It’s time for the annual big cleaning session to get rid of what’s left of 2019 and start off the new year with a clean slate!

The brave people who joined the Osouji, the big clean-up, turned the office upside down and worked hard to make it shine again.

Props to those who came back after work or stayed longer to give their contribution.

Everyone was assigned to a specific area but in the end, we all helped each other out in order to finish as quickly as possible and enjoy the well-deserved dinner as planned.

Some of us found interesting artifacts in the process, and that was basically the highlight of the evening.

It was very refreshing to see the office so tidy and clean after unleashing our inner Cinderella, but at this point, it was already 20:15 pm, it was time for dinner.

We headed to a Belgian pub nearby where we enjoyed a few drinks and a Belgian-inspired meal between laughs and giggles.

Thank you, everyone, for joining this event and taking part in this year’s Ousouji!

I’ll take this opportunity to wish all of you guys happy holidays and a happy new year!

~ Writer: Graziana

On Friday November 22nd, the whole office has come together to celebrate Thanksgiving day. What’s a better way to do that if not by having a great lunch at a classy location in Akasaka?

The gloomy weather hasn’t taken away from the magic of the day. The elegant location and delicious food warmed up the atmosphere and gave us the chance to bond with each other.

Once we arrived at the ANA Intercontinental Hotel, we all headed straight to the gorgeous buffet that was waiting for us! The chocolate fountains were the highlight of the day and caught everyone’s attention as we came in.

Sometimes you must stop and appreciate the people around you and what’s a better way to do it than sharing a nice meal together while chatting and taking a break from work!

Our stomachs were full and we were in high spirits when it was time to squeeze in for a group picture to end our lunch. We are a big bunch and ILL is still growing, that’s why it’s important to take the time to appreciate the people around us.

Thank you, everyone! And happy Thanksgiving!

~ Writer: Graziana

The day we have all been waiting for had finally come. The Innovative Langauge Learning outing to Disney Sea! Let’s be honest, it always feels great to let our inner child out and this was our chance to do so.

We were not the only lucky ones to go to Disney sea our staff was allowed to bring their kids along. They were in for a treat, here is a cute picture of the kiddos waiting to enter the entertainment park.

After we all gathered around 8:00 am outside of the train station we were ready to go. Kyejin handed us the tickets and we all walked together to get the Disney train to the entrance.

When we got out of the train this was our view entering the park. It felt like the entrance to a small town in Italy not to Disney Sea.

We went inside the theme park and every group went their separate way. Exploring the different attractions Disney Sea has to offer, we found ourselves in Agrabah the land of Aladin where we stumbled on the Genie.

Agrahaba and Italy were not the only worlds we found ourselves in there were even more! The mystic temple fo the Mayas where Indiana Jones had his adventures.

Luckily, there was also time to think and enjoy the views of the different Disney worlds from above.

Disney brought us the nostalgia of our childhood memories and you wish you were a kid again. Until you realize they sell beer at Disney sea, which gives you the best of both worlds. I guess being a grownup isn’t that bad after all!

Let’s not forget the seasonal snacks which Disney Sea offers.

But before you know it the day is over, time flies when you are having fun. Even when it is dark Disney Sea is beautiful and you just don’t want to leave.

All good things come to an end, but it was hard for the ILL team to accept it, that’s why we took a crazy goodbye selfie to celebrate an ending of a beautiful day.

~ Writer: Terry

~ Participants: Alisha, Andrew, Anna, Becca, Caspar, Erik, Flemming & daughter, Kyejin, Laura & son, Lya, Maryssa, Meg, Michael & son, Mike, Philip, Terry, Wilson, Yuki & daughter

An amazing photo taken by Erik, the official photographer of the hiking group

On September 7th, 5 people (Anna, Lya, Meg, Erik and Kyejin) headed to Mount Fuji.

I’m sure you’ve heard about this most famous mountain in Japan. According to Wikipedia:

Mount Fuji (富士山; Fujisan), located on Honshū, is the highest volcano in Japan at 3,776.24 m (12,389 ft), 2nd-highest volcano of an island in Asia (after Mount Kerinci in Sumatra), and 7th-highest peak of an island in the world. It is an active stratovolcano that last erupted in 1707–1708. Mount Fuji lies about 100 kilometers (60 mi) south-west of Tokyo, and can be seen from there on a clear day. Mount Fuji’s exceptionally symmetrical cone, which is snow-capped for about 5 months a year, is commonly used as a symbol of Japan and it is frequently depicted in art and photographs, as well as visited by sightseers and climbers.

