SKI with KID> 2001 | 2002

Let's go!

Shall we go along with RVR! It was fine weather, and also our feelings. But, we left some important item at home...

Lots of flowers?

Going down Chuo express way at Nirasaki interchange, and after driving for about 20 minutes, we arrived at "Yamanashi Flower Center" that was our first destination, We found many kinds of flowers coming out there..., we hoped, but there were very few flowers in the outdoor garden, so we went into the greenhouse. Such flowers were blooming all over there like another world from the outside. We also had magnificent view of the mountains from the clock tower.

T-Dino likes paper arts

There were paintings of flowers or about Yamanashi exhibited in 'Flower Factory" in the site. You can find T-Dino working paper arts with MAMA in the photo.

Lots of music boxes!

After "Yamanashi Flower Center", we drove for Kiyosato. It took about a half hour to "Hall of Halls" in Moegi Village along Route 141. Lots of antique music boxes were exhibited there, and we could actually listen to them being played. We were worrying that they were not interesting for two-year-old T-Dino, but actually, she looked interested in them. Especilly, her favorite was the one that dolls performed a story in the box.

To the resort inn

We stayed a resort inn "Ajuga" in Kiyosato. It is known as a hotel with barrier free facilities whole in the building, which not only handicapped people but also children or elder people can stay comfortably. For example, all the steps in the entrance and the dining room have a ramp, and they pay careful attention for the meals in particular if you ask before coming. Especially, there is only one floor in the building with 4 rooms! Every meal was luxurious because the owner had worked in some famous restaurant, so we should worry if they could get.

Some important thing...

It was fine in the next day! It was just a day for skiing in spring. But in arriving at "Kitz Meadows Skiing Resort" after driving for 20 minutes from the hotel, we found some important mistake, which we had left a sled for T-Dino at home! We had no choice but to borrow it there. We would not have payed the 1,000 yen...

Just in this seoson!

We went to the area for playing by a sled. T-Dino, who even could not stand on the snow last year, could walked on the snow with us because she might be used to it with much snow around our home in Tokyo. She, with PAPA, climed up to the top of the slope while MAMA and Grandma watched. We started for the bottom slowly, but soon, got faster and faster! PAPA tryed braking by the boots, and then, the snow was kicked up like smoke! T-Dino that was holded by PAPA got it on whole the face. She was half crying when we reached the bottom, and she never rode a sled there after that. I wonder when she will be able to ski...

Finally we could ski!

Sorry for Grandma, but PAPA and MAMA left T-Dino in the day-care center in the site, and went to the slopes to ski. We could find very good condition of the snow there though it was March, ending this skiing season. It was fine, not so hot and not so cold, and not so many people were there on the weekday. We wish to always have so comfortable skiing time! We just enjoyed skiing on the slopes with some steep spots but almost even. By the way, the system of the day-care center that charged on one-hour basis was so useful. Also, the nurses looked so kind, and so nice.

Friends in the resort inn

Two children were in the resort inn "Ajuga", and they played with T-Dino after dinner. Hiroyuki, Masaya, many thnaks! See you later.

Chain for tires

On the third day that was the last day for the tour, it had been snowing since the previous night, and everything was covered with the white snow. We heard that it did not usually snow so much in March even there. I could not decide which I put the chain on the tires, but finally I put it becasue I remembered the steep downhill just before going onto the main street. I had never done the chains to RVR for driving on road, so the chains had been hitting somewhere in the fenders for a while until taken out. But, no snow on the downhill already. Actually, Ajuga had done the snow removal early morning, and we knew it later. We appreciate!

Hot spring in Kiyosato

It turned fine weather. Today was (also?) for taking it easy. Taking us about 10 minutes by car from "Ajuga", we went to "Aqua Resort Kiyosato" that was the spot for enjoying a hot spring, which had indoor and outdoor baths, a indoor heated pool, a restaurant and so on. However, we had a problem about if T-Dino could take such a big bath because she had never done. As we had expected, as soon as PAPA tryed to take off her clothes, she began yelling she would not take a bath! After all, PAPA had to wait for MAMA and Grandma with her. But it was OK because I could be alone in the bath after that. In the outdoor bath, which had two bathtubs with hotter water and not so hot one, I got sleepy in the lukewarm water.

One of famous things of Kai-no-Kuni (the old name of Yamanashi)

That is "hoto" after all. We remembered it, so for late lunch, we went to Kiyosato branch of "Kosaku" that served it. Hoto is like udon (Japanese noodle) with a thickish point, and is cooked with pumpkins, meats, potatoes, taros, nappa cabbages, and so on. It is the best that we have the hot one. We ordered as below:

• Grandma: with pumpkins
• MAMA: with a lot (named "chanko")
• PAPA: with pork

And T-Dino was given by everybody. Those were so good!

Kai? Shinano?

At the souvenir shop in Kiyosato, which is in Yamanashi, we found some souvenirs that the phrase of "sold in Shinano (the old name of Nagano) only" was put on. On our way to home, there were no traffic jams on Chuo express way because it was weekday, and soon we could finish this skiing tour without any problems.

2001 | 2002