Who knew volcano's stink??
This past weekend we rented an RV and headed south about 5 1/2 hours to Aso for the weekend. The mission was to visit Mnt. Naka, an active volcano, and see the Kumumoto Castle (in the top 3 of Japan's castles). The castle was pretty awsome, had a mote and everything. It is celebrating it's 400 year birthday this year. The outside was awsome, and the inside had a great view from the top (6th) floor. The kids were impressed.

The volcano....very stinky sulfur smell that burns your lungs. I had flashbacks of visiting Yellowstone. Inside was a milky aqua color, boiling and steamy, not quite what I had expected to see.

After we looked at the volcano from this spot, Adam and the girls hiked for a couple of hours to the other side of the volcano. The boys and I drove, then took a tram and met them. Yes, that meant I drove the RV, I was a little nervous, not just that it was huge and had never driven one, but I also didn't know where the heck I was going, hello, foreign country, don't speak the language, can't read the signs, but I eventually figured it out and made it! They beat me by about 20 minutes of course.

Ok, so quick story. As the boys and I got off the tram, and started up the short hike to where we were meeting Adam and the girls, we had to walk through a group of about 150 highschool kids on a field trip sitting eating their bentos (lunches). They ALL went NUTS over us.....Luke especially. I seriously felt like a rock star! The were all trying to use their English that they learn in school on us. They loved his blond blond hair and blue eyes. It was overwhelming, there were so many of them...once we'd get past one group, there'd be another. Pictures and everything. I just kept thinking, wow, I never want to be famous, I can't take this.

Look---they're all smiling, all 5 of them. Maybe we should use this for our Christmas card! It only took about 50 shots to get.

I discovered a wonderful addition to camping...visiting an onzen (Japanese natural springs hot tubs)! It's so great to get everyone so clean!! Sunday night I set up the beds in the RV, and we drove to the onzen, just a few minutes down the road. We all had a great time, and the kids got into their PJ's and all ready for bed there. Jakey was asleep in his bed before we even got home to our campsite. It was great. The onzen...they are separate, men and women. And of course, the boys wouldn't go with Adam, so they ALL went with me on the women's side. It took a few minutes for me to get over being naked in front of them all!!! Americans typically aren't quite that open, but it is totally normal for the Japanese. So I figured, what the heck, when in Rome...

For anyone interested in how rice grows....look below! You see it all over the place here. It looks like little bunches of grass growing in straight lines in flooded fields.

The drive was long going home of course. Why is that? That the drive home always seems about twice as long? But we somehow survived it. And we've got pumice rock spread all over the house to prove it. Now back to real life, back to getting ready to be packed out Monday/Tuesday! And planning a 3 year old "fish" birthday party for this Saturday. Any ideas would be welcomed!!