Mount Fuji is one of Japan’s “Three Holy Mountains” (三霊山 Sanreizan) along with Mount Tate and Mount Haku. It is also a Special Place of Scenic Beauty and one of Japan’s Historic Sites. It was added to the World Heritage List as a Cultural Site on June 22, 2013. According to UNESCO, Mount Fuji has “inspired artists and poets and been the object of pilgrimage for centuries”. UNESCO recognizes 25 sites of cultural interest within the Mount Fuji locality. These 25 locations include the mountain and the Shinto shrine, Fujisan Hongū Sengen Taisha, as well as the Buddhist Taisekiji Head Temple founded in 1290, later immortalized by Japanese ukiyo-e artist Katsushika Hokusai.

We started hiking from the 5th station around 8:20 pm after dinner and came back to Tokyo in the evening on the following day. It was tough but fantastic and definitely a worth-trying experience.

Keep reading the post and check out amazing pictures of Mount Fuji below!

1. How was the activity? Score from level 1 (bad) to 5 (good). Why?

The photo taken when we could still smile…

Anna: This is hard to answer…5 of course but there was some suffering but it was worth it!

Lya: 4. I wanted to do this for a long time and doing it with everyone made it better! It was really cold and dusty tho (TдT)

What the crater of Mt. Fuji looks like…

Meg: 4. It was a bit rough but still a good time.

Erik: 5, after 1 full week to recover, I can say that the whole activity was fantastic. Mount Fuji is not a really difficult mountain to climb, it’s a fun experience overall. I hope I would have brought 2 more layers because it gets really cold at the top.

In the morning

Kyejin: 5, Many of my friends said it was a near-death experience so I thought I might not be able to make it but it wasn’t as hard as I expected. I was just too scared xD but that doesn’t mean that it was easy. It was hard enough to challenge once in my life at least!

2. How was the scenery/sightseeing there? Score from1 (bad) to 5 (good). Why?

The scenery from the top

Anna: The sunrise was 10 and the night sky was even better. Climbing down was not nice. The views were good but the hill was dangerous. You had to be careful to step so we couldn’t watch the scenery all the time.

Beautiful night sky

Lya: 5 for the sunrise and the view above the clouds ♡

Meg: 6

The sunrise

Erik: 5 / 2

• On the way up: The scenery is really beautiful, especially in the sunrise.
• On the way down: The scenery sucks, it’s pretty much a desert mountain.

The “desert mountain” Erik mentioned…

Kyejin: 5, Stunning. Words can’t describe it. Go and check yourself ㋡

3. What was the most memorable moment of this trip?

Right before the sunrise

Anna: Seeing the starry sky at night!

Getting brighter

Lya: Seeing the sunrise

Meg: Seeing the sunrise

The sunrise that everyone chose as the most memorable moment of the trip

Erik: Early Dinner before going up all together at 5th base camp. Sunrise at the top! Finally getting all together at the last stop!

Kyejin: Can’t pick one!

• Seeing the starry sky at night and taking pictures of it (realizing how great my camera is…)
• Seeing the sunrise when it was so windy and cold…
• Taking a nap on the top of Mt. Fuji near the crater.
• Running down Mt. Fuji in the rain (worrying about the typhoon coming on the day…)

4. How was food? What was your favorite?

Dinner at the 5th station

Anna: Can’t apply. I brought food from home.

Lya: I was hoping there would be more food options when getting to the 5th station, but most of it was sold out. Huge Nikuman saved me from starvation, so I’ll vote for Nikuman

Meg: Food was not bad but nothing special lol

Erik: The Nikuman was really good. And the Fuji mountain Katsu Kare was fantastic!

Kyejin: I don’t remember the taste of all the snacks I had actually. I ate them just to survive from Mt. Fuji and the coldness.

