A Hike Through Mt. Takao

Well, the end of this past week proved to be busy for me. I helped host a Christmas party, finished my own Christmas to-do list, and finally made it out to Mt. Takao (the mountain that lies a few train stations west of the city I teach in).

Here is a picture from the end of our school's Christmas party that pretty much sums things up. After a little coaxing, Shu is finishing his third dish of ice cream (the whole scoop in one bite), as we usher the last of the students out of the restaurant. We had about 17 students and 7 staff members at the party. The party was at a Japanese-style bar/restaurant near our school. We had a gift exchange, with lots of Disney stuff and toys.

On Sunday, I finally found a copy of my big brother's magazine. It took me four months Aaron, but I finally found it in the English magazine section of a large bookstore within spitting distance of the Shinjuku train station. Anyone want to guess how much his fans are paying to read his magazine in Japan? (either post a comment here or e-mail me)

Lastly, I finally made it to Mt. Takao this past Monday. Mt. Takao is a recreational/park area that is just a few train stops past Hachioji. I have wanted to go see the fall colors and hike around for awhile now, but the weather always seems to take a turn for the worse when I have free time. Finally, I just decided to head out on Monday afternoon. I hiked around, looking at the temple, the visitor's center, and the small suspension bridge across a valley. It was fairly warm out, but unfortunately, it was cloudy in the distance, so I couldn't see Mt. Fuji. :( This picture is of a row of Buddha statues that ran along the back of one of the temple buildings.