Hinkleys in Japan

CHERRY BLOSSOMS …I don’t use this word very often but the cherry blossoms in Hakusan (near the Niigata music hall)were spectacular! See the photos.  They only bloom for about 10 days of the year so everyone was there during this time to have a picnic under the trees. There were hot food stalls in the park too on the day we visited.  Eddie got to play with some of the local children at the temple too where they had the best collection of cherry blossom trees.

SNOW…We took the bullet train (200km/hour) for 50 mins from Niigata to Euchigo Yuzawa for a weekend at the snow & stayed in an Onsen (with a Grand Public Bath split into male and female with large indoor and outdoor heated pools). The ladies bathhouse was great. Super-hot water and afterwards there’s heated hair brushes and hair dryers and all sorts of face creams and peels and sunscreen to use. I tried it all.  We went to the Gala Ski Resort. Jim skied on Sunday and the babies and I played in the kiddie snow area.  We got there by a very long & high fully enclosed gondola. The snow was good and it’s an easily accessible ski field.  The locals had some downhill skiing time trials on which was good to watch.  There was no windy long drives up the mountain as the bullet train took us through the mountain J all food and drinks are selected and paid for via vending machines and then you take a ticket to the counter to collect your food.

SHOPPING…Niigata has some great big name shops Zara, H&M, Gap, Uni Glo as well as the great local version.  Nittori is similar to Ikea and great for the home.  Supermarkets here have everything as well as great pre prepared meals.  The seafood selection and quality is amazing here as we are near the ocean and Niigata has a large fish market.

INTERNET…haven’t had much access but we should get it connected at home soon.  I’ve occasionally used the free Wi-Fi from the Tourist info centre after showing them our passport and also at the 7 Eleven.

BEDROOMS …We’ve moved into our new home at the Niigata University Ikarashi Campus staff lodgings.  We have plenty of room and more space than I imagined.  The bedrooms are six tatami mats in size each which is large.  They each have built ins, but these are for futons.  We opted to buy western style mattresses though.

BATHROOM…The bathroom has a titled area for showering with a hand held shower head and a deep bath tub for soaking in afterwards, there is also a steam function on the bath which creates a sauna effect in the room.

KITCHEN…Our kitchen has two gas hot plates & a grill and a gas hot water tap.  But we tend to eat out a lot as the prices are roughly $15 - $20 for two mains and a beer so why waste time cooking?

GARBAGE…our block of flats has a shared cage in the parking lot where we all throw our rubbish into. We must sort the rubbish though into plastic, glass, cardboard, burnable waste etc. and place it in the cage on the correct day for collection.  Rubbish bags are purchased at the supermarket for non recyclable rubbish.  I heard some music playing something like the Mr Whippy ice cream van music the other day, only to see it was just the recycling truck L

CLOTHES LINE…we have a steel bar on the veranda for hanging washing. I had to look at the neighbours to see how it worked. Washing is put onto coat hangers before it is hung out.

PRESCHOOL…Eddie started class at the www.niigataenglishschool.com last Friday and really liked the people there. 

EARTHQUAKE…We had an earthquake last week on the 8^th April at 5am.  I was the only one awake to feel it. It shook our bed from side to side and rattled the house but only lasted 20 seconds. I decided to read the safety brochure the next day and packed our emergency back pack. Good tip from the brochure, open the doors when its starts in case they warp out of shape and can’t be opened later.

CAR HIRE…We tried to hire a car yesterday but couldn’t do so without our international driver’s license. Luckily we both got one from NRMA before we left, but we left them at home that dayL

LANGUAGE…I’ve got the “Learn Japanese” app on my iPhone which has been very helpful for random phrases. It says the phrase out loud for you and shows the Japanese spelling too.  I used the phrase koko wa nani ga oishiidesuka in a restaurant the other night, (What’s good here?) and the waitress made a good selection for us.  When we enter restaurants here all the kitchen and wait staff shout out welcome, and then later goodbye. This also happens in the supermarkets & shops.

BABIES…Travelling with the babies has been no problem.  The change rooms in the supermarkets and shopping centres are great.  Heated toilet seats and high chairs in the ladies cubicles in case you’re carrying a baby in the Bjorn J Some shops like giving Eddie treats as we leave, even the bus driver J

BUS…The bus here has been good too, so long as you know what number bus you need.  You board the bus from the back doors and take a number ticket. Your ticket number appears on a light board near the driver and tells you your fare to pay when you get off. The driver says thank you and good bye to each passenger, as well as makes some narrative about each stop. The speed limit here is 40 so it’s a leisurely pace on the roads.

Chat soon

Hinkleys in Japan