5. Will you recommend this place to others? Score from 1 (No way) to 5 (Absolutely). Why?

Anna: 2.5, you need the motivation to go so wouldn’t force anybody, although I hope this tradition goes on and other ILL people climb it next year!

Lya: 5 if it’s on your bucket list, 2 if not.

Meg: I recommend you to go but please wear enough warm clothes.

Erik: 5, You need to have this experience once. It’s truly fantastic. It’s a rite of passage that separate child from Man / Woman. Now you stop being a caveman to become a hunter, a leader.

Kyejin: 5, Yes, if you live in Japan, it’s totally worth trying ☺ Try it when you’re still young! haha

6. Any comment?

Anna: We did it!!

Lya: Achievement complete ★

Meg: Mt. Fuji!!!! △

Erik: I’m never, in my life, gonna climb MT. Fuji again, Swipe left.

Kyejin: So I crossed one item off my bucket list… so I don’t need to go there again lol It was an amazing experience with amazing people! I couldn’t breathe well (my heart hurt so much…!!!) as the altitude became higher and higher but thanks for waiting for me >_< ♥︎

~ Anna, Lya, Meg, Erik, Kyejin

P.S. Anna drew the sunrise we saw from Mt. Fuji ↓

P.P.S. Erik said: ‘we hate fuji’. that’s the title of the post XD

P.P.P.S. August was too hot for hiking so we canceled it. Our next activity is a trip to Disney Sea on October 11th, 2019! Yay!

Our May activity had 4 brave hikers - Anna, Meg, Laura and Kyejin! It was May 19th, the 3rd Sunday of the month as usual.

We met at Ikebukuro Station at 10 am and went to Seibu-Chichibu Station. It took about an hour and a half, and we had to take a bus to the Owa (大輪) bus stop for 35 minutes. It was a steep 3-hour hike and since the last bus back home was at 4:30 pm from the top of the mountain, we tried not to take a lot of breaks and kept hiking.

When we reached the summit, we could breathe in the fresh air and had some time to walk around the famous Mitsumine Shrine (三峯神社; Mitsumine jinja). It is surrounded by tall and old trees and somewhat has some mysterious atmosphere.

We haven’t been to this much high mountain for the last few months so it wasn’t an easy hike but it was definitely worth!

1. Was this hiking easy or hard? Score from level 1 (easy) to level 5 (hard).

Laura: Objectively: 3. Nice trail. Nothing dangerous. For me, the highest mountain I have ever climbed by foot: 5.

Meg: 3.5

Anna: I’d say this one was a 3 for me. Compared to others it was quite challenging since the whole route was quite steep.

Kyejin: 3. The route was steep but not very difficult. We haven’t done any long hike recently so we felt it was much harder than usual.

2. How was the scenery/sightseeing there? Score from 1 (bad) to 5 (amazing).

Laura: 5, beautiful mountains and green all around.

Meg: 3

Anna: I loved this route since the route is very natural as if made by the mountain and there are almost no stairs.

Kyejin: The Mitsumine Shrine was stunning! It was crowded with visitors but I could see why. And it was more rewarding to see it after a long hike. The scenery on the way to the top was also beautiful.

3. What was the most memorable moment of this trip?

Laura: The three abandoned houses almost at the top of the mountain. (How were those people able to live there? Grocery shopping? Maybe are haunted!)

Meg: Flying the drone, eating Laura’s nature valley, planning all the next events on the way back!

Anna: Finding Meg’s PASMO which got lost in the middle of the trail >_< Also watching Kyejin and Laura eat as in a food competition was something to be remembered.

Kyejin: Listening to a kind obaachan talking about the history of her restaurant, sharing snacks with ILL hikers, reaching the shrine after a long hike, etc. So many!!

4. How was food? What was your favorite?

Laura: Most of what we ate was snacks we brought from around home. But the local snack, miso potato, was very tasty.

Meg: I had niku udon this time and it was really good.

Anna: Again miso potato was awesome!!

Kyejin: Laura’s Nature Valley was good, Chichibu miso potato was so tasty and my butadon was so amazing that I could eat up in 5 minutes!

5. Will you recommend this mountain to others? Score from 1 (No) to level 5 (Absolutely).

Laura: 5. Yes, a beautiful place. If someone is not up for a 3-hour hike climbing up, going by bus or car to the top of the mountain is also good! I want to bring my dog and kid.

