Despite ending my time in Tokyo on a good note, I could not wait to get out of it! I will definitely go back to Tokyo for a re-do, but my mind was so done with the city and I was looking forward to the country life; mountains, grass, a bit of snow, and of course, epic Onsens!
The first night in Shizukuishi had to be one of my best nights in Japan.
First of, Kohei, the host was beyond accommodating; I am absolutely terrified of all non human animals…a pretty vast category. When I booked his home on Airbnb, I mentioned my fear after I noticed a picture of him playing with his dog.
At that point, I had already paid for the accommodation, and his was the only one available for over 40km! He actually advised me to cancel the booking and he would refund me if the presence of his dog would be that a big a deal to me (it would have been).
Anywho, when it comes to new travel experiences, I tend to find some sort of inner strength to withstand things I usually shy away from, I figured I had 6 months to build some mental strength in living with a dog for 2 nights. Yes! It was that serious!
Fast forward to arriving at Kohei’s home, I was already mentally girding my loins and ready to do some breathing exercises while the dog sniffed around me, but God loves me and Kohei decided to pity me by lock his dog in his room. The dog would only come out when the fresh dog food delivery canada guy knocked on the door. I felt bad that he had to limit his time with his best friend, but mehn, I was extremely grateful for the kindness he showed me. #leSigh.
I really only had one full day here and I wish I’d given Tokyo only 2 nights and here 6 nights instead. The home was welcoming and the serenity of the neighborhood was just what I needed. My host, Kohei, picked me up from the train station, and during the drive, I kept twisting my neck to take in as much beauty as I could. From the rustic homes scattered around the town, to driving the snow covered mountains, to driving past a bit of forest before reaching his home. I felt like I was back in Austria. All I needed was a lake for me to spend the day fishing at.
The first night! I was lucky enough to meet an American couple on their last night at Kohei’s, Bridget and Nick (they planned for only 2 nights, but kept extending their stay…it is that beautiful), and an Australian gent that came on the same train as I, Matt. We spent the night in a booze-rific state swapping travel stories and sharing a little bit of where we come from. I always look forward to meeting new people that are open enough to share their stories with me. Meeting them was a blessing.
😆
The next morning, the yanks had to head off to Tokyo for their own adventure and Matt and I were faced with the option of taking on Kohei’s silent suggestion of riding his provided bikes or taking on lazy relaxed day. Nobody rode those bikes.
Instead, Kohei took pity on our lazy asses and took us out for lunch, then went off to get a proper onsen experience. Unlike my prior onsen bath where I was looking up at the mountains, this time around, I was on top of one, looking down at the mountains. It gave me a heady feeling 😀
Our super host then took us out for some ice-cream made from the local cows. Despite the freezing weather, there was quite a bit of queue in the ice cream shop. I later learned that the shop is a bit of a superstar among the locals; folks drive long miles from neighboring towns frequently just for their ice cream treat. Ermm, I guess they really like their ice cream.
My last night at Kohei’s was much tamer than the night before. We still made a good night of it, we broke out a new bottle of sake, I tried out the very terrible tasting Natto (fermented soybeans = spoilt beans) and spent the night sharing our love for music and a bit more about ourselves. I had to head to bed early for my 7:30 am train ride to Sapporo.
Looking back at my time at Kohei’s, I really did not do anything extra adventurous, but it was the little things – been able to see the stars so clearly at night, going on a short walk to take in my surroundings, waking up to the sight of the mountains, and the weird music that comes on country wide at it’s scheduled time slot – that made me fall in love with this little village.
I was also bummed out that I could not get to try out the food Kohei’s neighbor makes for his guests; her restaurant was closed while I was there 🙁
Time to board on a long ass train ride to Hokkaido; first stop is Sapporo!
