther than 1,000 meters. We stopped, conferenced as a group, and turned around to walk down the hill. It was time for lunch.

As we walked down the hill we saw a man with a mullet. A Japanese man with a mullet. He really, truly looked like a Japanese "Joe Dirt." Inappropriate, I know. But it was funny. The next entry will be about the British Wine and Tea Shop where we dined on one of the most memorable and delicious meals of my life!