Meg: 3, It’s hard to say because I didn’t make it up to the top haha.

Anna: Hmm probably 3. Nice mountain, a few spots to take pictures in the middle of the trail so why not : )

Kyejin: 3.5. There was a beautiful dam, and Laura said a baby bear was running there o_O Recommend it for those who want to see a bear! In general, it was really good too!

6. Any comment?

Laura: Need to practice hiking uphill. I could barely make it : D

Anna: Join us next month!

Kyejin: It’s a heads up but we’re going kayaking in June and camping in July xD Let me know if you’re interested!

~ Anna, Meg, Laura, Kyejin

P.S. The 3rd Sunday of the month is our Activity Day so the next event will be on June 16th and we’ll go kayaking! Please join this fun event, dear ILL people!

Our April activity had 7 brave hikers - Anna, Lya, Meg, Laura, Maryssa, Stan and Kyejin! Since it’s a perfect season for hanami, we decided to go to 2 different places to enjoy beautiful flowers, 1) Shibazakura Hill (芝桜の丘; Shibazakura no oka) at Chichibu Hitsujiyama Park (秩父羊山公園; Chichibu Hitsujiyama Kōen) and 2) Kinchakuda (巾着田; Kinchakuda).

1) Chichibu Hitsujiyama Park (秩父羊山公園; Chichibu Hitsujiyama Kōen)

Hitsujiyama Park is a 20 minutes walk from Seibu Chichibu station. The name of the park, Hitsujiyama, literally means Sheep Mountain as hitsuji (羊) means sheep and yama (山) means a mountain. As the name shows, you can see some sheep in the park.

Our destination was Shibazakura Hill (芝桜の丘; Shibazakura no oka) on that day. It is located in the south of Hitsujiyama Park (羊山公園) and has an area of about 17,600m².

We could enjoy cherry blossoms in full bloom on the way to the hill. There are different kinds of cherry blossoms, which made the place even more colorful and stunning.

Shibazakura Hill is planted in more than 400,000 pink phlox mosses of 9 different colors. In the blooming season, it becomes a flowering carpet shape is designed from Floats and costume patterns of the Chichibu Night Festival and night festival’s excitement.

2) Kinchakuda (巾着田; Kinchakuda)

Kinchakuda Plateau is a 15 walk from Koma station. We just needed to follow a red sign with 巾着田 (kinchakuda) so it wasn’t difficult to find it.

When we arrived at the place, the Spring Festival was already over but instead, we could enjoy the 菜花 (nanohana; rapeseed flowers) in full bloom ourselves. There was no crowd and we were the only people there! The purse-shaped field filled with rapeseed flowers is surrounded by cherry blossoms in full bloom too, and when the wind blows, it rained cherry blossom petals. It was such a beautiful place.

1. Was this hiking easy or hard? Score from level 1 (easy) to level 5 (hard).

Laura: level 1

Stan: The hike was VERY easy, grade 1. And why? Well, we did not really do any climb except few stairs : )

Anna: Easy, easy 1! I think it’s the first time we didn’t encounter stairs!

Lya: It was so easy! No big slopes, barely any stairs, really chill : D

Meg: 1. It was easy. XD We didn’t really hike up any mountains this time.

Maryssa: 1 Easy. There were few hills.

Kyejin: Level 1. It was easy!

2. How was the scenery/sightseeing there? Score from 1 (bad) to 5 (amazing).

Laura: level 5. Luckily we went when the Sakura trees were fully bloomed. Plus, the park surrounded by mountains was beautiful.

Stan: The scenery was much better than I expected in both cases - firstly, I had known Chichibu a bit from the past and I did not expect so many sakuras (including the pink, leaning ones) over there in a full bloom, plus the shibazakura flowers were great and I finally managed to see them. So 5, of course. And why? Flowers. I just like them.

Anna: 10! The cherry blossom trees in Chichibu were stunning! There weren’t as many people as in Tokyo famous spots which made it even more beautiful than any other big Sakura park I’ve seen before.

Lya: 7/5. Sakura and flowers were in full bloom! All the colors! So pretty♥

Meg: 5. It was soo beautiful. One of the best hanami spots and not a lot of people. I highly recommend this place to do hanami and enjoy sakura.

