Summer break 2025

So a few weeks ago, my mother came to visit Japan again. This had been an ongoing thing since I moved to Japan where she either came to visit me once a year, or I went back home to visit her and Dad. Last year I went to the Philippines to catch up with mum, so this was the first time in two years for her to visit Japan. Though she has met my wife many times already, it's the first time meet her as her new daughter in law.

While mum's trip was mostly to spend time with us, it was a chance for her to do things that she has not yet done in Japan. One of the main highlights is for mum to meet my new Mother-in-law for the very first time. There was a lot of stress on me and my wife's end, but fortunately mum was looking forward to meeting her, and it went without a hitch. Again, my wife gave her seal of approval for my performance, though in reality mum really took a liking to my mother in law, including the exchanging of gifts. 
Other things we did included going to Nikko for one night. While I had heard a lot from my students about their school trip experiences to Nikko, this was the very first time going there. We went to Toshogu Shrine, and it was bigger than I expected. What I was not expecting was the shrine was selling a very specific Gundam model kit:

The Master Grade Musha Gundam Mk. II Tokugawa Ieyasu Nanban Dogusoku ver. on display and sale at Toshogu Shrine

I had heard about this kit, but did not realise this a local specialty of Nikko. Though mum offered to buy the kit for me, I decided against the purchase. I have my heart set on a very, very specific mobile suit that I am waiting for a Master Grade, even if it's going to be a Premium Bandai kit:

I'll wait for as long as it takes for a Master Grade Jegan ECOAS type

Together with my wife, we took mum to Kinugawa Onsen. We stayed in the same hotel as last time, but what was different this time was we had dinner and breakfast included. Bloody hell, given what we paid to stay overnight, we definitely got our money's worth. Two things I really enjoyed was the sweet corn rice - I want to actually learn how to cook this at home, and the sashimi. I normally not a fan of sashimi, but the quality of it here was very nice and tender. Furthermore, because we were staying in a ryokan-style hotel, we had our room for dining, including my wife's name written calligraphy style on the door of our dining room. As it was a set course menu, they included a menu of all the dishes that were being served, along who the head chef was for the evening.

Also, I took mum to Tokyo Disney Sea, as it was one place she wanted to go to. The last Disney theme park she went to was in Paris over 20 years ago. As it was a weekday, it was not as busy as usual. However, it was certainly hot as hell, despite bringing umbrellas, though we made sure to take frequent breaks in between. Mum was more interested in the sights rather than the rides themselves, though we were able to go on a few of what she wanted. There were some areas of the park I wanted to check out, along with some rides I wanted to go on, but going out to Tokyo Disney Sea was more for mum than for me and I didn't want mum just waiting around in the heat while I lined up. I was content to put aside what I wanted to do for that day. 

Though it was fun to see mum again, I won't lie when it came to some frustrations. As mum does not understand Japanese, I do not hold that against her. However, there are many signs and instructions that do have English translations for tourists to make it easier for them to understand. In my mum's case, she will ask me first saying she doesn't understand - without checking if there is an English translation or not. A minor gripe, but as she was only in Japan for two weeks, I could grin and bear it. 

So that was how I spent my two weeks of break. Mum's visit also gave my wife and I a chance to dine out among the various restaurants that are near our apartment. Most of them are pretty good, and we would definitely check them out again in the future. 

A trip to Kinugawa Onsen

At the beginning of my winter break back in December, my girlfriend and I went to Kinugawa Onsen. As you may be able to tell by the name, it is a hot spring resort which is located in Nikko in Tochigi prefecture. To give you an idea, it is about a two-hour train trip from Tokyo. 

This place is a hot spring town, but the sad thing about Kinugawa Onsen is that it used to be much livelier compared to now. Back in the economic boom in the 80s, money was flowing to the extent that even the middle class could afford to spend on luxury - until the 90s hit. Unfortunately, it hit Kinugawa Onsen hard.

While it is not obvious from the central area, you can see many abandoned hotels and buildings as you head away from the city center, and as my girlfriend and I walked from our hotel to the convenience store, you could see them. I was very fascinated about them and wanted to take pictures, but my girlfriend would not let me, citing it was dangerous.

However, from what I have read at the Curious Atlas,  it's not that hard to enter the abandoned hotels, with at least a few people having apparently entered inside to explore Kinugawa Onsen's abandoned buildings.

As I said before, it is about a two hour train trip from Tokyo, and it's not like there aren't other hot springs that are much closer, more popular, or still thriving. However, Kinugawa has many scenic views, and from our hotel room, we had a really nice view of the river. The hotel we were staying had a public onsen, and private baths available for booking. While my girlfriend went to the public onsen first, we booked for the private bath for later in the evening.

The next day, we checked out of our hotel, and had a look around the city center to buy some souvenirs and get some lunch before we headed back to Tokyo. 

I did enjoy the quietness and scenery, and it was nice to take a break from the hustle and bustle of office life in Tokyo, but I can't help but wonder how people can live out there. There were a few convenience stores around, but I could not spot a single supermarket, so I can only assume that people drive the next city over. Being a rural area, if you did plan to live in Kinugawa Onsen, you would definitely need a car to get around. 

If you ever do have a chance to head out to Nikko, I would recommend a one night stay out in Kinugawa Onsen. It is a great change of pace compared to the city of life.