Zsup~!

So here we are at last. As with most travels, what we're getting here hasn't always linked up with what we thought we were getting ourselves into. A very quick update for now, since the computer is determinedly Japanese (which means it's got punctuation marks in weird parts of the keyboard and the computer is somewhat crashy).

Day 0.5

Landed in Narita, spent the day exploring the Shinshoji Temple. Seems the prayers weren't quite enough because we could not get net connection or any way to save my sadly departed iPhone yet. Although we did have fun and the people are really nice, mostly. Spent the night in a 24hour Macs, watching people walk in and out - this was really interesting because I did not expect in a town that seemed to die at 10, there were all sorts of people lively and tootling about in the freezing rain throughout the night!

Day 1

Caught the first train to Choshi right off... Macs was freezing and getting colder by the minute. However, instant noodles of interminate flavour from the next door AM/PM was just the right thing to warm all our bellies. I'm starting to develop a healthy appreciation for all the heating vents and warm indoors areas... an obvious direct contrast to the Arctic rooms we have back home, of course.

Once in Choshi, I acquired an amazingly fluffy down jacket... this burned my budget, obviously, but considering the conditions ahead, I thought it was definitely a must-have since it was on sale in the post-winter season. My bag is also considerably lightened by the fact that I'm wearing 3/4 of the clothes in it. Heh.
Choshi has an amazing seaside... in this off period, there weren't many other people at the beach, only ah peks and ah mas picking seaweed from the rocks, but I loved watching the waves crash in huge splashes against the rocks. No sign that the brownie-drowning "tsunamlet" from a few days ago has done anything in this place except maybe bring in seaweed a little higher than usual.

Also popped by the Observatory, but didn't manage to catch sunset there, sadly. They really ought to have better timings for their tourist buses. Why have them end before the key attraction is over? Anyway, all I ended up getting the Observatory, therefore, was a whole lot of wind. Really blows around the high points. That was also to be my only chance to view the Byobugaura cliffs, because it was a very VERY long walk away and looked rather inhospitable in the short time we had.

Dinner was fantastic, at this little shop run by an old couple. We had beef udon soup, curry somen and cold soba... all of which was indescribably good! My expectations in this regard were definitely well rewarded.

Overnighted in a hotel, which the very sweet old lady at the restaurant helped us to find, so we did get our first hot bath in a couple days there. With super fluffy blankets to snuggle in, it was no surprise that we all ended up waking up late.

So this brings us to Day 3, where we are in Chiba, having bombed our original plan to go and see the gigantic mountain statue... we're headed for Yugawara and the Plum Blossom festival instead!

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