The New House

Tomoe and I just got back from a great little adventure. To help her practice for her driving test that will allow her to drive manual cars (yes, you need a special licence for that in Japan), we took our Pajero out for a spin. To spice things up we decided to take one of the extremely seldom used mountain roads that we have not been on yet. Tomoe was plowing through weeds and brush as high as the car, dodging enormous rocks, and driving over the remains of a recent land-slide. All went well until we got to the very end of the road where.... BANG!

A flat tire should not really be a problem, especially since the car had a spare, but when we looked for the jack, we found a few important parts missing, and the jack itself would not lower enough to be placed under the an area that would lift the car high enough to change the tire. After deciding not to just walk out and come back in the morning on bike, we tried everything we could, used every tool, rag, tape, and plunger we could find in the car (it was much like that great scene in Apollo 13). In the end after many failed attempts, we managed to make do with what we had and get the spare on and enjoy the cruise back down to civilization.

This makes the previous problems we had with the car seem trivial... basically that when we received it from a friend leaving the country the power-steering didn't work and Tomoe was having real troubles with it. I finally got around to adding some power steering fluid so I expect that to do the trick. The only thing left now is for me to get my Japaneselicense so I can stop worrying when I get the frantic call from work saying "Kevin, can you get to the lake in 15 minutes to guide a firefly tour!?!". Although I do enjoy flying through the rough back-roads to the lake. Who knew cars could be fun?

Of course, for the most part, cars are a pain in the ass. With the end of the busy season and the Obon holiday, the roads were packed with cars today, full of people leaving the cool hakuba air for record setting heat waves in Tokyo and Nagoya. I did get a break from the canyoning today, as I spent the day at Aokiko lake doing Canoe tours. I also realized (yet again) what a small world it is when I discovered that one boy on my six-person tour was in the same elementary school class as the son of my previous boss at the environmental consulting company in Tokyo.

As things wind down with the tour guiding here in Hakuba, Tomoe and I are getting ready to move to our new home in Sakae. These photos of hour new house and its surroundings were taken by Tomoe on her recent trip to the area. While it is not exactly our dream house (very close to the neighbors, relatively new, and no "personal" field right next to it) we can hardly complain given the fact that the roof is a no-shovel roof (a big deal in the snow-country where people shovel their roof every day), and the rent is free (although we will insist on paying *something*, if only to cover the property tax.) It just goes to prove the old saying "Ask and ye shallreceive."

I looked forward to shoveling the roof, but since ours will not need it I will have to satisfy that urge by shoveling the neighbors roofs I guess. The house has a garage so we can protect the car in the winter - and the public plowing of the roads is so top-notch that we really never have to shovel anything. The fact that our neighbor is the village "mayor" (I don't know the correct English word to describe his position) may even mean that our road is plowed first.

The house itself (shown in the first photo) is quite modern, and fully furnished. Complete with stuff we didn't really want or need, like a 30-some inch flat screen TV. In the small yard there is a pond for melting snow in the winter, but used by many locals to raise their own fish - so we can have fresh fish for dinner anytime we want without worrying about the environmental impacts ofcommercial fishing. A river passes by our back-yard, which is nice. It would be nicer though, if it was not walled up with concrete.

In the future we hope to get a more secluded, older house - with a pit toilet and wood-burning stove, but for now we want to focus on building relationships in the area, and if that means taking a new no-shovel house with a brand-new 30-inch flat screen TV.... well, so be it. Its still ten-thousand times better than our apartment in Tokyo.

Recently people have been asking me what I will do for the winter in terms of income. While I had no concrete plans, I also had no worries. The bike-tour plan takes into account seasons that are nothospitable to bicycles, and I can always do web-work or translation. I also will be trying to make some snow-country tours. What I had not planned on, is the owner of the ski area putting me on the schedule as ski-patrol and signing Tomoe up as a snowboard instructor - despite the fact that I have only skied on a "real" (over 500ft) mountain three times in my life, and Tomoe has only tried snowboarding twice.

Its shaping up to be a great experience filled with very welcomed surprises.

Life is good.

Our new house has plenty of room... anyone who read this is welcome.

The first photo is of the house. The other photos are taken from the windows and other surrounding areas. Compare these to the view from our Tokyo apartment below...