Maryssa: 5 The flowers were blooming beautifully.

Kyejin: It was the most beautiful and not crowded hanami I’ve ever experienced. I would love to visit there again next spring!

3. What was the most memorable moment of this trip?

Laura: There was a spot full of Shidarezakura in full bloom. Since it was a bit windy the rain of sakura petals was very pretty.

Stan: Probably the sakura petal falls in the wind.

Anna: I discovered a punishment for Korean kids. Ah and of course Sakura rain ✿

Lya: When the wind blew softly and it rained Sakura petals. Stan took a good video of it!

Meg: Enjoying the sakura fall down with the wind and eating yummy food.

Maryssa: Walking down the path lined with sakura trees.

Kyejin: Showing Anna how to write her own name as a Korean punishment o_O and dancing with everyone in the rapeseed flower field. Also, the sakura rain whenever the wind blows…♡

4. How was food? What was your favorite?

Laura: I didn’t eat much since I had a cold. But the snack shared by Kyejin was good (good)

Stan: I only had one food and that was yakiniku, grilled one, one the stick. So I cannot compare, but then again, no matter how I look like, I am not a “big eater”…

Anna: New things I tried were miso potatoes and buta miso don. Both worth it.

Lya: SNACKS FTW. My favorite was wild boar skewers (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧

Meg: Maryssa and I had a butadon and it was really good. The homemade gelato was awesome too!

Maryssa: The food was great. The butadon was so delicious.

Kyejin: Miso butadon (the one on the right side in the picture) was so gooood! The one on the left side is hiroshima okonomiyaki and it was good too : ) Anna and I shared these two dishes and we were very satisfied! And we had late dinner after hiking at the Mexican restaurant where Maryssa introduced and it was great too. Everything was perfect on that day : D

5. Will you recommend this mountain to others? Score from 1 (No) to level 5 (Absolutely).

Laura: level 4. If people go during the time either the sakura trees or the gardens have lots of flowers, the park is very pretty. Otherwise, I think it is too far away and there are no trails around there to venture into the forest or mountains nearby. But the station and town are pretty and the people friendly so it is a nice place to hang out.

Stan: I can recommend both places with 5. I am not sure if Chichibu is worth 5 out of the sakura/pink moss blooming season, but in this case yes.

Anna: Yes! It wasn’t crowded at all and it was beautiful. The second location we went to also looked like a perfect place to have a barbecue.

Lya: 5! Absolutely, it was gorgeous!

Meg: 5. It’s just so beautiful and food is good too! : D

Maryssa: 5 Would definitely recommend. The scenery was stunning, food was delicious, and staff were nice.

Kyejin: Of course. It’s now my secret(?) place for hanami!

6. Any comment?

Stan: Thanks for the great trip, socializing was also outstanding, I personally need more stuff like this, it made me switch off, even though I was working occasionally.

Anna: Looking forward to the next hiking with everyone. There are always nice sceneries around no matter the season.

Lya: A really fun and pretty day (≧▽≦) Special mention for Sushi Go!

Meg: Big thanks to the company! : D

Maryssa: I would call it more of a walking tour than a hike, but it was gorgeous and a nice place people could spend the whole day having a picnic at.

Kyejin: Yes, big big big thanks to the company! : D It was really fun and I can’t wait for our next hiking already. Let’s hike, people!

~ Anna, Lya, Meg, Laura, Maryssa, Stan, Kyejin

P.S. The 3rd Sunday of the month is the Hiking Day so the next hiking will be on May 19th! Please join this fun hiking, dear ILL people : D

On March 17th, on a beautiful Sunday, Anna, Lya, Meg, and Kyejin went hiking to 3 different mountains, Mt. Gongen (権現山), Mt. Koubou (弘法山), and Mt. Azuma (吾妻山).

Those mountains are located between the Hadano and Tsurumakionsen stations on the Odakyu Odawara line and the stations are easily accessible from Shinjuku station directly without any transferring. It takes about an hour only so it’s a perfect day trip from Tokyo!

