Gunma!

My friend Rosie is in Japan, teaching English to native Japanese people in a program called JET. I felt really comforted knowing that I knew at least one person in the country before coming here, even though she was a good two hours away from me once all is said and done.

When I got to Gunma, Rosie walked me to her car and we drove a bit further to her prefecture called Annaka. The difference between Annaka and the Japan I had been seeing was immense, I could hardly believe it was the same place. In Tokyo, I'm used to bustling crowds everywhere, signs and tissue packages being pushed at me and shuffling along streets full of shops. In Annaka I was exposed to blossoming rice paddies (do they blossom?) and forests. Rosie lived right beside Mount Myogi!
This is the view from her apartment!

We climbed a section of the Myogi-san, and I was surprised to see elderly Japanese people up there! They were decked out to the nines in hiking gear; hiking sticks, bear bells, hats, reflective tarps, gators and hats with scarves to cover their necks. Its funny because Mount Myogi is too small to do anything more than a day hike, so they were probably only up there for a couple of hours!

Myogi had Stone Arches called gates carved into it, leaving the huge rock peaks hollow. I am pretty sure that they were engineered gates, but they were beautiful.

We hiked for a couple hours then went back to Annaka. On the way out for Soba (the best noodles ever!) Rosie and I stopped for an Onsen! It was my frist time at a public bath, and at first I was more than a little shy. However in ten minutes I was having the most relaxing hot tub outside looking over the mountains in the foreground. It was an amazing trip.