Sunday 22 April 2007

No guests means more playtime - hanami lunch outing - Thu 19 Apr

There were no guests at the pension lat night, so the "experience workers" got to sleep in till 8.

Didn't duck far enough, and ducked my head a good one onto the bedroom door frame. Head knock number 12, tt sat me on my bum on the floor in a daze.

Breakfast was the same kinds of food as the other meals. This is pretty common practice in Japan. Until fairly recently, brekky was generally miso soup and rice and etc, like lunch and dinner.

It snowed on the surrounding mountains last night, and they looked beautiful in the morning.

The snow melted away a little on them as the five of the "experience staff" worked. Nobi, me, Yama chan, Kaoru and Maki, excited to be in overalls for the first time.

Did my first bit of farming today, in three-quarter overalls, gloves and rubber boots. After moving stacked wood to make room for a verandah to be enclosed, we transplanted lettuces amongst chopped weeds for warmth and nutrients,
tore down old planting arched frame, and pulled weeds. I saw a ladybug, a couple of different spiders, and a teeny frog. It was a fun atmosphere.
I loved pulling weeds amidst all the beauty. Below is the view when you're in the field, and also when you're working in the restaurant, not really done justice by such a narrow picture. This also triggers that feeling that it was worth leaving the safety of the familiar world in Melbourne and my home.
Curiously enough, if you turn one third of a circle counterclockwise, there is a vista over the nearby quite urban looking town. The proximity of urban and rural life is a feature of Japan, and something that makes a rural lifestyle very accessible - you don't have to be miles out of it to get a patch of green.

Usui san took us to Hokka Hokka Tei to collect 290 yen bentoo lunchboxes, then off to hanami by a river lined with cherry trees in full bloom. It was absolutely a postcard.
The girls requested this pose be struck in honour of the magnificence of the cherry blossoms - turned out very cheery, bless 'em.
There was almost no-one else around. It was lovely, other than the occasionally strong whiff of cow poo from a nearby cattle farm.
We drove through orchards and crop plantings, mixed in with wind farms.
With the luxury of all this spare time, when we returned I snoozed on the floor in front of the stove, then had a long bath.
One of the two similar bathrooms at Shalom Hutte is pictured below. Each bathroom is suitable for use by two people at once, if things are busy. The boarded over bit is the bath, being kept warm. Shower tap is at bottom left. The little stool is for sitting on while you wash, and the upside down bowls are for filling with water when you're doing your various toiletries.

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