Sunday Sightseeing

The day began with the realization we were out of milk, out of eggs, and out of bread.  This made breakfasting a very difficult proposition.  I did, however, find several apples and a bunch of grapes in the fridge.  So decided to make fruit salad.  Not having lemon juice, and not wanting to use mayonnaise, I settled on using the contents of one vanilla pudding cup.  For a MacGyver-ed breakfast, it ended up being pretty tasty.  Everyone enjoyed it. :)

With food in our tummies we ventured off into the wilds of Sasebo, and finally decided to try heading all the way up Yumihari-san (Mt. Yumihari) to the observatory at the mountain's peak.  The drive up the narrow mountain roadways lined with cars and stores and houses and people was definitely... interesting.  Filled with that same thrilling, slightly afraid for your life feeling you get on rickety wooden roller coasters.  Hubby did an incredible job navigating his way through the labyrinth, though.  For only having had his license two full days, he has been driving like a pro.  Frankly, how they fit some of these houses into their plots is nothing short of extraordinary.  I doubt anyone knows how to use space wisely like the Japanese.

The first 1/2 of the drive was spent focusing on the streets and all the things with which we did not wish to collide.  But we suddenly glanced to the left, about halfway up the mountain, and gasped.  Sasebo had never looked so beautiful to us.  We knew the view could only get better the higher up we went.  Sure enough, about 4/5 of the way up, we ended up a bit more on the western side of the mountain, and saw the 99 Islands (Kujukushima).  From that point it was just a race to get somewhere we could park, so we could start taking pictures.  We got to the observatory, and this is what we saw.

Aria following Daddy up the steps to the top of the observation area.

Aaaaand now she's leading the way.  It was such a beautiful day, as you can see from the bright blue sky.

The base and inlet from the top of Yumihari-san.

Daddy pointing out parts of downtown Sasebo to Aria.

Kujukushima with The Terrace resort resting just below where we were on the mountain.

Downtown Sasebo, WAAAAAY down below us.

Stone steps leading down the mountain to the resort.

A poem carved into polished marble stones.

"On every one of the 99 Islands
the evening glows,
Angelers' bell peals
Sounding the time
for evening prayer"

Aria posing on a rock, looking out toward a throng of adoring fans that had recently passed by.  No joke. At this point I had separated from Hubby and Aria because nature had called.  I lost track of where they had gone, so I wandered about for a bit, when suddenly I heard a chorus of "kawaiiiii" coming from about 30 feet away, and rounded a corner to find a gaggle of Japanese tourists marveling at our daughter.  They had come on a tour bus to see this beautiful national park, and appreciate the vista; but instead spent time focusing on our blonde, blue-eyed kiddo as if she were the next Shirley Temple. At least it makes her very easy to find if she ever wanders off.  From now on, I will just follow the exclamations of kind-hearted and excessively complimentary tourists.

The view of Atago-san (Mt. Atago) from the observation area.  Our new home (hopefully, if paperwork goes well Tuesday), is located about a mile or two as the crow flies from the base of that mountain.  So you can see our neighborhood, or Cho, and the surrounding Cho's (Atago, Ainoura, Ono, etc.) in this picture.

This is a cat, I assume feral (though it seemed surprisingly comfortable around people) who came by to say hello before majestically walking away through the bamboo like a miniature tiger.  I entertain myself with the thought he or she is one of the guardians of the mountain.  Or just a cute cat.

A tour bus, upon which, rode many humans.  Thus, it was fittingly named "Human Bus."  

..... sigh -_-

After we spent a decent amount of time at the mountain top, we headed back down and found ourselves very close to where our new house would be.  This was an especially exciting discovery, because it means it's only 10 minutes of driving to either reach the 99 Islands, or to reach the top of Yumihari-san.  I am getting more and more excited about our new home by the day.  For friends and family who come visit, this means we are accruing a nice list of things to show you and places to take you.  :)

And just for fun, here is a pic Aria took when she stole my phone.