Since each mountain is about 250m tall only, it was a relatively easy hike. There are plenty of picnic tables and benches so we could rest enough and play fun card games whenever we arrived at the summit of each mountain. It’s said you can enjoy an amazing view of Mt. Fuji on a clear day but unfortunately it suddenly got cloudy when we were at the observatory. It’s also a popular place, especially during the cherry blossom season.

1. Was this hiking easy or hard? Score from level 1 (easy) to level 5 (hard).

Meg: 2.5 or 3 because of the uphills.

Lya: The hike was 2 hard. The beginning was pretty straining but it got easier after a while ^^

Anna: Mount Koubo was an easy relaxing hike although as usual, it started with stairs but we did our best and got easily to the first stop!

Kyejin: 2. If it was just one mountain, I would give 1 but since we hiked to 3 mountains in one day, I give 2!

2. How was the scenery/sightseeing there? Score from 1 (bad) to 5 (amazing).

Meg: 3 The view was nice and you could see a nice view of the area we were in.

Lya: I would give a 4 to the scenery. It was beautiful and we could see far, but we missed the Sakura blooming. That would have been a 5.

Anna: We had perfect weather for hiking not too hot not too cold so we enjoyed the day a lot. There were nice stops in the way like a sightseeing mini tower, statues of the demons of the woods and lots of Sakura trees that unfortunately hadn’t bloomed when we went. So if you have the chance to get there when they bloom I’m sure the views will be even more rewarding!

Kyejin: 3. Too bad we weren’t able to see Mt. Fuji or cherry blossoms but still there were a small temple, a big bell, an old well, an observatory, interesting trees, pretty flowers, weird bugs(?) and lots of sheep ᏊˊꈊˋᏊ so I enjoyed it a lot! Also, we had to walk along the river from the station to the park for about 15-20 minutes and I liked that too.

3. What was the most memorable moment of this trip?

Meg: Sushi Go haha

Lya: Playing Sushi Go (≧▽≦)

Anna: This time we enjoyed the breaks playing cards and eating!

Kyejin: Of course playing Sushi Go! It’s a “Spanish(?)” card game Anna brought.

4. How was food? What was your favorite?

Meg: Eating fried chicken from the fried chicken shop was awesome! The omiyage shop was really good too with lots of testers.

Lya: If we don’t count dinner, we mostly had snacks, so nuts and cheese FTW. And that chocolate thing that Anna and Ruben brought. (• ε •) If we count dinner, the fried chicken was amazing. And the fried cheese. I like all the foods. ALL OF THEM!

Anna: This mount didn’t have any food stalls so make sure to bring your bento/onigiri when hiking! After that, we also walked around the area and tried karaage from a からげ専門店 it was very good!

Kyejin: We found a karaage shop that won lots of awards from international competitions. We had to wait in a line but it was totally worth! The Nagoya restaurant we went to after hiking was pretty good!

5. Will you recommend this mountain to others? Score from 1 (No) to level 5 (Absolutely).

Meg: 3 I recommend this mountain but maybe less than our previous ones because there wasn’t so much to see or attractions on the actual route of the hike but we did see sheep which was fun!!! There was also a sign for possible monkeys!!

Lya: 4 because it was pretty but there can always be a prettier mountain, somewhere. Also, lack of sakuras. But please go see it fit yourself

Kyejin: 3. Yes, it was easy enough and fun enough at the same time.

6. Any comment?

Meg: The hike was really fun and relatively chill this time compared to previous hikes. We ate lots of snacks, played lots of games, and ate some yummy fried chicken that has apparently won an award. Then, we went to Izakaya for more food. Yay! We love food! Haha. I really enjoyed my time with everyone and it was only one train ride away from Shinjuku. The weather was good too! Thanks, everyone!

Lya: I want to play more Sushi Go. The hike concept should be to play it in more and more extravagant places. I want to win once at least, everyone was so good!! (≧▽≦)

Kyejin: It was super fun! It’s always so pleasant to have a great time with great people! I’m already looking forward to our April hike.

~ Anna, Lya, Meg, Kyejin

P.S. Please join this healthy and fun hiking in April, dear ILL people!

Odawara Plum Festival is held in Soga from early February to early March every year in Japan.

February 23rd was the perfect day for our February hiking, and Anna, Lya and Kyejin went to Soga to enjoy the beautiful plum blossoms and “mini” hiking.

