Camping in Nasu

[Written by Ryan]

Roo and I enjoyed a long weekend camping with two other fathers and son’s (Roo refers to this as a “no girls allowed” trip). Our home base was a campground near Nasu, approximately two hours drive from Tokyo in the foothills of Mount Nasu. The campground had several ponds, a stream and a playground - enough to keep the boys busy and moving. We arrived late on Saturday, just in time to set up camp, play and get the fire going. Sunday was a full day, involving playing at the campground, tree trekking (also referred to as a ropes course in the U.S.), taking in an outdoor onsen (i.e. hot bath) as well as a night safari. We all slept well that night. On our way home Monday, we stopped at Nasu Highland Park - - kind of a cross between Disney and Valley Fair. Lego Land was by far the most popular with the boys - - particularly the Star Wars section. The weather was perfect - - summer-like and it was a nice way to relax for a few hours. The drive back to Tokyo was much busier and longer, with a tired Roo asleep in the back for the last hour or so of the ride.

I need to take more trips like this. Not only is it fun to spend time with others, it’s also a cultural opportunity in many ways. This was my first “driving” trip in Japan - - typically we take a train of some sort to get to our destination (we don’t own a car and I don’t have a license to drive here). The freeways in Tokyo for the most part are elevated, thereby offering a perspective of Tokyo I never get to experience. I also found this reinforced the sheer size of the city; it is a bit daunting. Also, with the campground in a more remote area, the scenery was tough to beat. We could see the stars very clearly as well as the nearby mountains. Interestingly, there were many rice patties in this region, often organized in a tiered structure so as to make effective use of the land along gradual slopes as well as in the flatlands. Another great part of this trip was that we didn’t see any foreigners. I put my Japanese language skills to some use (including telling the front desk of an “issue” with our cabin toilet) and welcomed friendly interaction with others, particularly some of the kids who have some curiosity about us.

During our two and a half years here I have developed an appreciation for the civil order to everyday activities. I’ve learned to roll with it and not let it frustrate me - - it’s part of the experience. Keeping in mind this is a very popular long holiday weekend, I thought it was interesting the onsen was not open at 11AM on a Saturday (opened at noon). Also, it was "lights out" at 10PM and literally everyone complied (we received a kind reminder from the staff on this point). I also learned on Monday at the campground that I had used a “closed” hot bath - - interesting it would be closed at 9:30AM (what I view as “peak” time). I had remarked to the other dads that I feared I had done something wrong because the bathroom seemed too quiet to me - - turned out my suspicions were true! Everyday I learn something new and I appreciate that.