This was what’s written on the board in the view point:

Soga Plum Orchard

The Soga Plum Forest, located about 4 miles northeast to the central district of the city of Odawara. The forest is made up of three areas: Bessho, Hara, and Nakagawara, approximately 35,000 trees of white plum.

The views of Mt.Fuji, the Hakone and the Tanzawa mountain range and the Sagami Bay are also wonderful, and it has been selected as Kanto Fujimi 100 view (One of the best places to enjoy viewing Mt.Fuji).

Message from Anna:

“Wonderful Saturday surrounded by plum trees.

This last Saturday due the start of the hay fever season (with the fear of sugi trees) and knowing it was time for ume to bloom Kyejin-san proposed a nice adventure in Soga. I think that’s the first time I see so many ume trees in their fields with lots of space for walking and zero crowds!

We had an enviable picnic (that goes for you who hasn’t joined yet )and we finished with a mini hike to a viewing point of the city.”

Message from Lya:

“The weather was grand, and so were the Ume trees!

We had tasty food (thanks Anna!), a nice walk and a lot of fun. One of the highlights was to find wild kiwis and pet Shiba inu. Much love! (๑♡3♡๑)”

Message from Kyejin:

“I haven’t seen so many plum trees before (there are over 35,000 trees!) and haven’t realized how colorful they are. We did a “mini hike” and could see the whole village filled with colorful plum trees. That’s why we could smell plum flowers anywhere in the village.

The picnic was awesome too. We bought Japanese festival foods including umeshu Lya treated and one of my favorite parts was Anna’s Spanish omelette. That was just perfect for the ume picnic!

It’s alway so pleasure to travel with good people. The plum trees were beautiful but our trip was even more beautiful It was full of stories and fun moments! I already look forward to our next adventure.“

The next hike is going to take place on March 17th! Are you joining us? Let us know!

- Anna, Lya and Kyejin

Four brave hikers challenged the cold winds to see some breathtaking views on top of Mt. Nokogiri. Alice, Anna, Ernst and Kyejin went to Chiba Prefecture, Tokyo’s neighbouring prefecture on a crispy clear Sunday in late January.

January is a tough month for hikers. The cold makes hiking a challenge, even with the right equipment. We wanted to go to Mt. Takao, but a last minute change proposed by Anna led us to Mt. Nokogiri.

It is about 329m tall and there are an astonishing 1,500+ Buddha’s on the mountain. Small ones, huge ones, laughing ones, smirking ones, studying ones, sleeping ones, etc. There was no end to them! Sadly, not all were intact. During the Meji-era a lot of Buddha’s were destroyed in an anti-Buddhist movement. Even now, there are CCTV cameras watching over the statues.

Alice has visited Chiba before, but that was for Disney and Narita airport (who of us cannot relate to the last one?). Alice said it was wonderful to spend some meaningful time in Chiba, because we definitely did some exercise there! We had to walk up so many stairs, that the stairs still haunt my dreams. Or rather nightmares…

Happy to report that from Mount Nokogiri, we had excellent, unobstructed view of Muira and Izu Peninsula, Tokyo Bay, as well as Mount Fuji most of the time. That we could see Mt. Fuji from almost every stop was awesome, as Anna tells us. With some extra training, some of us want to conquer Mt. Fuji one day!

We also got to admire the 31-meter-tall carved Buddha and unusual rock faces. Unusual in the sense that Mt. Nokogiri was a former quarry and the rock was cut out and shipped off. There was another very large Buddha carved out on the wall of an abandoned quarry site.

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to see the temple that was built on Mt. Nokogiri, as it was under renovation and construction. Hopefully the next visitors will be able to see the temple. In any case it was a nice day trip out of the busy city!

The next hike is going to take place on February 23rd! Are you joining us? Let us know!

~Alice, Anna, Ernst and Kyejin

Hello!

Last month on the 28th, we had a mini Halloween party in our Tokyo office!

One week before the party, we also started decorating the office to enhance the Halloween festive mood.

And here are some pictures from the event  We set up a make-your-own-tacos? burrito? kabab? table for the October event.

 Some of us also dressed up in costumes! Can you guess who we’re dressed up as?

Thank you!

Nanatsu